“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Krantz,” I hiss as we trade blows with our metal weapons again. “Those who play the game only for the satisfaction of winning it almost always lose. You need real motivation, not just a hollow drive to escalate your own status. Even now, seeds of disquiet are building inside your movement. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Not everyone will follow you blindly as you slaughter innocents. Not to mention, a kingdom that’s stuck behind a wall of mist with no way to export or import goods won’t survive for very long.” He’s too winded from the fight to react, though I’m barely out of breath thanks to Thorne’s incessant training. I search my awareness to find Thorne through the mating bond, checking in that he’s okay.

He’s singled-handedly reduced the number of rebels down to only three dozen, but that second sense I have for him tells me he’s tiring. A wave of his scent washes over me, his blood dripping from a small nick the male he’s currently sparring with delivered. I snarl involuntarily, and the distraction costs me. Krantz gets in a blow with the back of a sword to my stomach, knocking my breath from me. He slices my thigh before I can shield again, and Thorne’s own snarl sounds as the scent of my blood reaches him.

I jump up, hissing at the pain in my leg, even as it stitches back together. I will the smallest bit of light to heal it. Then I take a deep breath, calming my mind and taming the wild beast within that roars at me to go to Thorne. Spears of light fly at Krantz, this time from Thorne, and Krantz drops his weapons to dodge the blows. I give Thorne a look that tells him to focus, and he only winks at me before spinning and slicing the hand off an attacker, just before their sword reached him. I’m forced to return my attention to Krantz, even though I could watch the effortless way Thorne fights all day long.

Frustration and anger are written clearly across Krantz’s expression while he tries and fails to get through my shield. He bares his teeth and hisses, then turns his back on me and aersteps to Thorne, catching him off guard and burying a dagger in his gut. Thorne falters, his hand coming to cover his stomach as he drops to the ground. I don’t think Krantz has been using an iron blade, or the small knicks he’s got in on me would have nullified my magic, but the uncertainty makes me panic.