Panic rose in my chest, enough that I could do nothing more than crouch to the ground and try to find air to breathe. Above me, Harlyn pounded on the door, but that did her no good.
“Kestra, let me in!” she cried. “People are searching for us.”
Then let them find her. I’d shown her mercy. In return, she’d shot at me, and now I was stuck down here.
Down here. I wrapped my arms around myself and shuddered. I couldn’t stay in this dark place. Because of Harlyn, I couldn’t go out the way I’d come in, and nothing in me had the ability to walk on.
As the panic began to overtake me, the strength of my magic failed, including my ability to keep the door overhead closed.
Harlyn pulled it open and tossed a rope into the tunnel. Then she slung the disk bow over one shoulder and lowered herself until she could drop to the floor.
I heard her land, and her breathless “thank you” and then a “Kestra, where are you?”
If she said anything else, I wasn’t around to hear it. I was already working my way through the darkness. It terrified me to run, but that was better than remaining anywhere near Harlyn. If I did, it was a guarantee of either my death or hers. It would have to be hers.
After Darrow left the room, the full weight of Joth’s attention fell on me.
“I am curious,” he said. “What makes you think you have any chance in the duel tomorrow?”
“Other than being the superior swordsman?” I spoke with confidence, even arrogance, but inside, my stomach was knotted.
He smiled. “I suspect that you are. I didn’t get much practice in the forest, not with half-lives for company. And my people have never cared for swords anyway. They’re inefficient compared to magic.”
“Then why did you accept my challenge?” I asked. “You can’t possibly expect to win … unless you cheat.”
Joth’s casual smile soured. “On the contrary, I have no intention of cheating tomorrow. My subjects will be there to watch. They must see me strike you down, sword against sword, without magic.”
My eyes narrowed. “Or I will strike you down.”
Joth’s laughter darkened. “That will never happen. You and I will face each other with swords. I will raise mine. You will try to do the same, but I fear you may not have the strength for it.”
His eyes darted meaningfully around the room, and I knew he must have silently issued some sort of command to the half-lives who were here.
“If you are Halderian, then I am your king!” I had no idea which way to turn as I spoke, or whether they could even hear me, but this was my chance. Lifting my sword, I added, “I am King Gareth’s heir, and with your help, this throne will belong to the Halderians again. Whatever you were ordered, I ask you to stand at my side, defend me now.”
Joth grimaced and made a gesture with h
is hand. I felt a slight wind move toward me from all directions, then it simply stopped as if a wall had gone up in front of me. Why had it stopped?
After a brief, tense pause, Joth stood and shouted, “I am your king! For a generation, I have protected you, watched over you. It is through me that you have been given the chance to live again.”
“And through me, you will live in freedom,” I said. “I will extend the offer to those of you who are among Joth’s people. He will reign over you, and upon your backs he will rule from this time forward. But it need not be. You see that I am protected by my people. Join them and be free.”
For the first time, Joth stormed down the steps from his throne. I held my ground, confident in the protection of those around me.
“This will not be tolerated, not in this room!” He thrust out one hand, pointing to those of his people whom Kestra had already restored. “Take the King of the Banished and make him suffer for his words! If you refuse, I will use what magic I have obtained to return you to your half-life state!”
At first, nothing happened, and I believed Joth had finally gone too far. Then someone in the corner shouted, “Your king has spoken! What are you waiting for?”
All eyes fell upon me, most of them unfriendly, but when the restored Navan took their first steps toward me, others got in their way, saying, “Our king has also spoken. They have agreed to settle their differences tomorrow!”
I wasn’t sure who threw the first punch, only that when the fight began, it quickly engulfed the entire throne room. I genuinely didn’t know who was fighting for Joth and who was fighting for me, which made it impossible to use my sword to enter the fray. All I could do was trust that the half-lives who had surrounded me before would continue to protect me.
But that was a mistake. Joth must have been silently giving directions to the half-lives, because somehow my protection was gone. A few of his restored people rushed at me from behind, pushing me down to the floor. I struggled against them, but someone clubbed me in the back.
“Get his sword!” Joth demanded.
I fought to keep hold of it but took plenty of hits on my body as a result. When I rolled to protect my ribs, someone’s hand went over mine on the hilt of the sword. I felt it being pulled away from me, and I was hit hard on the side of my head. Lights pulsed in my vision. With a second hit, I would be unconscious. But then the doors opened and a woman called out, “Stop this at once!”