Fireblood (Frostblood Saga #2)(40)

I nodded, absentmindedly making the motions in the air. Brother Thistle had taken great pains to teach it to me those many months ago when I’d struggled to gain even a basic command of my gift.

I noticed someone watching me and turned my head to find Master Dallr staring. “Perhaps our guest is keen to show us her skills in a practice match,” he said. Before I could answer, he stood and whistled. The students immediately ceased sparring and bowed before running to sit at the edge of the circle.

“Prince Kai, if you would, please,” the master said.

Kai glanced down at his red silk doublet and pristine black leggings.

I snorted. “Worried I’ll ruin your pretty clothes?”

He sprang to his feet, his mouth assuming its typical smirk. “Not at all. I merely hope my skill doesn’t blind you.”

“Your doublet is doing that already.”

His eyes crinkled, the gold flecks standing out against the brown, his irises carved from tigereye agate. “If only your attacks are as sharp as your tongue, Lady Ruby. Why don’t you show us all what you can do?” He walked backward into the circle, arms spread wide in challenge, and raised his voice. “Behold! The girl who melted the frost throne will honor us with a glimpse of her greatness.” And he topped the speech with a sweeping bow.

I looked around anxiously. I’d learned to fight from Brother Thistle and Arcus, matching their frost with my fire. I had no idea how to combat someone who shared my gift. But something about Kai’s cocky grin made me determined to surprise him.

“All right. But what if we hurt someone?” I gestured to the spectators.

“We are all Firebloods here,” Master Dallr replied. “And we will protect our students.”

There were several masters spaced out at intervals in the circle, gazes alert, hands ready. I took a breath and returned Kai’s bow before raising my fists.

“Begin,” said Master Dallr.

The word still hung in the air as Kai punched out an experimental tongue of flame. I ducked and returned the favor, but missed him by inches. He had already swept a gout of fire at my feet. I jumped over the sheet of flame and sent my own at his chest. He ducked and somersaulted backward, his fists thrusting out twin jets as he regained his stance. One caught my sleeve, setting it alight. I dropped to the ground to put it out, then dodged another attack.

Kai’s movements were fast, agile, and unpredictable. I found my mind shutting off and instinct taking over. Attack, jump, twist, duck, counterattack.

I threw out a wide swath of stinging flame. Too late, I realized my attack was curving toward the students. The masters positioned their palms facing me, their fingers pointed at one another, and redirected my fire in an arc around the circle, all hands receiving and shaping the flow of it. I hesitated, marveling at the way they had worked together, the fire controlled so neatly, when a burst of heat crashed into my shoulder, nearly knocking me down. I twisted and whipped out a spiral of flame, twitching it at the end like a whip.

“So you do know Tail of the Dragon,” Kai said with a grin, even as a red welt bloomed on his cheek. “But do you know Sud’s Hammer?”

A roughly hammer-shaped swirl of flame formed in his hand and came bearing down on me. I leaped out of the way as it slammed the ground, sending up a cloud of white dust.

“Or Fire Blade?” He swished twin razors of flame at me from both sides. With nowhere else to go, I threw myself on the ground, hands over my head. Kai’s laughter drifted over me.

“Or Sud’s Bowl?” he taunted. Heat surrounded me. I uncovered my head to see myself trapped under an inverted bowl of flame that burned so hot its center held tongues of blue.

It wasn’t the blue of frostfire—not nearly so bright. But any hint of blue meant it was hot enough to injure me. Grandmother had once told me that blue flames meant burns even for a Fireblood. Kai’s fire was strong, maybe stronger than mine. I needed a way out.

I gathered my heat and threw both arms up, punching a column of fire through the bowl. As I leaped out, Kai twitched to the right—I had noticed that he had a tendency to dodge that direction—and blinked in apparent surprise, giving me a moment before his hand came up to attack.

I sent fire arrows at his face. He turned nimbly and met my arrows with heat that sent them off course, then clouted me in the chest with a thick bolt of fire.

As I flew backward, I fisted twin vortexes at him, not at where he stood, but curving toward where I anticipated he would move. To his right.

I heard the attack connect, and Kai fall, just as my back met the packed earth, the air leaving my lungs.

“Enough!” Master Dallr shouted. His shadow fell across my face as I gasped for breath. “You are untrained,” he said quietly, “but you did not disgrace yourself. Your gift is strong.”

It took me a second to realize that the master’s hand was held out. I let him pull me up, just as Kai stumbled upright a few feet away, wiping his brow with his sleeve.

“I call this match a draw,” Master Dallr said to the crowd. Young faces beamed at us, some of the students whispering and elbowing each other. It looked as if they’d enjoyed the show.

“Prince Kai,” said the master, “if you and your guest would both follow me.”

Kai was brushing dust off his now-ragged-looking doublet, his brows drawn tight.

“Are you more upset that you lost,” I asked, gleeful that his cocky grin was finally missing, “or that I ruined your clothes?”