Gates of Thread and Stone(62)

In the viewing box behind me, Avan and the others appeared.

“Knock him off his feet, Nel!” Grene shouted. Maybe she wasn’t that annoying after all.

“Match number thirty-nine: Nel versus Muree.”

When the bell sounded, the boy didn’t hesitate. He charged across the field.

He threw his entire weight into his attack. I dropped low and drove my knuckles into his stomach right beneath his ribs. He grunted, bending over, the breath leaving his mouth in a sharp gasp. I kicked out at him.

His hands caught my foot and jerked me forward. I wasn’t as nimble as Grene; my other foot slid out from under me. I threw both arms up to protect my face, but his fist planted in my gut instead.

He released me, watching as I fell to my knees, panting.

“You’re not so bad,” he said, grinning. He circled me. “But now we’re even.”

I glared up at him, turning my head to keep him in sight. His leg drew back. I rolled away, shoving to my feet as another kick grazed my hip. His attacks came fast, each blow pushing me back. I staggered and then ducked left.

His heel kicked my shoulder, and I grunted as I hit the ground. The threads vibrated around me—tugging, tempting. I ignored them.

His foot came down again. I let it, gritting my teeth as his heel connected with my chest. Then I swung up and rammed my fist as hard as I could into the side of his knee. Muree cried out and toppled over with a loud oomph.

Show me you’re better than this, Mason’s voice echoed in my ear.

I may not have come here to win, but I didn’t come to get my ass kicked, either. I scrambled to my feet. Before Muree could recover, my foot smashed into his face.

He slumped over, groaned, and didn’t get up.





CHAPTER 30




GRENE AND TARIZA gawked at me and the boy on the ground. Then they erupted into excited shouts. Avan gave me a soft smile that made me feel warm and giddy. I looked away and hurried through the doors that led to the prep room.

My teammates came and buzzed around me. Tariza slapped my shoulder, and Grene jabbed enthusiastically at my ribs.

Avan’s quiet “Nice job” made the most impact, though, and I pushed my hair behind my ear, flustered.

I shared in their excitement for a little while, but with my match over, my thoughts turned to tomorrow. I had less than a day to find Reev. Now I wished I had waited to give the signal, but I had been so eager and so sure. So stupid.

We stuck around the prep room to watch Tariza’s and Grene’s matches. They both won, although Tariza had to be taken to the medical wing and checked for possible broken ribs. Avan and I promised to visit him later and begged out of running laps around the track with Grene. She gave us a knowing look. But Avan only waved and pulled me along after him.

On our way to the dorms, we passed through the common room. It had a lot of space but managed to look welcoming, with two fireplaces and a bunch of thick rugs and couches. Cadets gathered around the announcement board posted above the hearth, and Avan paused to take a look.

The Tournament schedule had been recently updated with the results of the day’s matches and the next fight brackets. Tomorrow, Avan’s match was scheduled for one in the afternoon. My name had moved on to the next bracket as well, but where the name of my opponent should have been was the number 22.

“Hey,” I said, pointing to it. “What do you think this means?” I scanned the rest of the schedule and couldn’t find any other matches marked with a number.

“Maybe it’s your rank,” Avan said.

“Maybe.” I moved aside so that another cadet could get a closer look.

Avan’s hand touched my back, warm even through the tunic. “Or maybe it’s just a placeholder till they find the right match.From the way the sentinel judges looked at you, I think you managed to impress them.”

It wouldn’t have been an issue if my match was after noon, but it was at eleven. I would have to try and end it as quickly as I could in order to get us some time before our rendezvous behind the dorms.

Speaking of which, my irritation with Avan was gone. Now, I just felt guilty for not talking to him first. After all, he had chosen to risk his life by coming here with me. But I didn’t know how to tell him except to blurt it out.

Back in my room, Avan sat at my desk and began pulling out books stacked against the wall. The top one had the Ninurtan flag across the cover, and he flipped it open.

“What are you looking for?” I asked. I unbelted my tunic and placed the corded braid across the top of my dresser.

“Information about the Tournaments.”

“We’ve read all the public info on them.” The books at school were secondhand White Court texts, so they probably contained all the same information.

“We’re cadets,” he said. “There has to be some insider info here. Maybe something about how the sentinels get selected to be judges or where they stay between matches.”

It was worth a shot, so I left him to it while I bathed.

I had washed myself countless times with other girls less than five feet away, both in the Labyrinth and then in Etu Gahl. Yet now, undressing with Avan in the next room felt somehow . . . indecent. And thrilling.

Nothing but a slab of wood and a few feet of space separated us. Every inch of me blushed at the thought of him seeing me naked. As the room filled with steam, I allowed myself to imagine him opening the door. He would pull me against him and slide us both into the hot water—