“Why?” My chest heaves. Suddenly, this fight has become about so much more than a simple challenge. Silas committed a crime. He killed Zella’s mother and so many others. “How could you do something so cruel? Innocent people died, Silas.”

“Because you weren’t strong enough!” he yells. “You did nothing.”

The gash over his eyebrow is bleeding so profusely, he’s having trouble seeing. When he wipes at his face, I swing my sword and manage to slice his forearm.

“Stop, now,” Tehya pleads, her voice wavering. “Silas, please.”

“It’s fine, darling,” he responds. “We’ll talk later.”

I get the feeling she didn’t know about what Silas did. They met several years after the plague, and he might’ve hidden that part of his past from her.

He switches his weapon to his left hand, and I do the same.

The bloodlust between us grows thicker.

On and on we go, circling the fountain.

As our blades connect time and time again, we edge closer to the hedges surrounding the center of the maze. We’re in sync with each other, predicting the other’s move before it happens.

When I get close enough, I kick out his knee. With a shout, he rolls to the ground but quickly recovers.

I’m thrown off when he looks past my shoulder and his eyes widen. Afraid for Zella, I make the mistake of following his line of sight. I turn my head, only for a second, but it’s long enough to fall into his trap.

His blade slashes over my shoulder.

I come back at him with my fist. He isn’t expecting the blow, and I punch his other eye, hoping to cause a cut there, too.

Temporarily disoriented from the force of it, he shakes his head.

Swinging my sword as hard as I can, I hook it under the hilt of his, knocking it from his grip.

As soon as he’s weaponless, I tackle him. I pin his arms under my knees, and I press my blade to his neck. “Yield.”

He spits in my face. Thrashing with all his might, he won’t give in. His movement causes me to nick an artery, and blood pools onto the ground.

I can hear Tehya quietly sobbing somewhere behind us, but I can’t let sympathy stop me.

“Strike it all, Silas. Give up,” I demand. The profanity makes our hair stand on end, and an electric shock flows from my hand to his shoulder.

He just grins. He goes still, and for a second I think I’ve won.

My biggest mistake is letting his arm slip out from under me.

Before I can see what he has in his hand, he stabs me in the chest.

Zella screams.