swept at my arm with the broken end of the stick. I gasped as a long cut ran down my arm and blood started to pour out of it. I looked at Xiven’s face and was disgusted by the look in his eyes. I thought to see sorrow or sympathy in his deep brown eyes but instead I saw excitement. He enjoyed making me feel pain. Unable to control the rage, I mentally reached out and grabbed at the white pulsing light in the center of Xiven’s body and watched as his eyes widened in shock. I took enough power to push Xiven hard away from me; he sailed backwards and used his power to stop himself short from hitting the wall. The fuzziness in my mind and mental block I felt I was fighting through disappeared when I attacked him, proving that I was right.
“Finally, a worthy opponent. You’re my perfect match.” His eyes were black and his chest was heaving from the physical exertion. He looked wild and feral; his grin was crazy as if he were enjoying this too much.
I hesitated a moment too long as he rushed me and when he punched me there was extra power behind it. This time I flew into the wall and dropped to my knees. Xiven’s face was pale and I knew he was struggling as much as I was to gain control of power. Because of the mists it was harder for him to use it, but I didn’t know his limits.
“Xiven! Stop! This isn’t right; we shouldn’t be fighting like this.” I yelled at him, trying to keep my distance.
“Why not, Thalia? You are the only one that has even made this interesting for me. You need to prove you’re a powerful Denai to Gloria and this is one way to do it. Beat me and I will personally vouch for you to marry Joss.”
“That’s not the point,” I tried to reason with him. But he interrupted me.
“What was it that you did to me? I never even saw you use power.”
“It’s hard to explain.” I needed to talk Xiven out of this fight because the only way to defend myself against him would ultimately hurt him in the end.
“Doesn’t matter, because you won’t get to do it again.” Xiven moved and rushed me and I grabbed at his energy again and used it to push him to the side so he missed me with his charge. His face was becoming pale; he was tiring and I could see the exertion of keeping Hemi immobile was wearing on him. I was feeling sick to my stomach from the use of power. It affected me worse than it does a normal Denai.
“Xiven, you have to stop, NOW! I don’t want to hurt you.” Xiven ignored my scream and gathered together all four broken broom handles in his hands, point sides down. They looked like stakes that floated menacingly above his hands. What had started as a physical exercise turned into a duel between Denai. The only problem was I couldn’t fight fair. Xiven looked up at me and what I saw terrified me. He was serious. Xiven was in this too far, and it was no longer a game. It was war and he wasn’t going to lose. Just trying to access as much power as he did in such a short time was unsettling his mind. He was drunk on power and maybe a little mad. I could see it in his eyes.
I could feel the blood drain from my face as I saw all four stakes fly towards me. Desperately I tried to deflect it like I they had taught in the arena, but it didn’t work. In a last ditch effort I tried to drain everything I could from Xiven to make him pass out or give up but it was too late. I barely was able to throw up a wall between the flying stakes and me. Three of them hit barrier and disintegrated and I watched in horror as Xiven paled and collapsed to his knees. I screamed his name and ran to him.
Xiven was limp like a child and I grasped his head in my lap. He looked up at me and he smiled weakly; blood trickled slowly out of the corner of his mouth. “Well played, Thalia. I had never met my match before. I’ve never seen anyone do what you did.” He gazed adoringly at me. Hemi came and kneeled by