It was enough to unbalance him, and the sword on her throat drifted away. She kicked him then, flipping him off of her. Closing her eyes, Allyra prepared herself for blinding pain, then reached up and gripped the handle of the sword in her shoulder, the one pinning her to the ground. She bit back her scream as she pulled it out, pain scorching though her once more.
She tore the sword out in time to block Jason’s renewed attack, his eyes filled with surprise at her continued resistance. Their swords clashed together, and her blood dripped off the blade, so bright and crimson red that it didn’t quite seem real.
Their moves were no longer fluid or elegant. They were both weary, and the fight descended into desperation. Her opening came when Jason tried to recover one of her lost swords on the ground. As he reached down, she seized the height advantage and kicked him over, and then flung herself down on him, trying to pin him to the ground.
Jason had anticipated her move, and raised his sword. It was too late for her to do anything and it sank through her side, but her mind was too far-gone to even register the pain.
For the first time in the fight, she called on the Air Element, gripping hold of the yellow threads and pulling it relentlessly from Jason’s lungs. He choked and spluttered, trying frantically to catch his breath. His hand fell away from his sword as he desperately tried to claw for her.
His face paled, then turned red. He was dying, but she didn’t care. She was consumed by madness. Rage coursed through her veins, obliterating all reason.
She was going to finish this.
Pull the air out of his lungs and kill him.
Win the Trials like she’d promised.
She didn’t notice the storm clouds gathering above her or the light fading away. The sky opened up over them and rain poured down, drenching everything instantaneously. The rain was unnatural, coming down not in drops but a continuous curtain of water. Freezing cold water ran down her face and shocked reason back into her. She backed off, horrified at what she’d been about to do.
Her eyes drifted over the audience and landed on Eva and Jamie. They stood as still as statues, their eyes not leaving her, despite the rain pouring down. Eva’s green eyes were troubled and her face strained and Allyra recognized her as the Oceanic responsible for the unnatural rain – she’d broken the rules and intervened. Just as Allyra had once saved her from being a killer, Eva now returned the favor.
Allyra allowed the air to flood back into Jason’s lungs.
“Stop.” He choked out. “I concede.”
He took labored, frantic breaths as the crowd roared, celebrating her win. She collapsed backwards, Jason’s sword still in her side and just before she faded into the darkness she heard him whisper, “I know what you are.”
Chapter 38 – Jamie
Jamie toyed with a French fry, smearing patterns into the tomato ketchup. He didn’t have much of an appetite and certainly not for a greasy burger from a roadside diner. He glanced at Rob, but his brother was stuffing his face enthusiastically, as if he hadn’t eaten for a week.
Allyra was sitting next to Rob, her burger untouched in front of her. Her eyelids flickered and her head drooped. Jamie reached over and moved her plate away. In a second, she was going to fall asleep and plant her face in the burger.
She jerked awake at the sound of her plate moving and grimaced immediately.
“Are you ok?” Jamie asked her gently. She smiled and nodded wanly, before leaning back in her seat and promptly falling asleep.
Her reply did nothing to alleviate his fears. He didn’t believe her. Her skin was too pale, as if her blood had been drained from her. And perhaps that wasn’t too far from the truth. Even Eva’s deluge of rain hadn’t been able to wash away the grotesque stain of Allyra’s blood soaked into the earth of the Combat Arena.
But it wasn’t her physical condition that scared him the most; it was what was going on in her mind. He’d seen the wildness in her eyes as she choked Jason to death. It reminded him unbearably of the moment when she’d woken up after the Between. It reminded him of a wild animal. It didn’t remind him of her.
He and Rob had whisked her away – as soon as the medics had closed the worst of her wounds. They hadn’t waited for the celebrations, staying only long enough for Allyra to be declared winner of the Trials by Marcus.
The Council hadn’t tried to stop them. The Cleaners had stood by calmly as they drove away in Rob’s battered Land Rover. Marcus had handed Allyra a letter before they left and Jamie had extracted it from her as she faded into unconsciousness, stretched across the back seat.
The contents of the letter were brief; it simply congratulated Allyra on her win and reminded her to report back to the Elemental College on New Year’s Day for the start of the Five Finals.
It was far from over – danger loomed in every direction. Allyra would have to compete in the Five Finals with Jason by her side. Jason; the person she’d tried to kill. Jason; the person that had tried to kill her…
Rob had driven quickly, and they hadn’t stopped until the mountains faded from view. Allyra had slept the whole way, keeping so still that he’d checked for her pulse on more than on one occasion. And now they were sitting in this greasy diner, final destination unknown.
Jamie slapped Rob’s hand away as his brother tried to steal some of his fries.
“Hey!” Rob exclaimed. “You weren’t eating them anyway.”
“I’m thinking about eating
