Wham!

"Hands up!"

Arioch paced back and forth across his cell. He lowered his arms from where he'd sent a blast of air in my direction, which succeeded in smacking my face, which succeeded in making my butt hit the floor.

Again.

I didn't get up immediately and just laid down. My ribs ached more with each hit I took.

It was a reminder of being beat up by a murae--something I never wanted to happen again.

"Arioch, could you not hit so hard or aim for my legs or something?" I winced as I stood, my hand hovering near my chest. "Ribs."

He raised an eyebrow and sent another wave of air my direction, that time harder than before. My hands wrapped around the cell bars so I wouldn't fly backward.

"No. Do you believe your enemy will go easier on you because you are injured?"

With a scoff, Arioch moved one arm behind his back and the other directly in front of his chest in the same position he'd taken each time we fought.

"Telling them or showing them your weakness only leads to more pain on your part."

"I wasn't telling them, I was telling you." I sighed and slid my foot back. "There's a difference."

"Not when I am teaching." With that, he shoved his hand forward so it shot through the bars and toward my nose. I ducked, flinging my leg to the side. My leg went between the cells and tapped Arioch's hand.

As soon as I felt contact, I breathed out my nose, imagining that I had a bomb on the bottom of my foot. A blast of chill air shot from my foot as my skin hit his, just enough it seemed like I kicked him very, very hard.

He staggered back, his hand clutched against a wall to steady himself.

Hit him again.

A grin flickered onto my face. No, Rosi. I don't want to be creamed.

Arioch straightened. He held his arms above his head in surrender. "Good. Would you like to try again?"

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

"No, I'm done for now. I'd like a break."

He nodded. Although he didn't admit it, I think he was glad I opted for a break. The longer we'd been going, the more exhausted he seemed.

Arioch lowered himself to the floor and closed his eyes. "Now it is your turn. Tell me how to control..." With a flick of his wrist, he pointed to his temple.

My heart twisted. The lie. The stupid lie Rosi made me tell was about to come back and bite me.

I moistened my lips. My tongue felt like dry cloth in my mouth.

"I'll just tell you some, since you haven't taught me everything yet. Remember, a deal's a deal," I added.

He pursed his lips, eyes flashing. Of course he wouldn't be happy--no one would.

Still, he nodded.

Little help, Rosinka?

No answer.

Great.

"Well, um, the thing I do is try to get along."

"Get along?" Arioch laughed. "You expect me to 'get along' with this invader?"

"Yes. It's what I do. I... listen to her, in a way."

He scoffed. "If I listened to this thing, you would be dead already."

Oh. Lovely.

Arioch opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a clang of the jail door.

I'd never been so thankful to see a murae in my life.

It came over to my cell and opened the door. My heart pounded to my throat.

"Your turn."

Arioch locked eyes with me. We shared a small nod.

I stood, forcing a smile on my face. Honestly, my stomach twisted into so many knots I should have vomited.

"Are you going to blindfold me agai--"

Black took over my vision. A cold hand seized my elbow and dragged me away, away from the dungeon, out the door.

When I could see again, I stood in the exact same place I had before: the throne room. It all looked the same, King on the throne, William beside him, my father below them. The muraes murmured as soon as I stepped in the room.

They remembered. My life was worth more than theirs, according to King. So why was I to fight again?

That time, it was King who stood from his throne and came to me. A snarl stood out on every one of his seven heads. He clenched a small dagger in his left hand.

My throat constricted.

He won't kill me. He won't.

King held out his hand. "Take your weapon."

I did.

He moved back to his throne. I clutched the knife to my chest. My hands shook like I was in the center of an earthquake.

The murae I was to fight would have to die, otherwise it could--would-- take the knife from me and I'd never have another chance.

King raised his arms. "Begin."

Immediately, I ducked. It was the right move. A whoosh of air blew above my head. I whirled around to face the murae I was told to fight.

And nearly screamed. It towered above me, over twice my height. In its arms, it held a sword as large as I was.

One hit from that and I'd be dead.

Am I wrong? Does King want me dead now?

It reached back with the sword and swung. I flattened myself to the ground and rolled beneath its legs. The murae staggered back and raised its foot.

I threw my dagger. Never did I have much of an aim, but I hit my mark.

Its left eye.

A caw, almost crow-like, came from its mouth. The murae yanked it out and tossed the blade aside as if it was no more than a wooden splinter. Dark black, oily blood slid down its face, onto the tip of its lips.

The murae flicked its tongue up, cleaning the blood. It raised its fist and hurled its body toward me.

My eyes landed on the dagger. I needed it more than I ever had needed a weapon before.

My legs sprang into action. Adrenaline pushed my body toward the dagger and away from the oncoming barrage of murae.

As I ran past its are, my gaze shifted to King. His faces were impassive, not caring, relaxed.

His eyes were not.

He cares about something.

The murae stomped over to me once more. It raised its fist and shot it toward me.

Instead of trying to move, I let it graze my cheek, keeping King in some part of my vision the entire time.

Pain erupted in the side of my left cheek. Black spots swarmed in front of my eyes for a moment, then vanished.

King twitched. It was small, barely noticeable, but there.

Good.

The metal hilt of the dagger scraped my hands as I picked it up. The murae swung its sword toward my head. I moved in closer to him and kicked my leg out. It hit his chest with about as much force as a gnat.

Until I breathed out.

Air came shooting from my foot. It hit the murae in the stomach so hard its eyes bugged out from its skull. It fell on its back with a earth-shaking thud.

The dagger slipped from the palm of my hand, slick from sweat. I shoved it downwards, pushing it through the skin of the murae's neck.

It didn't struggle. Didn't bleed. Just--died. Vanished. Like it was never there.

King stood as soon at the murae was gone. He clapped his hands once. William moved forward, hands outstretched, to take the dagger away.

No.

They couldn't take the dagger. I needed it.

I scrambled back, bringing the blade to my neck. "I'd stop now, if you want me alive."

William's mouth dropped open so wide it seemed it would touch his toes. King shot to his feet, arms outstretched as if to stop me, then corrected himself, realizing his mistake.

My heart had suddenly become a resident of my throat. Somehow, a smirk made its way to my lips.

Apparently, I enjoyed the possibility of death.

"Ah. I see you do care about my well-being, King."

King sat back down, a snarl covering six of his faces, a frown on the last one. "Evidently."

"Good. Then you'll listen to what I have to say."

William took a step toward me. I met his eyes and moved the dagger closer to my throat, so close it tapped the edge of my skin, sending chills racking up my spine.

He stopped moving, frozen.

"Don't come closer. Don't try and stop me. I'll do it, and you need me."

King laughed. A hint of fear rang through the bottom of it. "Why do you have this illusion that I need you, child? You are dispensable. Expendable. Useless."

I raised an eyebrow. It was time to see if he really meant it.

"Really, murae? I seem to recall you murdering one of your own to save me from certain death the first time I fought for you."

An eyebrow twitched. The muraes making up the circle squirmed.

"I did that because you are entertaining. Nothing more."

"Ah. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the cavaliers, then." My eyes narrowed, gaze unwavering from his faces.

King's eyes widened. "What do you know of them, girl?"

There it was. My answer had to be correct. If I was wrong, he'd call my bluff and I'd never be able to try something similar again. Considering King he yet to use the cavaliers, it meant he still didn't have all of them. If William was alive, it meant he knew where they were. He'd hidden them.

Since I still breathed, he'd weaved me into that lie. If he'd claimed we both knew where they were hidden, one of us would not have been needed, so King could've done away with someone. As it was, we both breathed. That meant Will was the one who knew where they were and I was the one who could get them.

It had to be right.

I swallowed the lump on my throat. "If I die, you will never receive your precious stones."

A cry of rage erupted from King. He stood, shaking, at the top of the stairs.

Yay for wild guesses.

"What do you want?" he growled.

I needed to breathe again. Breathing was good. "You to meet my demands. Ready to hear them?"

A growl was my answer.

I moistened my lips. "Each day, I will be able to speak to William as I please."

"No."

I pushed the knife so it poked my skin. Any more and it felt as if it would draw blood.

A panicked time shot through King's voice. "Thirty minutes each day with supervision."

"Twelve hours without."

"Three hours with."

"Seven without."

"Four."

I took a shuddering breath. "Five hours each day without supervision. That is my final offer."

He opened a mouth to protest but was silence once he noticed the placement of the dagger.

"Fine. What else?"

A smile drew back the sides of my mouth. "William, my mother, brother, and father will not be harmed. Nor will my friends. You will stop using my father for your tasks and make him go back--"

My voice broke. "--make him go back to normal."

King cackled. "I can do all but the last request. He is the way he is because he chose, nothing more."

He nodded his head. Two muraes moved closer to me.

"While I am not a believer in self-murder, King, I will do it if you do not stop."

Somehow, my voice didn't come out as a squeak.

King froze, eyes wild. "What?"

"My last request--"

Was what?

"My last request is that am taken to my mother."

He hesitated.

I moved the knife closer, just barely. Warm liquid trickled down my neck.

"Now."

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