with the name of a brand I didn’t recognize in elegant script. “Open it,” he said, and this time he couldn’t quite hide the smirk at the corner of his perfect lips.
I carefully removed the lid, ready to chant a defensive spell at a moment’s notice.
Inside, nestled artfully amid sheets of tissue paper, were six pairs of expensive panties.
“You can choose your favorite to wear on the day of the duel,” said Acubens sweetly. “I wanted you to have something nice to show, for when I beat the pants off you.”
I stared down at the box, then smiled.
“Thank you,” I said, with a sincerity that clearly unnerved him. “These look really nice. I’ll get a lot of use out of them.”
He hadn’t expected that response. “Let me know if they chafe,” he said, determinedly going back on the offensive.
“I will, but I’m sure they won’t. It looks like you took a lot of care picking these out.” I held my smile, enjoying Acubens’s scowl. “See you at the duel.”
“See you at the duel,” Acubens gritted out, his expression promising violence.
#
“That fucker,” I said happily, once I shut the door. Acubens might be awful, but I hadn’t realized how great it would feel to own multiple pairs of underwear again. Such a small thing, and yet it eased the sting of captivity in its own way.
This was incredibly nice underwear, too. I felt the silky material between my fingers, appreciating its softness and lightness. And Acubens had surprisingly good taste in panties. Sure, everything he’d gotten was pointedly skimpy, from sheer lace to one pair that seemed more a collection of zigzagging black ribbons than actual underwear. But all of it came off as genuinely pretty rather than gaudy or trashy.
“I actually can’t wait to try these on,” I admitted.
Darshan and Aegis stared at me.
“Anyway,” I sighed, turning back to Darshan. “Back to what I was going to say. In my experience, the Great Houses aren’t nearly as smart as they consider themselves to be. They don’t know everything. They don’t know a lot of things,” I continued, ignoring Aegis’s faintly scandalized look. “They’ll never see us coming.”
Chapter 17
All too soon, it was the day of the duel.
Despite my words to Darshan, part of me still wished we had more time to prepare, to run through our practice drills another time, to plan for every possible contingency. The fate of my family hinged on the outcome, just not in the way he thought.
At the same time, another part of me could hardly wait. I wanted to fight, instead of lurking in the library all day. I wanted to see the result of all our hard work in action. Most of all, I wanted to kick the Nightfeld brothers’ asses.
“That’s a lot of people,” said Darshan, staring at the entrances to the gym. He reached under his jacket, touching the stickers pinned there for reassurance.
We’d arrived early for the duel, and a good thing too, because it would’ve been a nightmare getting through the crowds squeezing their way in now. Bleachers had been brought out along the walls; they’d seemed excessive when we first came in, row upon empty row, but now I wondered if everyone would fit. It seemed like half the school had turned out to watch the duel.
“Whatever happens here, all of mage society will know about it before the day is out,” said Aegis grimly. Even he looked tense.
I looked at the opposite end of the gym, where our opponents sat. Arcturus Nightfeld was reading a book, the picture of calm, while Acubens was nearly bouncing out of his seat. There was no sign of the third duelist on their side. I wondered again if they even had a third duelist, or if Arcturus was so sure of victory that he was willing to fight two against three.
I sighed, looking at the clock on the wall. 11:45. An eternity had passed, with an eternity left to go.
The noise of the crowd buzzed in my ears. Dimly, I sensed my own fear circling me like sharks, waiting for the smallest moment of weakness to close in. “I’m going to get some water,” I said, standing up. I needed something to occupy myself with. It would be a bitter irony if I fell apart now.
I decided to go to the locker room area rather than the visitor area, hoping to avoid running into members of the audience. It was deserted, and blessedly quiet compared to the main gym, the sound