The rock Kyra stepped on tipped over and she stumbled. In a heartbeat, he was on her, blade coming down at her face. She recoiled and gasped as it glanced off her collarbone. Kyra drove her own knife up and jumped to her feet as James skipped back unscathed. Kyra kept her dagger between them, breath coming in quick gasps as she probed her collarbone with her free hand. Her fingers came away sticky, but at least she could move.

The pain snapped her out of his spell. Kyra gripped her blade, shifting her weight back and forth. If James wanted her dead, he’d have to work for it. She had no intention of being an easy kill. James must have noticed her change of focus, because he stopped speaking. They circled each other, no sound between them but their breathing and the crunch of autumn leaves.

A few more feints and parries, and she realized why James seemed slow. He hadn’t changed. But after weeks of hunting with Pashla, Kyra had. Her senses were sharper, her reflexes smoother. Kyra saw her opponent now with new eyes. What if he were not James, the assassin she feared? What if he were her prey?

The next time he attacked, Kyra was ready. She danced aside and slashed at his knife arm. Her blade cut deep, and James’s weapon fell on the rocks with a satisfying clang. Kyra grabbed his tunic and pulled him close, pressing the point of her blade to his throat.

For an instant, they were frozen there, eyes locked, so close she could feel his lungs expand with each shallow breath. Kyra felt his body tense. She could kill him. She had every right. Around her, she sensed the energy from the crowd leaning in for the kill. She willed her wrist to deliver the final stroke.

A sudden blow to her midsection knocked the breath out of her. Kyra thrust her knife forward with all her strength, but James had already moved out of the way. He clamped his hand around her wrist and twisted. Pain shot up her arm and drove her to the ground. His knee dug into her back, forcing it into an unnatural arch.

And then the world imploded.

A fog covered her vision. Heat rushed through her, melting her insides and forcing its way out through her skin in the form of tiny hairs. Her clothes stretched tight, then ripped and fell away completely. Her bones elongated. Her muscles lengthened to match. A murmur ran through the crowd, and she realized what was happening. Finally, her vision cleared and the world came back, cleaner and crisper. In front of her, James stood, staring at her with disbelief and horror.