by T. S. Snow
When had he cast an illusion? After the first failed attack?
Maybe I’d underestimated his uncle, at least a little bit.
I’d thought this would be an easy enough duel for someone of Andres’ caliber, but I guessed Ricardo had graduated as a Battle Mage too, and he’d probably had at least some field experience.
Andres looked around the arena but found nothing.
Stupid old mage going invisible to avoid getting killed. Had he no sense of honor? The least he could do was let Andres attack him and finish the duel already. It was only polite.
I tuned the announcer out as he started spewing random bullshit trying to build up the crowd; my eyes scanned the field, trying to find the stupid mage. In my head, I was there with Andres, trying to help him win.
Suddenly, ten fireballs flew from different ends of the field, all heading for Andres.
Motherfucker.
Instead of freaking the fuck out, Andres just smiled and let the fireballs hit him.
Has he lost his fucking mind?! When this was over, if he survived, I’d sit him down and have a fucking long ass talk with him about self-preservation.
I should’ve had more faith in Andres, because the minute the smoke settled, there he stood, unscathed.
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t completely insane after all.
Maybe, just maybe, he knew what he was doing. Maybe I could trust him to not get himself killed.
As if wanting to prove my thoughts right, Andres threw a curtain of smoke, which revealed his adversary’s location. Without wasting time, he pulled another arrow out of the invisible quiver, this time a fire arrow, and shot it straight towards his uncle, who was at the edge of the arena.
There was a loud crashing as the smoke shadow used its sword to break the arrow and a grunt when it exploded upon being slashed.
I smirked.
As if I’d let my arrows be broken that easily. Safety trigger sneaky attacks for the win.
Not letting it stop him, Ricardo Illudere started running, and soon enough, there were ten of him—ten outlines of men in the smoke.
Sometimes, I fucking hated Illusionists.
Andres pulled ten fucking arrows, one after the other, and shot all the illusions before his smoke dissipated. However, there was no howl of pain, no cursing, no physical hit.
“So, are we going to just keep playing this game of cat and mouse, or are you ready to stop being a coward and face me like a man?” Andres taunted his uncle, and the crowd cheered with their support.
Right then, a shadow materialized behind Andres, the steel of his sword glinting under the midmorning sunlight.
I opened my mouth to yell at Andres, to warn him, but he’d seen it coming.
He pressed the button that would fold his bow, turning it into a dark matter dagger, and stopped the older man’s sneak attack in its track. At the same time, he went full Legolas—he turned, pulling an ice arrow from his quiver, and stabbed Ricardo Illudere with it in the shoulder.
Note to self—add dagger-like arrows to his arsenal so he can do maximum damage. While the arrow worked fine in cutting Ricardo, it was hardly a fatal blow or something that would keep him from fighting. Unless he did it again, maybe in his throat or some other vital point. Hmmm. Things to consider.
Thick, red blood started to pour out of the wound as Ricardo jumped back from him, avoiding another attack.
“Do you yield?” Andres asked, projecting his voice so everyone would hear him. He was the epitome of control and elegance, even as sweat beaded his forehead.
Ricardo, on the other hand, was breathing erratically, bleeding from two different places, and he just didn’t have the odds in his favor when it came to stamina. He was over twice Andres’ age, and while that meant he could have more dirty tricks and probably more experience, Andres had been raised using METs, and educated at the Arcane Academy, not to mention his training to join AMIA. All in all, Andres had a lot in his favor.
Besides, when it came to power levels…Andres’ were off the charts.
But Andres was more naïve, and he favored direct combat rather than the tricks we all expected from an Illusionist.
I didn’t know if that worked in his favor or against him. If this were a video game, I knew what the outcome would be. But life was far different, and unfortunately, human nature would have as big a role in the outcome as their skill levels and endurances.
Ricardo Illudere scoffed. “You have a long way to go if you want me to surrender to you, boy.” The way he said ‘boy,’ as if it were a dirty word, had me frowning.
What the hell kind of uncle was this guy? Who died and made him king of the world? Seriously, what the hell?
As if to prove his words right, multiple dark-green activation circles appeared in the arena, and from them, dark matter spheres manifested, all heading towards Andres with impossible speed.
Almost unconsciously, I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what would happen next.
Oh, that was going to hurt.
23
Andres
This motherfucker really was trying to kill me.
Unfortunately for him, I wouldn’t be so easy to take down.
So far, I’d been playing nice, trying to get him to yield and put an end to this madness, but he was too consumed by his hunger for power to accept the olive branch I’d offered. So fuck him too.
I was done playing.
I threw up my own dark matter orbs to collide with his, putting up a shield around me so the explosion wouldn’t rebound on me. Then, using Ricardo’s own nasty tricks against him, I became invisible.
Well, I wasn’t technically capable of making myself disappear, nor had he been able to do that. But we could put up an ever-changing illusion that would mimic our surroundings and make us vanish, like a chameleon illusion. That, or fool the target’s senses into thinking nobody was in front of them.
However, messing with his senses would be too easy, and if it was a fight the bastard wanted, then it was a fight I’d give him.
I brought back the fog from before, this time thicker, making sure my illusion held against it. Then I pressed one of the runes in my MET, the one Char had warned me to be careful about using, and started to lay the tiny minefields around the arena.
Ricardo cursed and brought up a gust of wind, trying to blow the smoke away, but I just smiled.
I’d expected something like that to happen.
Sweat dripped down my forehead, and my breathing came fast as I conjured yet another illusion, this one of a fake invisible Andres being blown away by the wind.
As expected, Ricardo started to fire at the illusion, and I used the time to set up the final mine.
Then I walked away from it, pulled up an electric arrow, and dropped the fog and both illusions, just as I targeted Ricardo.
There was some noise from the crowd, and my uncle turned to look at me, staring wide-eyed as I let my arrow fly towards him. He vanished just in time, probably dropping like a sack of potatoes to the ground to avoid being hit.
That was all right though, I expected it.
Pulling a second arrow, this time one that would catch on fire once I shot it, I aimed at the ground. I was about to let go of the thread of magic, when scorching heat burned my legs, and I looked down, cursing when I noticed I had lowered my guard.
That fucking bastard had hidden his activation circle and cast fire right underneath me.
I forced myself to ignore the pain, even as it throbbed in time with my heartbeat.
I would not lose, I would not surrender.
It wasn’t just my life on the line, but my people’s, and I had to endure this for them.
I keyed in the command for water and directed it at my burned legs. The relief from the burn was almost instantaneous, even if I knew it would be temporary, but that was okay. I just needed to get through this, then I could head over to the Healers and recover.
I was willing to stand a hell of a lot more if it meant I’d win this.<
br />
The trap was set, so now all I needed to do was to lure my uncle into it. I didn’t think it would’ve come down to this, but fucking Ricardo was clearly trying to kill me in order to get the title, not just render me unconscious or get me to yield, which was what I was trying to do.
Even though he was a piece of shit, I couldn’t live with myself if I caused my uncle’s death.
Taking advantage of my weakness, Ricardo ran at me with his sword ready to strike. Cursing, I tried to jump out of the way, but my legs weren’t fully responding to my command.
Fuck.
At the last second, I raised my MET to break his strike while pressing the button Char had warned me would reinforce the bow if I was ever in a pinch and didn’t have time to fold it and use the dagger setting.
Thank the Goddess for Charisma Carter. I’d probably be Nearly Headless Nick if not for her. I owed her a date, or five. Hopefully, she would even let me join her harem. I was sure if I could just get her to let me show off my tongue-fucking skills, she’d be sold on me forever.
“Little boy, you can try all the dirty tricks you want,” Ricardo spat out venomously while he jumped back and brought his sword against me once more. “But in the end, you’re nothing. Your father grew soft and complacent, and so did you.”
The sound of steel hitting steel as I brought the bow up again to block another one of his strikes reverberated into my ears, making my brain hurt. My arms were starting to shake from the force of his blows, but I held strong.
He could spew as much hatred as he wanted, but I’d teach him not to underestimate me.
My father was a great man, and I was a brilliant mage. I might be young and reckless, but sometimes, youth came with its own perks. Plus, I had learned from the best.
I would not give power to someone who had so carelessly abused it his whole life, someone who thought everyone was beneath him.
I raised my bow to block yet another one of his strikes, using both hands to hold it still. My fingers reached the keypad on my MET, and I keyed in a code from memory.
Suddenly, my bow caught fire, and Ricardo jumped back from it before the flame could hit him.
Unbeknownst to him, the fire was nothing but an illusion, but it worked how I’d hoped it would, buying me enough time and distance to pull an arrow and strike at him.
He used his sword to cut the arrow before it could hit him, jumping to the side to avoid the second one I sent over.
I smiled in triumph when his feet hit the ground, right where I’d set up the trap.
Like an actual landmine, the minute his feet hit the rune, it exploded. The blast sent Ricardo flying back as I quickly pulled up a small wind shield.
Ricardo flew across the arena and hit his head hard against the protective wards, falling down unconscious.
I stared down at where he fell, unable to believe my plan—well, Charisma’s plan—had actually fucking worked.
I’d done it.
I’d won.
“Ricardo Illudere, you’re hereby banned from the Illudere family line. You’ve lost the rights to your family name and any estate or inheritance from it. From now on, all ties will be cut, and failure to comply with the banishment will result in imprisonment…or death.” I said the words my father had forced me to learn, line by line, even as my heart broke a little to be the one saying them.
But this was the duty of an heir, and Ricardo had tried to kill my father. He’d just tried to kill me, too.
Deafening noise rose up from the crowd as I trailed my eyes across the arena, looking into the box where Char would be watching.
As if she’d been waiting for it, the minute my eyes hit the box, she came out of it and started to run towards me. I forced myself to move, forced my legs to obey my command as I walked towards her, slowly at first, then growing in strength and confidence.
The barrier vanished just as I reached it, and I kept walking to her.
I was so fucking grateful to her. She was so damn smart, and I knew my victory wouldn’t have been possible without her. At least, not this bloodless victory. She’d stood by me even after my screwup, and she’d worked around the clock to make sure I could get the best tech to win.
Because of her, I had won, and now I could hold her in my arms and hopefully make amends.
I started running towards her, and she ran towards me, too.
This girl. She was so damn amazing, I couldn’t even.
Char and I met halfway, her brilliant smile a beacon to me. I threw caution to the wind and picked her up, brought her body close to mine, and kissed her.
24
Charisma
Andres had kissed me. In front of everyone.
Like, full-on, mouth-to-mouth, tongue kissed me.
And I'd kissed him right back.
That thought spun around and around in my head as we were rushed to a small, fancy cabin where Healers had been on standby. I had no idea what I was even doing here, except after that amazing kiss that had left me breathless, Andres had held onto my hand and he wouldn’t let go.
So I’d been rushed along with him, and even now, while the Healers worked to make sure Andres was okay, he was still holding my hand. I was just sitting here by his bed, you know, holding hands with the Illudere heir like it was the most normal thing in the world.
No biggie.
It was...surreal. It felt surreal.
Andres was the biggest commitment-phobe guy I knew, and he'd all but laid claim to me in front of our entire society.
My parents were probably throwing a fit right now.
I snorted.
"What's so funny, Kitten?" Andres asked, squeezing my hand.
That damn nickname. I didn't know if I loved it or hated it. Probably a little bit of both. But it was still better than being called Kirby. Because let's face it, nobody wanted to be a pink blob that could suck a whole building like a super-strong vacuum. Although...Kirby could eat a lot and he was cute as fuck.
But I digressed.
"Char?" Andres called my name, and I turned to him and blinked.
"Huh?"
"What were you laughing about just now?" he tried again, smiling at me like he thought I was adorable.
Which I totally was. But not Kirby-level-adorable.
"Oh, right. I was just thinking about how furious my family probably is right now. I mean, did you see that kiss? It was a scorcher!" I replied. I wished I could've been a bug near my parents to see their faces when it happened. Ten out of ten would pay good money for the footage.
Andres laughed softly. "I know, Char, I was there."
"Oh, right." I blushed, finally looking around the room and realizing we were alone.
Huh. When had that happened?
I let go of Andres's hand, which for some reason I was still holding on to.
"So. Uh. Now that you're...uh. Well. Now that you're alright and all. Oh! Congrats on winning the duel by the way, you did good." I gave him two thumbs up and mentally cringed when I realized what I was doing. Then I stood up. "Right. So. Yeah. I'm just going to..." I trailed off, but pointed towards the door, making my point clear.
Andres got up before I could take more than two steps. "Char, wait," he called out, placing his hand on my arm.
I turned my head to see what he wanted, noticing the bags under his eyes. I doubted he'd gotten much sleep this past week. Even though he'd won, and he'd had Healers work to fix his injuries, he still looked exhausted.
It was too bad Healers couldn't really fix someone's exhaustion. I mean, there were potions and things we could take to...boost ourselves, but nothing long-lasting.
Damn, he's tall. I always forget how tall the heirs are until I'm near them. And he's so damn pretty it's unfair. Stop looking at his pretty face, Charisma! Stop thinking about how good it felt to be kissing him and his stupidly soft mouth! I mentally chastised myself.
"You think I'm pretty?" Andres asked, his smile reaching his gorgeous hazel eyes.
"I mean. Uh. Yes?
This can't possibly be news to you," I defended, wishing my damn thoughts would stay inside my head where they belonged rather than out of my mouth, like they tended to do.
At least he hadn't heard the part where I thought about kissing him again.
Small mercies.
Andres' grin grew bigger, and I pretended, for my own sake, that he had not just heard that bit.
"So. Uh. You wanted something?" I asked.
Distraction was the greatest technique.
"Yes, can we talk?" he asked, leading me towards the bed where he'd been so I could take a seat. He sat beside me, turning his body so our knees were touching and we could better see each other.
This was...not good. Talking meant seriousness. Talking meant he was probably wanting to discuss that kiss, and I was not sure how I felt about that kiss at all.
Except that I maybe kind of wanted to do it again.
"Char..." Andres put a hand on my knee, and I gulped.
Be cool. Be cool. Be cool.
"I wanted to thank you, for doing my MET and for helping me out even after...you know. Even after I screwed up."
Goddess, he looked so sad.
"I know I didn't deserve your help, but I couldn't have won that duel today if not for you and your ingenious coding," he said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
This was good. This was easy. He just wanted to thank me, not discuss relationship things with me.
This I could do.
"Oh, you're welcome. I was happy to do it, and I truly am glad you won, and that you got out of it with minor damage. I'm just, yeah, happy I could help." I smiled at him, thinking this would be it.
It wasn't.
Andres' face turned solemn.
My heartbeat sped up.
"Listen, I know I probably don't deserve it. I know I screwed up, and truth is, I'm bound to screw up again in the future. I'm not...I'm not used to relationships. And I know I kind of jumped the gun when I kissed you in front of everyone out there, but I was wondering...do you think you could give me a chance? A chance to show you I'm serious about this, about us? A chance to be with you, to be a part of your group, and to make you happy? We could make each other laugh, play pranks on Bast together, and even on Blair. Just think of the possibilities," he urged, his eyes earnest, and those damn dimples showing.