The arena was a sunless pit of white sand and iron, carved into the roots of the Midnight Court itself.
Above, the tiered seats of the courtiers sparkled with enchantments, shadow and silk, gold and glass, laughter that sounded like knives.
Keira stood with her fists clenched, heart stuttering, her skin still tight from Cael's words.
"Let's make this interesting," the blond-haired prince drawled, lounging like a serpent across his throne of briarwood and bone. "Give them ShadowMare."
The court gasped.
Silk rustled. Fans stilled. Even the air shivered.
"And…" he added, voice a purr, "give them the white one too. The Moonfang."
Gasps again. But not from awe, from pure fear.
Moonfang, ethereal, blinding, was a stallion of celestial blood. But ShadowMare? That was a creature born of nightmares, sired from madness and dark rivers, untameable even by Fae hands.
Across the dais, a figure stirred.
He stood near the leftmost column, dressed in a deep brown robe, gold-threaded embroidery curling down his sleeves like thorns. His golden eyes did not shimmer, they pierced. And they did not look at Cael. They looked at Keira.
And then, they narrowed.
"You summoned Shadowmare? Of all the horses?" the Fae said, voice low and rich, like moss over stone. "Does your brother know what you're doing?"
Cael turned lazily toward him, a smirk slithering across his mouth. "Why, Lord Aeren, are you by chance worried?" His tone sharpened. "Is it because she looks like Elya?"
He said the last part with a whisper, his eyes glinting with mockery.
Aeren said nothing, narrowing his eyes at the prince. Then his gaze returned to the arena floor.
Cael chuckled. "Oh, don't be shy. Do you want to protect her this time? Save the mortal girl before the teeth sink in?" His grin grew crueler. "Do you want her? Do you wish to have her? Maybe this time my brother wouldn't steal her from you. "
Aeren's jaw twitched, but he didn't answer. His mind almost brought into remembrance his love for Elya, but he pushed it back.
It had been a shock to see someone that had such gaping similarity to her.
When Aeren refused to respond, Cael rolled his eyes.
"You're truly pathetic."
At Cael's words, his eyes, those angry, fire-washed eyes, burned into the young prince's face. Then, with the grace of falling snow, he turned away.
~
Below, Keira's breath caught in her throat.
The gates had opened.
From one side emerged Shadowmare.
Black as spilled ink, monstrous in size, with eyes like molten obsidian. Steam coiled from its nostrils. Its mane flowed like smoke and shadows, a living thing. Runes shimmered on its flanks, pulsing with dark energy.
Chains clinked where they had once tried, and failed, to bind it.
From the other side came Moonfang, pale as bone, hooves gilded with silver. Graceful. Serene. Its eyes shimmered like starlight reflected on water.
Keira's partner, Raden, muttered something beside her, but she couldn't hear. Her heartbeat was a war drum. Her throat was dry.
Then came Cael's voice, ringing above it all.
"Let's see what you mortals are made of. Tame them, if you can. Or run. Either way, good luck."
The gates slammed shut behind them.
Shadowmare charged.
Keira had no time to think, she could only run.
Sand flew beneath her feet as she dodged left, stumbling over uneven ground. The beast neighed, a sound not of this world, and its hooves struck the earth like warhammers. She barely missed the blow. It would have crushed her skull like glass.
Raden shouted from somewhere behind her, Moonfang had bucked and nearly thrown him off his feet.
But Keira couldn't look.
Her legs burned. Her breath came fast and broken. Her cloak snagged on something sharp, tearing loose. Blood pricked her palms as she fell and scrambled back up.
From the stands above, Cael laughed. "Pathetic!" he called. "Useless little deer!"
Shadowmare reared, high, towering, and came down again.
Too fast.
The blow landed, a grazing slam to her side. Pain bloomed, white-hot and roaring. She cried out and collapsed onto her side, her hands trembling as she crawled through the sand.
Behind her, the monster pawed the earth. Preparing again.
And Keira… closed her eyes.
She thought of her mother's hands. Her brothers' laughter. Of fire and ash and the things that had been stolen from her.
If I die, at least I'll see them again.
Hooves thundered toward her and she braced herself for the end.
But then something happened.
There was silence.
Not peace. Not mercy.
Interruption.
A ripple of magic cracked through the air.
Shadowmare halted, a mere breath from her throat, and snorted violently, backing away.
Keira opened her eyes to see the man that had stared at her on two occasions now.
He stood between her and the beast, hands raised, power humming from his skin like heat off coals.
His coat flared behind him. His eyes glowed brighter than the sun that never touched this land. And his mouth moved, not in Common, but in the old tongue, the one that bent wind and fire.
Shadowmare tossed its head, enraged. But it backed off.
The arena fell silent.
There was no cheer. No gasp.
Just shock.
Aeren turned then, slowly, and looked down at Keira.
She could barely breathe. Her lip bled. Her vision blurred.
Her mind was swirling with questions. What happened? Why did he interfere?
But she was too weak.
And then darkness curled around the edges of her sight.
As she slipped into it, she saw Moonfang rear, and come down hard on Raden.
The scream was short. Wet.
And then gone.