AERYN'S POV

Zoran stepped back and hitched a dark brow as I gawked at him. I clenched my hands, sporting a sour frown as I refrained the urge to knock the arrogant shifter flat on his ass – if I could even take down the massive, broad-shouldered, muscular Draconian who'd killed sixty-two demons on his own in the span of a few hours.

I altered my attention back on Instructor Bayer, ignoring my pounding heart and the smug look flittering across Zoran's face. Bayer scanned the group and wrote each pair of students in a bracket, then asked which partner had won the match, placing the winner in the next bracket. Nyaxia rolled her eyes when a line struck through her last name.

We waited until each pair had finished, then Bayer instructed, "Alright. Find your mats and commence the fight. Seeing as none of you managed a knockout in the first round, I will assume you are not fighting hard enough. We are in the middle of a war. You need to be able to fight and defend yourself. Those of you hoping to become Champions in the Force need to step it up."

With that, he gestured at the mats and shooed us away.

Taking the center mat, I snatched my discarded dagger and throwing stars from the floor and grabbed a towel off the rack against the wall of weapons. I dried the surface of the black mat and bit my lip, recalling my enraged father as he arrested Bastion.

Bastion. My best friend. A spy.

His own mother had removed him from the premises as if she despised him.

I scrubbed the mat with increased vigor, anger heating my veins as I thought about Bastion. How could he be convening with the Ravos demons? He knew how evil they were. He knew they'd killed my mother. He knew they'd tried to overthrow the empire and were corrupt, immoral demons who'd stop at nothing to get what they wanted. He knew they were killing off our dwindling forces and ransacking our defenseless villages.

He knew the demon prince was planning to kill me.

And he was working with them to carry it out.

But then why did he warn me about the assassination? I banished the sliver of hope and tossed the towel aside, wiping my gloved hands on my trousers as I stood to face Zoran.

Running a gloved hand through the hair between his horns, Zoran slicked back the sweat-soaked strands and held out his other hand. I glanced at the light blue Insignia of a tornado swirling with icicles on the palm of his hand and shook it. The ice wielder's hand engulfed mine and his rough callouses pressed against my hand as he gave it a firm squeeze, signaling the start of the match.

"Why are you keeping that glove on?" I asked, flicking my head at the power-blocking glove.

"So I don't kill you."

I pursed my lips. "I don't need you to handicap yourse-"

A spear of ice whizzed by my ear, and nicked the cartilage with its cold sting, making me flinch. Warm liquid trailed down my neck, outer ear burning from the small cut as I withdrew my dagger. Zoran lifted his hand, illuminating his face in a blue glow as he blew into his open palm. A haze of frost blasted across the mat and enveloped me in its glacial embrace, freezing my eyelashes and tangling my hair with cubes of ice. Wracked by terrorizing shivers, I raised my dagger as an intense chill flowed in my veins and rattled my bones. My teeth chattered as I took a painstaking step toward my opponent, trying to steady my quaking arm and quivering legs.

Zoran's dark green eyes tracked my minimal movement and he clapped his hands, sending another shockwave of extreme cold at me. The explosion hit me in the chest, throwing me off my feet as it stole my breath. My back slammed against the mat, and I lost my hold on the dagger as the back of my head smacked the wooden floor. Dark spots obscured my vision as my head spun, and pain ricocheted down my spine. My entire body was stiff as ice crystalized on the steel toes of my boots and climbed up my ankles, rapidly forming up my calves and thighs. Immobilized, I squeezed my eyes shut as a flurry of thin ice shards rained down on me and pinned my clothes to the mat.

In three slow strides, Zoran sauntered to where I was nailed to the mat with his arms crossed over his chest. His unused longsword remained strapped diagonally across his back as he huffed a breath to clear the hair curling on his forehead.

"Tap," he ordered, skewering me with his cool scrutiny.

I craned my neck and dragged my eyes along the length of my trapped body, giving him a pointed look.

"I can't."

"Then get up."

Was he daft?

Again, my mouth got the best of me and I made the mistake of speaking my thoughts out loud.

Zoran's jaw clenched and the amber ring in his eyes brightened as he showed his fangs, snapping, "If you can't stand up, then do not join the Force."

He was testing me.

I grinded my teeth and strained against the entrapments, but the more I struggled, the faster the ice covered me. Panic seized me as it climbed past my waist and over my abdomen to my neck, chilling me to the core.

I didn't want to imagine the power Zoran possessed with both hands free from the power-blocking gloves.

My entire body was encased in an ice coffin and the temperature was unbearable. Tears stung my eyes in frustration as the ice covered my mouth. In a few seconds, it'd be over my nose and I'd pass out, giving Zoran his knockout. I couldn't even move a hand to tap out.

He shook his head in disappointment and opened his hand. The cocoon crackled and shattered around me as the pegs of ice holding my clothes to the mat melted, drenching me with water. I arched my back in the frigid water and sat up, gulping breaths of air as a splintering headache ignited behind my eyes. My entire body shuddered, and I could not feel my limbs as I crawled out of the water, tapping twice on the mat as my soaked hair cascaded in limp strands around my shoulders.

"Tsk," Zoran dismissed, striding away from me.

I gingerly picked myself off the mat and stood on unstable legs as I wrung out my shirt, trembling. I was angry at how weak I was in the face of a powerful Insignia. I hadn't even been able to land a single hit on Zoran and I couldn't deflect any of his attacks. It was discouraging and I knew Zoran was right; I didn't belong in the Force. I'd just endanger everyone around me. My dreams shattered and my stomach flipped at the shame my father would feel when I wasn't assigned to one of his Elemental Forces.

I balled my hands into fists and focused on the puddle at my feet. Just because I had a frost fire breathing dragon did not mean I was suitable for the toughest, most rigorous and deadly Force. The Fire Force would kill me without an Insignia.

A towel plopped on my head and fell over my eyes. I swiped it off as a spicy, woodsy scent wafted by me. Pulling the towel around my shoulders, I felt my entire resolve crumble as Zoran strode away in the direction of Instructor Bayer who drew a line through my name, ending my chance of being assigned to the Force.

Racquel rushed to my side, gripping my upper arms as he searched my eyes, asking, "Are you hurt?"

A yellow light flashed beneath his palm and I shook my head, assuring, "I'm fine."

"That was intense. No one would have been able beat him, Aer, especially since we can't use our powers."

I sighed in resignation, drying off my body as I tried to rub some warmth back into my system. My clothes hung around me, pulled down by the weight of the water.

A Champion wouldn't be moping around like this, I realized.

"Oh, I'm not giving up just yet," I determined, flipping my head upside down to scrub the towel against my damp hair. Whipping my head back up, the damp strands hit my back as I continued, "I'm going to prove Zoran wrong. I'm going to prove my father wrong. I need to fight for my empire and avenge my mother's death. Those demons have a debt to pay, and I'll join the Force to help in the war and eradicate them."

Racquel's brown eyes crinkled as he smiled. "I know you will."

"As long as the Demon Prince doesn't get to me first."

Penn ran over to us and wrapped an arm around Racquel's shoulders, oblivious to his red cheeks. Her dark hair was tied back in a sharp ponytail at the base of her neck and sweat soaked the collar of her green vest.

"Guess who's in the quarter finals!" She exclaimed with a wide grin.

"No way! Congrats, Penn!" I said, excited for her.

"Pfft," she scoffed. "Not me. You know I'm not cut out for the Force. I'll probably be assigned as an apothecary since I heal infections and love experimenting."

"Then who are you cheering for in the quarter finals?"

"This guy," she said, hooking her thumb at Racquel.

Racquel met her eyes with a shy smile then gave me a nod, blonde curls bobbing.

"Wow! Nice, Racquel! You're going to be a great medic in the Force," I said, and I meant it. I was proud of him.

He dipped his head in humble appreciation. "Thank you."

Racquel always impressed me with his selflessness and combat abilities despite how reserved he was. He was fierce when he needed to be and the only reason I'd been able to kill three demons that night with him was because he'd assisted with each one. I'd just made the final blow each time.

The three of us sat on a narrow wooden bench next to the towel rack, observing the remaining matches. Misty skipped over to us, teal braids streaming out behind her as her green eyes sparkled. She took a seat next to me and leaned over to Racquel on my other side.

"I didn't stand a chance against Racquel. He's a beast!" She boasted, clapping a hand on his knee.

Racquel's cheeks reddened as the blush crawled up his neck to the tips of his ears. Misty giggled as he muttered another thanks.

"Pupils!" Instructor Bayer announced as the sounds of battles ceased. We turned our attention to him as he directed, "Gather around. The quarter finalists have been determined."

I joined my classmates as we made a semicircle around the board Bayer stood in front of. Pointing near the center of the board, he read off the first bracket.

"In one week's time, the first pair to square off in the quarter finals will be Masters versus Caldwell."

Racquel's tan skin faded to a ghastly pale, and his throat worked around a swallow.

"Well, it was nice knowing you all," he said, earning a chorus of laughter. I caught Zoran's eye and the corner of his mouth tipped up.

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