Chapter Fourteen

 

The arena had been split into two fighting areas rather than the four from the first round. Pandora strode into the space, careful to keep her resting disdain, which acted as a shield pushing people away who might get too close. She felt their eyes upon her back, curiosity about the maetrie warrior. The others had already reported the rumors about her fight, which were favorable considering her frustrations with her own actions. They'd interpreted the mistakes as toying with her opponent, which when she looked at the length of the match compared with most others, it made sense. Despite the missteps, she'd defeated her opponent in a third of the time of most matches. It was just that after years of training under Hylakane she had an obscenely high standard for her own actions, which made her understand how Duro and Brazio must have felt towards the end. When there was no one available to challenge you, the only person left was yourself.

The attendant dropped her clipboard upon Pandora's approach, keeping her eyes averted as she fumbled picking it up.

"Welcome, Lady Saha."

The woman had the delirious look that Pandora had seen in others around the maetrie, which made her begrudgingly agree that she had some small aura.

"Is that my opponent over there?" she asked, flinging off her cloak to land gently on the chair. A collective exhale formed in the crowd, which consisted of a few hundred people.

"Yes. Dimitri Voldov."

The man opposite her was not unknown to her, because of Yara and Tick's scouting, but she wanted them to think she hadn't cared enough to bother. He wasn't in the top list to worry about, but close enough that the match had left her unable to eat that morning. But fear was not something that Lady Saha would experience, so she had to wall away those emotions behind a scornful mask.

As she removed the golden bangles from her wrists, setting them in a neat pile, she felt the intense gaze of her grandfather from a high station that overlooked the arena. He stood on a platform, surrounded by the Alliance waku who wore the bloodstones, including Navos. Pandora forced herself not to care, spinning on her heels and focusing on her opponent. Dimitri Voldov had worked for the Phoenix Corporation, and while his name wasn't identifiable as a member of Animalians Hall, that didn't mean he hadn't changed it. Even if he wasn't, the Phoenix Corporation worked across the realms, not quite as mercenaries, but rumors about misdeeds from its members made her suspect that Dimitri could be more than his appearance.

Pandora sized up her opponent as she crossed the sands. He didn't appear intimidated by her, which itself was a concern. Dimitri should be no match for maetrie of her reputation, especially after her first match. Dimitri had experienced a similarly quick fight, knocking out his opponent with an elbow to the jaw, followed by a choke hold. He'd shown no signs of magic, but that didn’t mean that he wasn't capable. She had to assume she wasn't the only one holding back during the early rounds as not to give anything away. They'd agree not to use their faez crystals during the fights unless it could be done in an inconspicuous way, which meant she couldn't use her sapphire since its use was obvious. The opal, however, had become second nature and was invisible to the eye.

"Remember that you've agreed to fight until someone is unconscious, taps out, or leaves the arena voluntarily," said the referee. "No purposeful killing. If you're found to do so, you will be barred from the tournament."

The last part felt directed towards her. She made sure to smirk as the warning was delivered, but Dimitri never flinched, staring back with the intensity of a supernova.

As the start of the fight loomed, thoughts about the fight were overwhelmed with the presence of her grandfather. Even though it wasn't Pandora on the sands, but Lady Saha, she felt like it was the former. Either a responsibility as a maetrie, the need to maintain her disguise, or the weight of her grandfather's expectations—or all three—kept her distracted.

"Begin!"

Her hesitation was only a quarter of a second. Barely the blink of an eye, but in a fight that moment of time was an eon. Dimitri kicked up sand and, in the same move, thrust his hands forward, articulating his spell with dexterous fingers.

"Shayut!"

The air condensed into a misty shield of energy, slamming into her like a pickup truck. Pandora skidded across the sands on her back, a cloud of dust surrounding her. Dimitri flew through the air, his knee bent with the intent of crushing her head in while she lay prone. Pandora rolled out of the way, bringing her arm around to block the axe kick once he'd landed. She fought from her back, then thrust up when the space was forcibly given.

"Shayut!"

Dimitri tried a second time, but she was ready for it, anchoring herself with the sapphire. The force washed over her like a crashing wave. The secondary attack came from an awkward angle, since Dimitri had expected her to be further back. She used his momentum to spin him away from her in a tumbling crash. Using his Animalians marks, he got back on his feet before she could land a hit. He blocking the early attacks, but his magical speed was short-lived. Before he could renew the pace, Pandora caught him in the throat with a knife-hand. The rigid strike collapsed him to his knees as he choked for air while she paced away, annoyed by his failure to harden his weak spot.

The crowd had risen to their feet, watching as Dimitri collapsed onto the sands, tapping the ground frantically, which brought the medics into the arena. The referee stared at her fallen opponent until she called out, "Declare me winner or do I have to do that myself?"

After a quick arm raise, Pandora stalked out of the ring, snatching her red cloak while incantations brought Dimitri back to consciousness. She never saw her grandfather leave the platform, but he was standing along her path back to the Terreno, hands clasped behind his back like a benevolent ghoul in a pinstriped silk suit.

"You fight well."

"My opponent was a fool. He never should have entered the tournament. Hopefully there will be more challenging opponents in the next rounds."

The twitch of his lips marked his amusement. "My daughter told me about your chance encounter in the city and I was pleased to see your name on the lists. What will you do after the tournament?"

Sensing an opportunity, Pandora paused before speaking. "I have not yet decided. Perhaps I will lay down anchors afterwards, but that would depend on many things."

Her grandfather arched an eyebrow. "Keep winning and we can discuss options."

"And why would I want to work with you? Lady Kikala is quite fond of me and she is a maetrie queen. And while you're cunning and resourceful, there's not much for you to offer me in this backwater realm."

"I think you'll find the balance of power in the Eternal City has changed much since you've been gone. The Jade Queen was nearly assassinated a decade ago, and her prospects have dimmed since. Make no mistake about this realm—while it isn't the Eternal City, it has much to offer for those ambitious enough."

Before she could make a return quip, her grandfather marched away. Pandora continued into the Terreno keeping her hands hidden beneath her cloak because they were shaking from the encounter. While Lady Saha might see Dominion Thule as a near equal, Pandora only saw her grandfather as a terrifying figure capable of anything. She went straight back to the Night House, throwing herself onto the couch the moment she entered the suite and burying her face in her hands.