interests."
Not bad. The request showed a certain wisdom. Niland and Lorcan were both convinced Kira would lose—and badly. Yet, Lorcan had the presence of mind to protect himself. Not many would be so careful.
It would be enough to make her respect him a little if not for the fact he seemed so intent on needling her.
She just didn't know why yet.
"Done," Kira said as the low hum of the drones warned the game was about to resume.
"You're so confident that you'll win?" Graydon asked as she turned away from the audience.
Kira flexed the wrist that held the blade. "I won't know until I try."
Graydon's chuckle was intimate. "Then how about a side wager?"
Kira paused as ripples spread through the falling water, a prelude to the start.
"What sort of wager?"
Graydon's eyes twinkled. "Same as the one you just made. Loser owes the winner a favor."
Kira debated with herself for half a second. If she refused, it would seem like she wasn't confident in her abilities.
Not that she really cared about that.
The possibility of Graydon owing her one was simply too tempting to pass up. There were all sorts of interesting ways to turn a favor of that magnitude to her advantage.
"All right, you're on," Kira said as a beam of light lanced at her.
Kira dodged, not bothering to destroy the beam, unsurprised to find Graydon doing the same on the other side.
Only when it had hit the wall twice did she eliminate it.
Three more beams shot out right after. Kira danced aside, easily dodging the beams as they hit wall after wall.
From the other square, she caught the bzzzt as Graydon destroyed his beams.
Kira didn't pause, evading another wave of beams as they joined the first. By this point, there were seven laser beams she had to avoid.
Not enough.
Graydon was a powerful opponent. She'd need every advantage she could get against him.
Soon, the world faded away as Kira fell into the rhythm of the game. Nothing mattered other than the stray streaks of light that darted around the square.
She didn't bother with flashy moves, each strike efficient.
She wouldn't fall into the trap many players made in the early stages. Arrogance was different than confidence. While the latter would give you the strength to face the difficult things in life, the former would cause your downfall in an instant. There was a reason the saying “Pride goeth before the fall” had endured throughout the millennia.
A lull allowed Kira to catch a glimpse of Graydon. Where she relied on speed, her movements almost elegant, he was a battering ram, destroying the obstacles one after the other.
There was a savage smile on his face as he leapt forward, a sweep of his blade destroying four beams in a move Kira couldn't help but admire.
His eyes met hers for an instant. The same yearning that echoed in her was apparent in his gaze, leaving her feeling like she was balanced on the edge of a blade.
The moment broke as the soft ping of the mini drones fired.
Almost as if they'd planned it, they whirled to meet the next barrage, their movements mirroring each other’s.
Faster and faster until sweat beaded on Kira's temple and her chest heaved with the force of her breaths. Her movements were fluid, no hesitation as her blade sliced through the air.
More and more beams joined the rest. Soon, Kira had no choice but to eliminate some. Otherwise, she would have had no room to move within her box.
The near-constant bzzt of destroyed beams kept her company as the difficulty level increased. Now, the beams didn't come from only directly in front of her, but the sides and back as well.
Knowing they could come from any direction, Kira flung her senses wide, cognizant of any changes in the environment around her.
Five beams closed in on her at once. Kira pushed off her toes, spinning horizontally in the air. Her light sword whipped out, destroying the two under her, before she completed the rotation, using her momentum to eliminate the two beams above her in the same motion.
The water walls of the cube rippled, mimicking waves. Beam after beam left their depths in a kaleidoscope of color.
The furor in the crowd beyond fell on deaf ears as Kira immersed herself in the game, the only thing that mattered was the next sequence of movements.
Kira swung her arm, destroying a beam that had already rebounded six times. She knew her limits. Once it had touched the walls seven times, she wouldn't be able to