I felt like he was straining against me, my hand on his chest, feeling the curve of his muscles beneath my fingers, fingers that burned instead of tingled where I clenched
them. I dug my nails into my skin, but the pain seemed far away, everything distant besides Drake, skin illuminated green.
Drake had Ian down against the platform in a headlock, crushing Ian down until Ian twisted and knocked Drake back. They circled each other, both with lips parted, chests rising and falling heavily. Ian pulled his golden flame sword out of the air, and Drake followed suit, arm muscles bunching as he lifted the green liquid metallic instrument in a salute.
The two men leapt at each other, light erupting when their swords clashed with a hissing sound and a cloud of steam. The wave of light lapped against me, my skin tightening against that phantom caress as though Drake’s breath brushed my skin. I shuddered and dug my nails deeper.
The swords flashed, clash after clash that rocked through the crowds until I was hyperventilating with every stroke, every lunge and parry until Ian broke away, holding up his hands at Drake to hold him back.
Ian lunged forward and back, familiar movements I’d seen Revere make, but with gold rippling over his skin, much more impressive and I almost managed to get my breathing under control before golden geometric shapes burst out of Ian’s hands then sparks of red bounced inside the shapes, stretching them out larger and larger, more
and more red sparks until a figure took shape in those shapes, until the golden geometric melted away leaving a crimson Jackson standing on the platform.
He whirled around in a spray of red sparks and ran towards Drake. Drake fell back, kicking Jackson’s knee out, throwing off his lunge. Drake’s hands moved in this rhythmic motion in time to the music that built and built at the same time he fought off Jackson, using mostly his legs, but sometimes his hands, ducking beneath the swing of the crimson sparks before he shoved his hands forward, a green spear shooting towards Jackson and growing larger, large enough that a man wrapped in blue light could stand inside of the triangle.
Zach looked very different as he burst out of the green lines and stalked towards Jackson in his liquid bodysuit, the blue emphasizing his eyes, or maybe his eyes were glowing like Drake’s. I breathed shallowly as Jackson and Zach fought in the center of the platform while Drake and Ian paced the perimeter like two hungry predators who were vying for the lesser creature’s carcasses.
Zach and Jackson were not shabby. I tried to watch objectively, tried to take the movement apart instead of being caught up in the audience, the excitement, the obsession. Drake said something low that I couldn’t hear, and Zach’s head swung around, his eyes meeting Drake’s for a second before he grinned brightly, the least
Zach-like smile I’d ever seen on him. That smile said wild and fierce, uncontrollable and untamed.
Jackson attacked low and Zach leapt up, flipping backwards in a wide-spread, lazy movement before he landed and whirled, cutting across Jackson’s unprotected left before he punched the sword arm hard, then an elbow to his face while twisting Jackson’s arm hard enough that Jackson cried out. Wasn’t that his broken arm? I winced for Jackson while his spark sword flickered out. Ian came forward, fighting with his golden sword, blowing Zach back with golden flames that laid him out before Drake came forward yelling, green sword in his hand. The final duel was a blur of green and gold. The only thing in focus was Drake’s face, his eyes full of raw determination and will that would crush the entire world if it opposed him.
When Ian broke, losing his rhythm, his foot twisting, Drake kicked forward, his stance too wide and his knee cocked out. It could be easily dislocated in that position. Revere had explained it to me when I asked him why he did this, why he did that, why he held his hands out like a birdy, why he kept his knee at that precise angle every time he bent.
Drake’s knee wasn’t perfect.
I blinked and could almost see it objectively, the climax of Ian fighting against Drake’s sword, Ian who didn’t take advantage of the imperfect knee.
I stood beside Viney and watched them fight, but the audience became a dull roar from far away as I saw another fight, far away where a blue light exploded into the crowd, knocking them back before the mob ripped me apart. I closed my eyes and saw the crowds around me, dark, writhing, chanting as they surged, a scream piercing the rumblings as someone got trampled.
I blinked my eyes open in time to see green fire leap from Drake’s hands while he stood in that imperfect stance, green fire that wrapped around Ian until he crumpled, green flames flowing off him onto the platform, leaving the distinct scent of black cherry in the air.
It was perfectly silent for a moment before everyone went wild, screaming, chanting, the crowd swaying while Viney to my left screamed the loudest, her whole soul drawn out in one rapturous cry that made my head hurt. I stood there while the crowd pushed against me, pressing me against the railing until I couldn’t take it another moment.
I vaulted over the rail, dropping the ten feet down to the hard-packed earth and began running along the perimeter of the ring. Viney yelled my name, but I couldn’t stay there any longer. There had to be an opening that let out of the tournament. Too soon bodies surged around me, heading towards the platform, pushing me as I struggled away from them until finally, I reached a narrow alley between sections that let out into a wide field.
Chapter 26
I ran through the field even though my eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness. I ran and ran until I stumbled on a dirt clod, fell down on my face and rolled in the dirt.
I lay there panting, my legs tangled in Viney’s cloak until my eyes adjusted and I could make out the stars stretched above me. They spread out magnificently, so lovely, so unbelievably far away and perfect. I wanted to be one of those stars, shining brightly in the darkness while nothing touched it, nothing came too close to diminish the bright beauty.
I kept my eyes wide on the stars while tears trickled out the corners, melting the dim lights into one blurry mess. My heart pounded in my chest so hard, too hard. I put a hand on my right side where I was missing pieces of two ribs. Those two pieces were probably lodged in my heart and that’s why it hurt so much.
“Bonbons and macaroons, peanut brittle and pink taffy. Cupcakes and pecan pralines, gumballs and ice cream cones.”
“That is a terrifying spell. Who are you cursing?”
I gritted my teeth as I lay there, trying to ignore the sultry voice, a voice I’d only heard a few times but already knew far too well. Ian.
I sat up and gripped my skirt with my hands. “It’s not a curse but a blessing. You must have never had really good peanut brittle. Is there anything better?” My voice came out clogged and horrible, but I managed a bright smile.
His cheek still had a gold light pattern on it like a sunburst, so I could clearly see him out of my periphery as he sat down about a leg’s length away from me. I did not rip off his leg and beat him to death with it. Yay me.
“What’s wrong? Did you finally realize that Viney is in love with another?”
I inhaled shakily. “No, I think that I don’t like crowds, or violence. I feel sick.”
“If you dislike those two things you should definitely stay away from tourneys and Drake Huntsmans.”
I closed my eyes tightly. I wanted to be alone. I needed to be alone. This would be a test of endurance like one of the times I was forced to sit on the dining room table for hours and hours without eating while the hired people threw food at me.
I couldn’t show my vulnerability because it would only encourage someone like Ian.
Telling him to leave me alone would only make him linger. If only I could stomach
throwing myself at a guy. “It’s not as easy as it sounds, at least the Drake part. I didn’t know that he was the guy Viney was obsessed with. Does he know?”
“It would be hard for him not to. Such a cruel mage. She’s had a thing for him forever. Too bad Drake doesn’t want what’s
attainable. Too bad for you.” He laughed, low and delicious, but the wrong kind of delicious and it just made me ache, like being presented with a piece of lemon meringue pie when all I wanted was black cherry anything. I breathed deeply through my mouth, but the scent of citrus still lingered.
“Too bad.” I studied him, the sunburst on his cheek that seemed to be fading out.
“What about you? Why do you seduce random girls? Don’t you care who you’re with?”
“You sound like a romantic. I have the happy fortune of being able to see beauty and charm in anyone. I can appreciate your attributes just like I can admire Viney’s, however different they are.”
“That seems very strange to me. Letting people close is dangerous.”
“Physical closeness is different from emotional. It’s easy for a mage to disassociate the body from the heart. It’s easy for most witches, but I think that you’re right to be cautious. You’re not like the rest of them.” He leaned back on his elbows, staring up at the sky, his cheekbone throbbing with the golden shimmering pattern. “So, you don’t like violence. That’s a pity. There is so much violence in the world, it’s easier if you can enjoy it.”
“Even when you lose?”
He laughed, a sound of pure sensual decadence, but it didn’t fill me with anything but nausea, not that I wasn’t already nauseous. I needed to be alone, needed to scream into my pillow and feel Señor’s little heart thumping against mine. “Especially when I lose. I don’t mind losing to Drake. He doesn’t like to lose when he’s playing a game. I think that’s a warning for you, little witch.”
“I’m not very little.”
He glanced over at me, his eyes golden and gleaming. “That’s true. Your hair is very big. How long have you been growing it?”
I shrugged. “Forever. I did cut a little bit off with Viney, but a trim doesn’t count, does it?”
He shook his head, lips pursed. “Certainly not. Would you like to stay here all night or are you about ready to go in? I’ll need to cast a spell if you don’t want to be disturbed by other interested parties.”
I frowned at him. “We’ve met once. Why are you offering to cast spells for me?”
He cocked his head as he stared at me. “You really don’t know?” He leaned close and inhaled deeply, like he was smelling me. The scent of citrus bloomed in the night. “You are very lovely.” His voice was low, his eyes glowing brighter as he stared at me.
I swallowed and stood up. “Um, thanks. You too. I’ve never seen anyone with such perfectly symmetrical features.” I started in the direction that was probably the school.
He smiled widely as he stood up, brushing off his clothes and followed me. “I am the third most attractive mage in the world.”
I glanced over at him. “Really? Only the third? That seems strange to me. I mean if you think that you’re in the top three, why not claim first place or at least second?”
He sighed and ran a hand over his short hair. “Drake is the second most attractive mage. I hope you never meet the prettiest mage because after you see him, you’ll never be able to look at anyone else.”
“Sounds terrifying.”
“Oh, Theodore Prince is perfectly terrible, top three most despicable mages in the world, but not the worst.”
“That’s you?”
He laughed. “Oh, no. I’m number three on both counts. You’re practically safe with me. The worst mage is Drake; Prince comes in at a distant second.”
“What does that mean, being the worst mage?”
“He has the most vanity, violence, deception, but also determination. When he puts his mind to some nefarious plot, there’s no point in struggling against him because he will get what he wants, whatever that is.”
I shivered and wrapped my arms around my body. Drake had asked me to a dance but had seemed okay when I’d said no. He’d made me gingerbread and held my hand when I’d been afraid. What part of his wicked scheme was that? He was probably trying to make me fall in love with him so desperately that when he broke my heart I would never feel whole again. I felt like my heart was already broken. Maybe he had to fix my heart before it was any good to break.
“So this other mage, Theodore Prince is the second worst mage? You three all just took a census and when you found out that you three were all so terrible, you decided to have a club, get together and discuss how best to ruin everything in the world?”
He laughed. “Something like that. To be fair, I’m not as awful as I used to be, so maybe Drake and Prince have changed their ways as well. I’ve been out of the country for a long time. Drake seems slightly altered, more responsible.”
I glanced over at him. “Do mages get better? I didn’t think that was possible.”
He grinned cheerfully. “Oh, we do. Better and better all the time, if we’re not getting worse. We’re about to be interrupted.”
“Ian, that’s where you wandered off to. Have you finished here or do you need a few more minutes?”
I stiffened as Drake’s voice enveloped me in this mix of longing and anger that made my heart pound and my mouth water. I wanted to hurl myself at him and beat my fists against his chest screaming all the candies in the world. Maybe just wrap my arms around him and cry on his chest. How humiliating.
“Macaroons and bonbons, it’s Drake.” I crossed my arms as a figure melted out of the shadows, Drake’s skin still tinted green and the star shape on his cheek glistening brightly.
“Evening, lollipop girl, except it’s morning now. Shouldn’t you be safely tucked in bed?” His eyes gleamed at me, glittering green while his lips curled in a dangerous smile.
My breathing hitched and I took a half step closer to Ian. “Yes. I thought it would be fun to watch a tourney, but it turns out that I’m not much for violence.”
“Or tourneys,” Ian added giving me a slow wink.
Drake smiled and stepped closer to me. “That is bad luck. I don’t think you like dating Viney or shopping, either. It’s terrible, a Saturday completely wasted. Maybe tomorrow will be better, full of sparkles, rainbows, ponies and pets.”
I nodded and edged away from him again, but Ian was right on my other side. “And pizza.”
His smile changed, became a little more real instead of furious. How often did he smile mad? A lot. “Give Senor my regards. Ian, shall we go? I’m sure the witch can find her own way to her bed.”
Ian raised an eyebrow. “Are you certain that’s where she was headed?”
“Yes.”
Ian and Drake stared at each other for a long moment like they were communicating all kinds of secret dark messages. It gave me a headache, or maybe that was everything else going on. I needed to get back to my room before I completely forgot the thing, something about a car in a field. Why was that important? I couldn’t remember that either.
Drake put a hand on my shoulder. “Viney is looking for you. Do you know how to get back to your dorm? You are walking in the wrong direction.”
I froze under his touch while my heart pounded and the scent of black cherry enveloped me. His fingers made my skin beneath the layers of cloak and dress break out into goose bumps.
It took me a minute to get my words together. “Point me in the right direction. I’ll go by the light of the stars.” His stars on his cheek flickered and I noticed him glancing at the corners of my eyes where I might have traitorous tear streaks. I pulled away from him, his hand falling between us.
Ian coughed. “I suddenly remember an incredibly important thing I left somewhere else. I’ll leave you in Drake’s capable hands and hope to see you another time.” He turned and moved quickly away from me, disappearing into the shadows.
Drake stared at me, his gaze seeming to see way too clearly in spite of the dark.
“Why were you crying? Did Ian hurt you?”
I laughed and smoothed my hair back. “I wasn’t crying. I was just staring at the stars for too long and my eyes started to water. No. For the third worst mage in the world, he was
n’t bad at all. I’m a little bit disappointed.”
He exhaled sharply. “If Ian’s the third worst, who is the absolute worst?”
“You, but you’re only the second most beautiful. I would expect a direct correlation between horribleness and beauty, but apparently not.”
He smiled at me and put a hand to his chin. “Ian’s more beautiful than me? That’s a matter of debate.”
“No, Theodore Prince.”
Drake’s expression became enlightened and he nodded. “That’s true. No one is prettier than Teddy. He’s vile, though.”
“Second worst mage.”
Drake glanced over at me. “Ian is too generous giving me that distinction. You really didn’t enjoy the tourney, didn’t find him impressive? He is very popular with girls before they get to know him better.”
I licked my lips. When I thought back on the fight, I could only see Drake dressed in green light, extremely body conscious green liquid light and his movement fierce and ferocious while Ian’s were just a tad bland in comparison.
“He stumbled in his second pass going for the showy impact instead of a neater, cleaner and more effective strike.”
He half choked, half laughed. “Penny Lane, that’s what you noticed? What about me?
What do you think about my position as Chemiss captain? Do I deserve it?”
I studied his dark boots, leather that laced over his dark jeans. When my eyes continued the natural progress up his legs I jerked them up to his face. “Your knee wasn’t aligned correctly.”
He frowned, leaning closer to me. “My knee was out of alignment? Show me.”
I stared at him unable to look away from those eyes. “Well, when you take your position, bent leg…”
I trailed off as he took my hand and put it down on his leg right above his knee, the texture of the denim rough under my fingers but I could feel the contours of his thigh beneath the fabric.
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