Chapter: 33: The Battle Arena

The girls were swarming Caiden again today.

He’d been joining us pretty frequently in the parlor lately, and today was no exception.

I usually remained by the windows, reading while trying to ignore the high-pitched voices from the girls vying for Caiden’s attention.

Today was an exception.

“Please show us again, Prince Atlas!” Élodie said, begging the prince like a child.

My gaze was drawn away from the pages of my book to see Caiden leaning over a bowl of water, his hands hovering right above it.

I gently closed my book, so I wouldn’t disturb them, and quietly moved closer to see what kind of trick he was performing today.

The water began moving, lifting from the bowl and eventually forming a shape that became as recognizable as the actual animal.

Soon, the creatures circled each other as they were rumored to do in the Lagoon of Lagyssal—the Serenity Fish.

They looked so impossibly real that the only reason I believed it was Caiden’s power wielding them was the transparency of the water.

The way they shifted in the air, swimming slowly at one moment only to start a playful chase in the other, was enchanting.

Suddenly, the fish stopped slowing down until they appeared as a ring of rapidly moving water.

Then, the transparent liquid started to shine in a bright blue glow before it turned to ice, resembling two fish frozen in time.

The girls began clapping, excited and amazed by the level of control that the young crown prince had mastered.

I stood back, speechless and overwhelmed.

He’d controlled both water and ice at such high speeds, and not even a pearl of sweat embellished his clean brow. In what world was that possible?

“You are to attend your first battle lecture today, correct?” Caiden asked the group of girls, who all nodded with such pretty smiles. “Then I will make sure to arrange a small surprise for you.”

Caiden was smiling like a child who had just received a brand-new toy. I was starting to wonder if it had been nothing but my imagination when I thought of him confessing his fear to me.

He appeared to enjoy the company of countless girls in contrast to fearing it.

The girls started complaining when Caiden wouldn’t tell them what kind of surprise he had in mind.

I remained quiet but had a strong suspicion as to what it might be.

A surprise related to the battle arena likely meant some kind of demonstration, and the excitement of seeing Caiden demonstrate his powers in a battle stirred my fingers.

I’d only witnessed one Iridis display his powers like that—Knox.

He’d been an awful man, but his fire had been undeniably mesmerizing. I could only imagine what the powers of a Water Iridis on Caiden’s level could achieve.

“Will you be joining us in the battle arena, Miss Aldwyn?”

A flush of color warmed my pale cheeks, and I blinked a few times when I heard his royal lips address me by my formal title.

“Y-yes,” I said hesitantly. “I haven’t been told otherwise.”

Caiden smiled again before he got up from the couch. “Good,” he said, his eyes scanning everyone surrounding him. “Then I expect to see you all there. Enjoy your free time until then, ladies.”

I didn’t want to look in her direction as Caiden walked out of the room. I could already feel Alia staring daggers at me, but I refused to acknowledge it.

She already hated me, and I doubted she liked that Caiden had addressed me directly.

I interlocked my fingers and prayed to the ancient spirits that we wouldn’t be picked to battle each other.

She already looked at me as if she could devour me whole without giving my lost life a second thought.

***

Combat training was already a lot more exciting than any of our other courses thus far, and I hadn’t even stepped foot inside the battle arena yet.

Not because we were forced to battle each other but because it was the only occasion we were allowed to wear pants instead of dresses.

Faye gave me a pair of elegant sweatpants and a tight, long-sleeved shirt, which was what everyone else would be wearing too.

I gave myself a moment to relish the pleasure of wearing pants like this before I stepped outside.

“Are you ready?” Calla said when she exited the room at the same time I exited mine.

“I’m nervous,” I admitted, clenching the towel I’d been advised to bring along. “I’ve never battled anyone before.”

Calla smiled and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “I’ll be happy to be your first,” she said, grinning widely.

“Thanks, Calla,” I said, chuckling as I pushed her forward.

We arrived in the battle arena five minutes later and joined the suitors sitting in the middle of the cleared floor.

Some were stretching while others spent the time chatting, possibly still discussing what surprise Caiden had planned.

I immediately noticed one of the camera operators sitting on a balcony, recording everything we did.

I couldn’t see any of the permanent cameras that always recorded us like the ones they’d installed in the parlor and the dining room.

Maybe the battle arena was an area off-limits for cameras, just like our chambers and the general halls.

Caiden was standing in a corner with his brother, talking to a man with hair almost as fiery as Evie’s.

I hadn’t seen him before, but he was covered in scars as if they served as a reminder of every battle he’d ever been in.

The Pavo descendants were both dressed in their traditional elemental uniform, which meant both of them would be part of the demonstration—a Water Iridis and an Earth Iridis.

I could barely contain the excitement growing like a sprouting flower of fire in my gut.

Once the rest of the suitors joined us, the red-haired man turned toward our group, and his voice was…loud.

“Welcome, suitors!” he shouted so aggressively that I had to dig my nails into my legs to keep my hands from covering my ears.

“My name is Cadoc Heenan, and I will be your combat instructor throughout this season of the Crown Trials.”

He didn’t look like the forgiving type. On the contrary, he looked even stricter than Miss Naoise, and his face seemed stuck in some everlasting scowl.

“You have been granted a remarkable opportunity today, suitors. My best students have agreed to demonstrate the art of real combat between two elements.

“For the next ten to twenty minutes, Prince Atlas and Prince Calix will battle before you.

“After this demonstration, you will be paired with another suitor for your first combat lesson, so I suggest that you follow these gentlemen closely.”

I shivered at the thought of battling in front of the cameras. I was only fortunate that they weren’t allowed to record the sound when my dignity was mercilessly destroyed.

“Please take a seat,” Master Cadoc yelled, guiding us toward the spectator area.

Caiden and Prince Calix moved to their designated places in the battle arena while the rest of us found safety behind the transparent wall.

Then the ground started trembling as if we’d been hit by a giant earthquake.

“Look, Will,” Piper whispered when she saw panic painting my face and my knuckles turning white from clutching my chair. “They’re changing the environment.”

I looked up and was instantly at a loss for words.

A river appeared in the middle of the arena, followed by rock and earth spiking from the floor. Soon, we stared at a deserted forest area instead of the plain arena from before.

“It’s to suit their elements,” Piper whispered, and it became apparent once the brothers started fighting.

Prince Calix struck first.

He stomped his foot into the ground, and it split beneath him.

A pillar of rock emerged violently from the ground, thrusting Caiden into the air.

Prince Calix had already prepared his next move and sent the giant boulder he’d formed from the ground toward Caiden’s exposed body.

Caiden was doomed for sure. There was no way for him to dodge that boulder without the powers of an air wielder.

I may have jumped in my seat when Caiden conjured a blade of water in a mere instant and cut the rock in half.

He landed gracefully on the ground, and the earth beneath him turned into a wave of mud.

Suddenly, I heard Prince Calix curse.

The mud wave had been a distraction. Caiden’s real attack had been the mud snakes crawling up Prince Calix’s legs, keeping him secured to his current position.

Caiden smiled and sent the wave of mud flushing toward his helpless brother.

To my surprise, Prince Calix hindered Caiden’s wave from hitting him with a tall wall of solid rock.

Caiden jumped off the wave in a forward flip and dove toward Prince Calix, ready to deliver a knock-out blow with his fist.

Prince Calix blocked the attack, and the two brothers were stuck in a fistfight.

Remarkably, the fistfight was much more elegant and coordinated than the street fights I’d seen at home—almost as if they were dancing in a synchronized duet.

Caiden appeared to be having the upper hand when Prince Calix’s face cramped into an expression of frustration. Then Prince Calix was swallowed by the ground and vanished.

I gasped, leaning forward as if I didn’t think he’d done it on purpose.

Caiden searched his surroundings, trying to anticipate where his brother would appear next, but it was too late.

Prince Calix surfaced right beneath Caiden, grabbing his ankles to pull him down and trap him.

Instead, Caiden acted inhumanly fast and turned the ground’s surface into an icy landscape—something not even Prince Calix could shatter.

The battle continued. It was hard to keep up with some of their moves, but I absorbed everything I could until Caiden towered above his defeated brother.

“Marvelous!” Master Cadoc shouted, clapping his hands in sync with the other suitors. “That is how a real battle is fought!”

Caiden helped his brother to his feet and waved to his admirers.

“Now,” Master Cadoc said, turning toward our group. “I will match you in pairs and oversee how you fare in a good old-fashioned fistfight as you witnessed before.

“No powers will be allowed.”

That was a relief. At least I wouldn’t have to be entirely humiliated on my first day in the battle arena.

“Wildcard,” Master Cadoc said when his eyes found mine, and I froze. “I know why you’re here, but that doesn’t necessitate that I’ll treat you any differently than the rest of the suitors.”

I hadn’t counted on it, but his sharp eyes made me want to beg for mercy.

He scanned the candidates among the remaining suitors for someone he could partner me with. “Miss Harrington!”

My breath hitched, and a prickling sensation shot up my crumbling spine as Alia stepped forward with an unnerving smile.

“You have trained recruits before, correct?” Master Cadoc shouted.

Alia nodded without taking her narrow eyes off me. “Yes, Master Cadoc,” she said, baring her sharp teeth at me.

“Good. Please demonstrate to our wildcard how a battle by fists is supposed to be fought?”

“It’ll be my pleasure, Master Cadoc.”

I could barely swallow my fear when I forced my feet closer to Alia.

My nightmare had just become a reality. I had been paired with the person here who probably wanted me so close to death that only a healer could bring me back.

She wasn’t going to teach me anything. She was going to eradicate me and then send the remains of my body home in a decorated box.

Piper had already told me that Alia had been personally trained by the Flare Warriors—the fiercest warriors in the Inferno Realm.

I inhaled and raised my trembling fists to the first position Cadoc had told us about. I barely blinked before Alia’s fist knocked me to the floor.

“Your guard is weak, Wildcard. Raise your hands and always keep your eyes on your opponent.”

I coughed, spitting pale blood on the white floor.

“Get up and try again.”

I sighed, defeated. I was so going to need a healer after this.