Hero at the Fall (Rebel of the Sands #3)(73)

Hands dropped, and I saw Samir lean in towards his neighbour, saying something under his breath, a smirk on his face. ‘Something to say?’ Shazad asked, never missing a thing.

I had a feeling he was wondering why he was listening to a woman when he’d pledged his allegiance to a prince. I could see that question on a few faces around us. Samir spoke up. ‘I was saying that it’s not much good having a knife when you’ve got a gun pointed at you.’

‘Have you ever seen the streets of Izman?’ Shazad didn’t wait for an answer. ‘They’re narrow enough that half the time you can’t walk two abreast, let alone turn around quickly enough to get a shot off before your opponent is on top of you. That is when you need to be able to fight man to man.’

‘So how does a woman know how to fight man to man?’ another boy sniggered, loud enough so that he was heard.

Shazad’s eyebrows went up. I stepped back.

‘I’ll tell you what.’ Shazad turned towards him. ‘Why don’t you come and face me? Anyone who can land a blow can take over this training.’ A small audience was gathering by now. Everyone who’d ever seen Shazad fight knew exactly where this was going. The rebels were elbowing one another slyly as the boy stepped forward, looking all too confident.

‘Doesn’t seem like a fair fight to me,’ the boy said, too lightly. The boy was at least twice Shazad’s weight, broad where she was slim – slimmer still, after her time in Eremot.

‘It’s not even close to a fair fight,’ Jin commented from the sidelines. We’d all formed a circle now, watching.

‘Oh, my friend.’ Sam clapped the boy on his back. ‘I’m so sorry for your loss.’

‘My loss?’ The young idiot said.

‘Of your dignity.’ He gave him a rueful smile before stepping back to stand next to me.

The challenger lunged at our general, all ungainly fists and brute force. Shazad moved like a blade through water, going for his clumsy legs. She danced under his fists easily, her foot catching him in the ankle. And just like that he was on the ground and she was on top of him with a knife at his throat. The fight had lasted less than three seconds.

‘And now you’re dead,’ Shazad said.

‘That’s not fair,’ he wheezed, fighting for breath against the knee pressed into his chest. I got the feeling she was pressing a little harder than she strictly needed to. Pressing a point home.

‘You’re the one who said it wouldn’t be a fair fight.’ Shazad got to her feet, sheathing the knife. The boy stumbled to his feet as well. I realised he was going to lunge for her again a second too late to shout a warning. But Shazad didn’t need one. She grabbed his hand as it closed on her shoulder, dropping to her knees, tipping him off balance as she went down. His own anger worked against him as he tumbled over her body and on to his back, slamming down hard again.

‘Besides, war isn’t fair.’ Shazad turned away, leaving him coughing in the dust. ‘But if you want to see a bit more of an even fight …’ She glanced around the circle, eyes finally landing on Jin. She summoned him forwards with a nod. He stepped into the makeshift arena with her, pulling off his shirt as he went. Across from me, among the line of new recruits, I saw one of the few girls who’d stood up to fight for Ahmed dash her eyes down to her feet, embarrassed, before looking back up quickly, eyebrows travelling up her forehead. Jin looked impressive enough with his shirt on, but without it, he was a wall of bare, lean muscles and tattoos against Shazad’s smaller frame. He rolled his shoulder, making his compass tattoo shift across his skin.

I stuck my fingers in my mouth, letting out a high whistle. Jin laughed, casting me a wink over his shoulder. I couldn’t remember the last time things had been so easy between all of us, the last time we’d been together like this. Not fighting for our lives, just living.

‘If they kill each other –’ Sam slid into the space Jin had left next to me – ‘does it mean you and I can finally stop these games and be together?’

Neither Shazad nor Jin moved straightaway, both eyeing each other at a safe distance. I’d seen them fight separately, but never one another. They’d trained Ahmed together, I remembered. Back before the Sultim trials, when he’d faced Kadir. They knew each other’s fighting styles. Neither one of them was going to strike in haste.

Shazad moved first, a straight lunge through Jin’s defences. He slammed an arm hard into hers, forearm deflecting as he aimed a blow for her side even as she twisted away from him. Breaking apart before they clashed together again. Before even catching her breath, Shazad aimed for Jin’s jaw, while he ducked out of the way, gaining a brief advantage as he dodged to her left before she dropped and rolled away from the blow that came her way.

They fought like a blur. She was quicker. He was stronger.

In the end, it happened so fast I almost missed it. Shazad snaked behind Jin, ducking under an arm as he swung, his knife suddenly out at his throat. Plucked from his belt without him ever noticing it was going.

Without thinking, my hand danced to Zaahir’s knife at my own side, the levity suddenly leaving me.

But Jin laughed as Shazad released him, tossing his blade back to him. ‘Anyone else?’ Shazad asked, spreading her arms wide. Nobody stepped forward. Whatever else it might take to train our new recruits, I didn’t think Shazad would have to worry about them following her lead.