Page 43 of Unshaken
My heart rate picks up, and I’m flooded with adrenaline, my eyes zero in on my target.
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No, turning back.
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I am going to have to kill for the second time, and I hope I can control my bloodlust.
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A claxon sounds blaring across the Academy and fire erupts behind me, setting the ring around us in angry, tall flames. I can feel the heat from them on my back. I opted to wear a tank top and yoga pants for ease of movement. My Soul Tether brands of Ty and Trys are on show. My favorite boots are tied tight. I am ready.
The minute the flames finish, Sasha yells a battle cry and runs at me like a crazed animal. I lift my eyebrows for a second in shock. I wanted to clap for her and cheer her on myself for being so brave.
With a flick of my wrist and a sprinkle of Telekinesis, I send her sailing through the air to the opposite side of the circle. She hits the ground, and rolls towards the fire, crying out in pain.
“You bitch, you burned me!” Sasha screams. She picks herself up, and the crowd roars for her as she comes at me again. Her eyes are wild. Her rage makes her face looks beastly, wait, she’s not wearing makeup. That’s her actual face.
I throw up a shield with a laugh as I ready myself.
* * *
RODYN
I watch Sasha fly through the air, landing so close to the flames, I thought they were going to engulf her.
“Wow, that would have been the quickest duel to date,” Trys says beside me. He’s wearing the biggest smile on his face. His eyes never leave Micah as he cheers for her enthusiastically. I look at him and Ty beside him, and I wonder if my brothers are still in there somewhere. I mean, we are sitting together. Like a family. I don’t think that has ever happened in our entire lives, especially in public.
Sasha screams at Micah and runs for her again. Micah laughs at something she sees, but quickly readies herself for Sasha’s attack. Sasha runs into Micah’s shield like a bird crashing into a window. The crowd roars with laughter as she stumbles back and falls to the ground flat on her ass. I keep my emotions unreadable. I look at Sasha as she thrashes wildly on the ground, and it’s embarrassing that my mother thought she was a good match for me.
“This is hard to watch. I thought I would enjoy this, but this is just sad,” Ty says, looking over to me to see if I have anything to say. I had a feeling Sasha would do something stupid like this after she begged me to not break off our relationship. I didn’t think she would drink herself into a stupor and try to burn Micah’s house down with her in it. But to challenge Micah was absurd. Even I know after a week in Magical Combat she is a machine, and you can tell her parents were strict about her Light Guardian training. She took down a four-hundred-pound Wolf. Sasha doesn’t stand a chance.
“This is my fault. I take responsibility for her life. I’m the one that broke us.” I air quoted the end and Trys laughed. Did my brother laugh at me in a good way? Something about it makes me smile, and I like the feeling. Things are changing between us, and I know it has everything to do with the woman down in the pit helping Sasha make a fool of herself.
Micah drops her shield, for what I don’t know. I would have kept it up until she tired herself out and snapped her neck but that’s me. Micah gives Sasha a chance to stand and the crowd waits with anticipation.
“What is Micah doing?” I ask my brothers, but they don’t answer right away, too enthralled by what is unfolding in the ring. As soon as Sasha gets to her feet she sends a wave of her Water Elemental magic towards Micah, knocking her off balance, and sending her rolling towards the flames. The crowd gasps. Everyone is on the edge of their seats as Micah recovers. She uses her Air Elemental magic to dry her clothes in a blink of an eye, then redirects the water with so much force that it hits Sasha, hard, surrounding her on all sides. Micah twirls her hand. The water and air shifts and changes as it picks up Sasha and spins her wildly in a massive waterspout. Loud gurgles can be heard but nothing more as we watch the spout do a complete circle around the fire pit. Micah just smiles, this is a chance for her to flex her muscles nothing more. I would love to see her go up against the three of us. I bet she would lay us on our asses. She is strong but at least she would be equally matched.
“Fuck, do you see that?” a student says below us.
“The new girl is powerful,” another student says in reply. In fact, everyone is whispering as they watch Micah toy with Sasha without breaking a sweat.
“I don’t like the way people are looking at her, talking about her,” I say to my brothers. Micah doesn’t need people issuing challenges to her every night because people want what’s hers.
“Why, Rodyn, you act like you care,” Ty mocks as we watch the water and the air dissipate, sending a screaming Sasha to the ground with an unceremoniously loud thump.
“I don’t. I am making sure you’re listening to what people are saying.” I shrug.
“Right,” Ty and Trys say at the same time.
