Always watch your opponent’s eyes, Ye Ye had told me.
I couldn’t lose this battle. If I did—if this girl went on the quest instead of me—we were doomed.
“Go, Faryn!” That was Ah Qiao’s voice, cheering me on. “Jiā yóu!”
I forced Angry Eyebrows backward. I watched her eyes, which reflected purple flame—and for just a moment, they darted down to her right ankle as she clenched her teeth.
That moment was more than enough. I released my weight. Angry Eyebrows dove forward, slashing her sword through the air. I ducked under her blade like a limbo champ and kicked her right leg. She screamed and lost her balance, toppling beside me on the mat.
I didn’t give Angry Eyebrows the chance to recover before pinning her body to the ground with my left arm and bringing Jinyu’s sword to her throat. The flames around us simply disappeared.
Angry Eyebrows scowled, but the defeat was evident in her eyes. The duel was over. I’d won.
She raised her hands above her head in surrender. “Okay, okay. You win already, jeez. Get off me!”
I sighed in relief and stood up. Angry Eyebrows’s mother and father swept her away, glaring at me before leading their daughter out of the training room.
“You’re much better off staying here,” I whispered. Most of the other warriors had finished their first round of fights as well. Only half remained engulfed in blue flame on the mats, circling each other with fast attacks. The defeated warriors had already left, some hobbling in their friends’ and parents’ arms, moaning in pain.
Even though they were facing older teenagers, Ashley and Jordan were in a class of their own—Jordan especially. He won his round soon after I did and then proceeded to put himself in charge of the Ashley Cheer Squad.
“Left jab, Ashley! Make him weep for his mama!” Jordan shouted, miming the movement himself. “No, your other left!”
Ashley’s blade twirled through the air. She held her own against her tall, burly opponent. The guy wasn’t too shabby, either. I winced as he aimed a quick kick to her unguarded knee. She landed hard on her side and didn’t move. The flames shrank around her small frame. The boy walked toward her with his sword held up high, his blue flames billowing about him, as though they knew he was seconds away from achieving his victory.
“Ashley!” Jordan screamed. But there was nothing he or anyone else could do. Ashley’s opponent swung down.
I turned away. I didn’t need to see what happened next.
“ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!”
A deep, rumbling noise ripped through the training grounds. Several warriors screamed. I held Jinyu’s sword at the ready, prepared to face whatever demon was attacking the New Order.
Only it wasn’t a demon. It was Ashley. Or … sort of Ashley.
She hovered a foot off the ground, arms and legs spread out. Her hair had lengthened until it reached past her toes, almost to the floor. Her face was longer and slimmer, making her look older—closer to sixteen or seventeen rather than her actual twelve years. The scariest part was the blue flames that danced in her eyes.
“D-demon,” Mr. Wan gasped. “She’s a demon!”
“The girl’s been possessed,” Mrs. Li yelled hysterically.
“Not again,” Jordan moaned.
Before I could ask what he meant, one of the Elders ordered, “Call off the Duels now!”
“I knew we shouldn’t have let those two into the ceremony!” shouted Mr. Wan.
Xiong didn’t make any move to call off the Ninety-Sixth Duels. The slight part of his lips was the only indication that he was at all shocked by what was happening. Nobody moved to help Ashley’s opponent, who’d fallen over, as she advanced on him.
Ashley lashed out so swiftly, my eyes could hardly follow the movement. She stood over the boy one moment and then had backed away the next. He lay unconscious on the mat. His flames disappeared, but the flames surrounding Ashley burned brighter.
“Stop, demon!” someone yelled.
I startled. I recognized that voice. Ba. My father drew his sword and pushed through the crowd toward me. My heart lifted. Even though Ba had no recollection of his daughter, was he still rushing to protect me, like he had the day we’d arrived?
Chaos ensued. As though inspired by Ba’s angry yell, several of the men charged forward like angry bulls, without any rhyme or reason to their formation.
“Ba!” I shouted, but a loud, familiar roar stopped me in my tracks.
I whipped my head toward the sound just in time to see Ren—or rather, a Ren whose skin was bubbling green as his body morphed and grew.
“Another demon!” screamed Mrs. Zheng.
Turning in confused circles, the men seemed like they didn’t know who to attack—demon-Ashley or dragon-Ren.
“No, Ren’s harmless! He’s not a demon—he’s just—just—turning into a dragon!” I shouted, rushing toward Ren.
I reached out to Ren with my mind, fumbling for that telepathic communication that I’d had with him and all the dragons during the Lunar New Year. But my thoughts were met with silence. My heart pounded. I wasn’t reaching Ren. I wasn’t going to be able to stop his dragon form from doing something potentially dangerous. Then—
Heaven Breaker? The dragon’s voice rumbled in my mind.
Yes. Relief and surprise flooded my body. I hadn’t thought I’d be able to get through to him. I mean, no. I mean—it’s complicated. Just—cut that out, whatever you’re doing. Please give Ren his body back!
In a strange mid-transformation form, Ren turned toward me. His skin was mostly covered in scales, but his eyes were still his own. And what if I don’t?
I’ll—
Before I could come up with a threat that would somehow scare a dragon, a blinding flash of white light surged from Ashley’s body. It flooded through the whole hall. I ducked,
