Several minutes later, the whole group was lined up on the sidelines of a large packed rectangle of dirt nestled in the trees behind House Calla, watching Kaneia and Dust prepare themselves for their duel. Dust had his red and green scimitars sheathed at his hips, while Kaneia had a massive two-handed sword secured across her back.

Zericho was taking a second to enjoy the cool evening air when she became faintly aware of something blonde bobbing in her peripheral vision. She turned to see Darshek bouncing on his toes as he watched the duelists. Deciding not to bother him, she only rolled her eyes and smiled, then turned back to the arena, where the contestants had taken up position at opposite ends. Neither of them had their weapons drawn.

"Remember, you don't have to win, but you do have to impress Kaneia to continue working with us," Annavhe called.

Dust gave him a thumbs-up.

Annavhe huffed. "Alright, then, let's begin, if you're both ready?"

Kaneia set her feet and nodded.

Dust cracked his wrists, the gold band on his finger glinting in the sun.

"Three," Annavhe called. "Two."

Zericho tensed with the competitors.

"One. Fight!"

A jet of fire blasted through the air where Kaneia had been standing a second before.

Well, Zericho thought as she watched the guard captain climb back to her feet where she'd dived to the side. I guess they're jumping right into it.

Dust lowered his hand, black eyes watching the guard intently. Since he'd revealed his ability right out of the gate, he probably wanted Kaneia to reveal hers as soon as possible too.

The guard captain jerked her chin up. "Is that it?" she called.

Dust cocked his head snidely.

Kaneia's foot made it half a step forward before another flame jet forced her to the side. She paused in a crouch, fingers brushing dirt, then launched toward the outlaw in a sprint. As her feet scuffed dirt into the air, it became abundantly clear what her ability was.

Speed. Maybe strength, too.

Dust ran to the side, keeping his chest toward his opponent as he sent more fire her way. Each blast was tight and fast, forcing the guard to slow her charge as she dodged. It looked like each attack barely scraped past her, but somehow, she continued to close in unsinged, moving like a well-built machine. With every exchange, the two circled closer, until their steps shared the same ground.

Metal flashed down in Kaneia's hands. Dust planted his feet and yanked his scimitars from his hips.

Their blades clanged together, and Zericho felt the shock even on the sideline.

Dust grunted, arms shaking as they pushed at Kaneia's sword. The second the guard captain lifted her arms, Dust ducked to the side, sweeping a scimitar at her back. She tilted her blade and neatly caught the blow, sending a bright ring through the arena.

When Dust stepped back, fire spread down his scimitars. He raised a wrist to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but clearly was far from finished. Kaneia eyed the flaming scimitars warily, looking barely out of breath as she shifted her grip on her sword.

"Most people don't last this long," Annavhe admitted grudgingly, bringing Zericho's mind back into her body.

"Against either of them, I think," Imika added from his other side.

The lord huffed. "Perhaps."

Over on the field, the two combatants were circling steadily closer once again—this time without the blasting and dodging. The fire on Dust's scimitars dwindled down to a simmer, probably to conserve energy, but Zericho had no doubt it could come back in full force when needed.

That was proven when Kaneia jumped forward and had to quickly duck down to avoid the wave of fire that swept in her direction. She kept moving, though, darting to the side and sweeping her sword at the pirate. He twisted and blocked with both of his swords, which seemed like a good idea, given the sheer force behind the guard's strikes.

Kaneia's blade retreated for only a moment before it came back in a torrent of attacks. Dust's feet shifted in a pattern on the ground as he pushed momentum into each block, somehow keeping track of every angle but unable to do more and get the upper hand. Clashes echoed off of the ground.

The second the attacks paused, Dust stepped back and jerked his blades down, directing twin waves of fire at the guard captain. She had to dive to the side to avoid them, but rolled to her feet, and then she was charging in again.

As a new wave of fire bloomed toward Kaneia, she leaned back, sliding her feet forward under the blast. Her empty hand met the ground just as her feet hit Dust's, sending him stumbling off balance. In the next second, she sprang back to her feet and sent both of his scimitars flying with a powerful stroke of her sword.

The outlaw staggered back, glancing between the guard and his scattered weapons as he heaved for breath.

Lowering her sword, Kaneia gave the pirate a satisfied scoff. "Do you yield?" she barked in her dry voice.

Dust raised an eyebrow like she was crazy.

Shrugging, Kaneia swung her sword down in a massive arc at Dust's chest. Immediately, the outlaw lunged forward. His forearm caught the guard's with an unpleasant-sounding crack, before his hand shot up past her elbow and wrapped around under her shoulder. A twist and a sharp jerk later, Kaneia was stumbling sideways, arm bent backward at a very unnatural angle. When the pirate's free hand lit on fire, she stopped moving.

It took Zericho a second to comprehend that the guard's sword had slipped from her grasp.

Smirking, she glanced at Annavhe. "I guess that settles it," she remarked.

The lord nodded absently, eyes wide as he focused on the field.

"Do you yield?" Dust's voice asked, bringing Zericho's attention back to the arena.

There was a long moment before Kaneia muttered, "I yield."

Grinning, the criminal removed his arm from hers. Kaneia gingerly rolled her shoulder back into alignment, massaging it with her other hand before bending down to pick up her sword. Dust strode across the field to his own weapons, wiping the dirt off on his pant legs before sheathing them.

"Wow," Darshek squeaked. Zericho turned to see both of her brothers with looks of awe on their faces.

The combatants made their way over to the spectators, one looking like her house had just burned down and the other looking like he'd won a thousand crystal. Darshek was the first to greet Dust, tapping his shoulder and demanding, "Can you teach me to do that?!"

"Actually," Annavhe spoke up, "I think everyone here might appreciate a few lessons. From both of you."

Dust flicked his eyes to the lord's, smirking—probably because Annavhe actually sounded genuinely impressed. "I think that could be arranged."

Kaneia let out a long breath. "Well, that was a good trick," she said grudgingly. "Even if I will never fall for it again. I suppose you've passed your trial, if Lord Annavhe agrees?" She sent the lord a questioning look.

Zericho turned around to see him nodding. "Yes, I agree."

"Alright, then!" Dust clapped his hands with far too much energy for someone who'd almost gotten his ass kicked a minute before. "Shall we take a break and then have another meeting? I'm really dying to know what exactly you want us to do."