“If I told you, it wouldn’t be fun,” he cooed. “And I love a good game.” Then with puckered lips he blew me a kiss and vanished from my grasp.
I whirled in a circle in search of him but he was gone. He shouldn’t have been able to so easily escape my spell’s hold.
When I reached my spot in the stands I informed Taz of my strange encounter with Firo. Taz’s expression grew angry when I told him how he’d tried to force my curse. “How does he even know about it?”
“That’s pressing, yes but I’m more concerned about his recruiting. He said that I would fit in, I can’t be recruited to work for his family for obvious reasons.”
“We need to find out more about the Hazelvales. Like tonight.”
I nodded. “After Zyacus fights let’s go check the library. There’s bound to be something on them. If not, then my great grandparents will know them. They’ve been one of the wealthiest families in Delhoon alongside the Hazelvales for centuries.”
“Oh, on your mother’s side right?”
“Yes, Madison hates them and my mother only tolerates them for so long so they’re not around much.”
The crowd began to chant “Zy-a-cus” drawing my eyes to the arena floor. I snatched the roster out of Taz’s hand. Zyacus would fight—oh dragons fire—Kyan. My heart practically jumped in my throat. Kyan’s superior vampire strength and speed couldn’t be matched in a one on one fight for long. Then throw in the fact that he’s magic born and they don’t like each other.
I tried to calm my erratic pulse with a couple deep breaths. The fights were not to the death but I didn’t want to watch Zyacus take a beating either.
They stood face to face. While in between them, Madison explained the rules. Her voice carried throughout the arena. “You will fight until you get your opponent into a killing position or until they surrender or until the match is stopped. Understood?”
Both boys nodded and took several steps backward.
“Begin!” Madison shouted and disappeared.
A blast of white light ripped from Zyacus’s hands while a red beam exploded from Kyan’s. The two attacks clashed in the center and a battle of power began.
Taz leaned closer. “Who do you think is stronger?”
Zyacus’s magic came from his stone and didn’t drain his energy but where Kyan was a vampire, he might not tire as quickly as a human. “Umm, I think Zyacus will win this magical battle.” But I wasn’t so sure about the match.
“Me too,” Taz said then let out a whistle followed by, “Come on Zyacus!”
As the magic shifted back and forth for several seconds, Kyan dove to the side and Zyacus’s magic crashed into the wall.
The crowd let out a collective “Woah!”
Sword drawn, Kyan closed the distance between him and Zyacus in seconds. I’d seen him move faster but he was still quicker than any human. But everyone would likely conclude a magic speed spell.
Their swords clashed and rang. Both swinging and hacking furiously. All the matches were intense but this one had me biting my nails. It looked like they wanted to kill each other. Maybe they did.
Zyacus slashed Kyan’s arm and I gasped. A blow like that could nearly sever it from his body. Blood stained the fabric but didn’t drench it like I thought it would. Perhaps it wasn’t too deep.
Ducking, spinning, shoving, tossing magic in between swings, the two of them fought ferociously. A green glow suddenly emanated from Kyan’s sword and when it hit Zyacus’s again, he flew back at least twenty feet. His arms flailing until he hit the ground.
Slow to get to his feet, I screamed, “Get up! Get up!” as Kyan dashed for him. A hard knee collided with Zyacus’s chin, he fell back, his body crashing onto the sand floor. All movement stopped.
Taz turned to me with huge eyes. “Holy phoenix, Zyacus got knocked out.”
Cheers and boos erupted in a wave across the arena.
I dashed down the steps and meant to jump over the railing but I hit an invisible wall. Damn it. I slammed my hand against it and cursed. The barrier kept magic attacks from hitting the crowd and also prevented anyone from jumping in or using their own magic to intervene.
When I finally got to the entry to the arena, Zyacus pushed through the door, seething with anger. His wild eyes met mine and I stared at the blood trickling from his nose.
“Are you alright?” I asked, tentatively reaching for him.
“I’m here walking, aren’t I?” He hadn’t used such a condescending tone with me in a long time. “Clearly I’m alright.”
Good pixie he was a sore loser. “You were unconscious. I just wanted to make sure you were—”
“Like I said, I’m good.” He glared at me and then walked by with a determined gait.
“You lost. Get over it. Everyone loses.” When he didn’t turn around to acknowledge me I spelled in front of him and shoved him in the chest. “Don’t ignore me.”
“I lost to someone who doesn’t belong at this academy. He’s a filthy blood drinker.”
I lowered my voice. “How would Aric feel if he heard you?”
His face softened but he still clenched his jaw. “I need some time alone. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“And when I do see you, you better have an apology.”
He vanished without a word. Bastard.
Chapter 23
Just because Zyacus wanted to be a jerk didn’t mean my night had to end. I quickly found Taz and the two of us made for the library.
A gray and brown tabby cat greeted us by the door. “Good evening. How may I assist you?” he asked. The cute red bowtie around his neck made me internally say in a high pitched voice, “Ahhh. Soooo cute.” But he’d probably be offended if I said it out loud. Male cats didn’t consider themselves “cute.”
I kept forgetting to ask about my guardian cat, who still hadn’t returned with any information. Did he leave academy grounds? Cats could teleport over
