The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,88

what Malek wanted, what he commanded. This was what her magic was for. Walk to the wall and put your face to the stone, keeping your hands behind your back. Close your eyes.

The swirls of water didn't stop, but they became chaotic and confused. Without her sight, Nyomi didn't know where to aim the magic. Lyana danced easily between the circulating currents, grinning at her own genius.

The smile vanished a moment later as the entire ocean seemed to swell above the walls, spilling into the arena as though it were a ship swallowed by the sea. Lyana flapped her wings, but the sky refused her. Water clawed at her ankles, then her calves, rising over her knees. An invisible shield protected Malek and the others from the spray, leaving them perfectly dry. The water was up to her hips, now her waist. Nyomi remained against the wall where Lyana had put her, her aura calm and unafraid of the flood. Lyana stared into the water, trying to see between the liquid molecules, within them, searching for the golden hint of spirit her magic could latch onto.

Nothing.

It was at her shoulders now, her neck, kissing her jawline, brushing her lips. Arching her head back, Lyana sucked in one more panicked gulp of air and the ocean swallowed her. The rush of water filled her ears, then the thunder of the waves splashing into the arena. With a kick, she pushed off the ground and dragged her arms through the water, trying to swim, but her bones were too light and her feathers too heavy. She wasn't strong enough to haul her wings behind her. A ringing started in her ears. Black spots dotted her vision. The warm glow of her magic lit the sea, but she didn't know what to do or how to hold it. Pressure pushed in at all sides. In desperation, her lungs screaming at her for air, she opened her mouth, hoping somehow to find a pocket of something she could swallow. Liquid swirled down her throat instead. She was getting cold, so cold, so—

A tunnel of air cut through the water, and Lyana dropped like a rock to the sand. On her hands and knees she coughed, vomit spewing through her lips as her stomach emptied itself. Malek emerged from the liquid wall, perfectly dry compared to her drenched limbs, and knelt beside her.

"You got overconfident."

She didn't know why she had even for a moment expected concern. All he cared about were results. "Only for a second."

"You let your fear overwhelm you. You forgot about your magic."

"Did you miss the part where I was drowning?"

Malek simply shrugged, his pristine golden hair mocking her as it fluffed dryly in the breeze. "I told you, this method isn’t easy."

"I think you called it inhumane."

"Yes, well…" He trailed off, watching the water descend as Nyomi ordered it back over the wall and into the sea. The whole arena was nearly dry now. He stood, his shoulders hunched in dejection. "Perhaps we should call it a day."

"No." The word popped out of Lyana with such vehemence it surprised her.

She swallowed and met his curious gaze head-on. She didn’t want to go back to the castle, back to her rooms, back to her lonely isolation. She was a fighter. She wasn't used to backing down. And no matter how dangerous the place, she hadn't felt better in days.

On the other side of these walls, her problems seemed insurmountable, so immense she didn’t know how to face them, where to even begin an attack. Staring at those bowls, she'd only been able to think about the weight of the world on her shoulders—so many lives, so many souls, so much hurt and pain and loneliness had overwhelmed her defenses.

Here, it was different.

Here, two people were in a duel—just one foe to think about, one soul to overcome. This wasn't her learning how to save the world. This was her learning how to save herself, and somehow that made all the difference.

"Again," she growled as she climbed to her feet. "I want to go again."

28

Rafe

"I have to admit," Rafe said as he dropped his head back against the main mast and let his feet dangle over the edge of the platform, no longer afraid of the height but rather enjoying the feel of so much wind and sky all around him. "Hunting dragons is far more frustrating than I ever thought it would be."

"That's the problem with dragons." Brighty sighed, her shoulder brushing