Bright Blaze of Magic (Black Blade, #3)(78)

“Are you actually sending this girl out to do your fighting?” He let out a low, ugly laugh. “You really think she can beat me? What a fool you are. I killed Serena and I’ll be happy to do the same to her daughter. Then you’ll have two Sterlings to mourn instead of just one.”

Claudia’s lips pressed together into a tight line, but she ignored his cruel taunt. “Do we have an agreement or not?” she snapped.

Victor studied her a moment, then his gaze flicked to me. It only took him a second to decide that he could beat me. “Agreed. As previously arranged, the winner of the duel will take control of both our Families—and do whatever they like with the losers.”

He whirled around and stalked back over to his guards, filling them in on the terms of the duel. But Blake stayed in the middle of the bridge, staring at me as if he had never seen me before.

“I thought you were dead,” he muttered. “You should be dead. Those copper crushers should have killed you.”

I looked at him, trying to reason with him for Deah’s sake. “You know that your dad is going to turn on you one day, right? You’ll do something to displease him, and he’ll order one of his men to kill you, just like he ordered you to capture Deah. Victor doesn’t care about anything or anyone other than himself. Even if he beats me, even if he takes control of all the other Families in Cloudburst Falls, it still won’t be enough for him. He’ll start thinking about what other Families and other towns he can take over. Nothing will ever be enough for him.”

A bit of doubt flickered in Blake’s eyes, overcoming his usual arrogance. But his uncertainty quickly vanished and he gave me the same sneer he always did.

“That’s never going to happen,” he said. “My dad loves me. Besides, I’m the Draconi bruiser, his right-hand man. He can’t run the Family without me. He’s told me so himself.”

“Just like he told Deah and Seleste how much he loved them?” I asked.

Blake blinked, as though it had never occurred to him that he might be just another tool for Victor to use, the way he had used Deah and Seleste all these years. He opened his mouth to say something, but the sharp, ringing tap-tap-tap-tap of Victor’s wingtips on the cobblestones had him clamping his lips shut again.

Victor stopped in the middle of the bridge. He looked at me, then went over and placed three quarters on the center stone, the one marked with three Xs, before stepping back out into the center of the span.

“You didn’t think I would forget to pay the lochness toll, did you, Lila?” He smirked, seeing my disappointment. “Your mother taught me better than that.”

I really had been hoping he would forget about the toll, just as Grant Sanderson had all those weeks ago, and that the lochness would make Victor pay for his oversight. But of course Victor wouldn’t make things that easy.

So I dug my own set of quarters out of the hidden slot on my belt, walked over, and placed them on the center stone, careful to keep them away from his. I waited a few seconds, wondering if the lochness might appear to take its tribute, but the surface of the river remained smooth and calm, so I moved back over to the center of the bridge.

“You can do this,” Claudia whispered, her eyes steady on mine. “Just remember Serena and everything she taught you.”

“Always,” I whispered back.

She squeezed my hand, then turned and walked to the end of the bridge, where Devon, Felix, Mo, Oscar, Deah, Seleste, and all the other Sinclairs were waiting.

Victor murmured something to Blake that I couldn’t hear, and Blake nodded and looked past me. I glanced over my shoulder and realized that he was staring at Deah and Seleste. I wondered what Victor was telling Blake about his own sister and stepmother, if he wanted Blake to try to capture them—or worse—if he lost the duel. Part of me didn’t want to know. It would only remind me of how cruel Victor was.

And how he was most likely going to kill me.

Blake nodded at whatever Victor told him. He smirked at me a final time, then stalked to the opposite end of the bridge so that he was standing with the rest of the Draconi guards.

Victor turned around and strode forward until he was right in the center of the bridge. I let out a tense breath, then stepped up to meet him, leaving about five feet of space in between us.

“I’m going to enjoy this, Lila,” he purred, his voice showing the first hint of warmth I’d ever heard. “Just as I did with your mother.”

He was trying to make me angry, get me to fly into a rage and do something stupid, like recklessly charge at him. But I forced myself to ignore his horrible words and take slow, deep, steady breaths. He wasn’t going to rile me up that easily. He wasn’t going to win that easily.

He wasn’t going to kill me that easily.

“Good,” I said. “I hope you do enjoy this.”

He arched a golden eyebrow. “Really? Why is that?”

“Because it’s going to be the last thing you ever enjoy.”

Instead of being concerned, his face creased into a wide smile, and he let out a low, deep belly laugh. The sound reminded me of the copper crushers slowly slithering toward me, their rattles shaking and their scales scraping against the concrete floor of the warehouse. But I stood my ground, not letting Victor see my fear and disgust.

“You certainly are confident,” he said. “Just like your mother was. And I’m going to kill you, just like I killed her.”