Legacy of Fire (The Blaze Trilogy - Book #1)

Chapter 18

My head slams against the mat, and a sharp wave of nausea hits me with dizzying force.

Atlas stands above me, having finished me off with a knockout blow for the sixth time in a row. Jade and Leah stand by the sidelines, Leah looking completely lost, and Jade looking completely delighted at my failure. 

“Ava, are you even trying?” she calls out. Her attitude towards me has been getting more and more unbearable, but I let it slide - she just has a blatant crush on my best friend.

Speaking of which, Zander stands on the other end of the mat, his eyes fixed on me as he and Keeta shout encouragement. I can practically feel him willing me to get up, to try again. But it’s the sight of the boy standing on the balcony above us that forces me back on my feet.

I turn to Parker. “Again,” I hiss. 

Parker sighs, but nods to Atlas. “You heard her.” 

Atlas shifts into motion. He rounds on me, but I attempt to stay nimble, barely dodging his powerful blows. I try to bring that warm glow into my body, the one that gives me strength, but all I manage to do is swing a kick into his side - it doesn’t hold him off for long. Before I know it, he’s landed a punch squarely beneath my ribs, and the air is knocked out of me. I sink to the ground, gasping for breath. 

In a flash, feel Zander hunched over me. I bundle myself into him, and he holds me, breathing in and out in rhythm. He pops his face around to meet mine. “Good?” 

“Good.” I confirm, but my voice is still shaking. 

Suddenly a hand offers itself from the air in front of me, and I look up to see Hale. He’s come down from the balcony, and his face is splashed with concern and warmth and gentleness all in one. But as my vision rights itself, I see another figure standing stiffly next to Hale, with a blue badge emblazoned on his shirt breast. Adrian. 

“Thanks,” I mumble, embarrassment burning on my face. Way to make a good first impression. 

But Hale’s glare is fixed on Atlas, whose smiling to himself as he stands next to Jade. “I should go show him what a real fight looks like.”

I grab his arm. “Hale, you can’t beat someone up just because they’re better than me.” 

“She’s right,” Adrian adds. His voice is deep and gravelly, like it commands to be heard. “That would make you look completely stupid. And Ava, I think that’s enough training for you today.”

“What?” My body straightens so fast that it brings the dizziness back to my vision, and I stumble.

Hale grasps me around the waist. “See, I really think you should take the rest of the day off.” 

“No!” My voice rises in panic. “We only have one day left until the Inheritance ceremony and Corps drafts.” But the air around us hangs heavy with the thing nobody is willing to say; there’s no way I’m going to get picked for a high Corps. I haven’t improved at all. It’s the gentle look in Zander’s eyes that seems to break me down. It’s hard to know that someone you love is waiting for you to admit your failures, just so they don’t have to do it for you. 

“Come have lunch with us,” Adrian says to me. It doesn’t sound like a suggestion. 

“I really should keep training.”

Adrian’s steely eyes lock into mine, his hard, strong features captivatingly intense. “Listen, Ava. My brother has always received plenty of attention from the girls in Everwood.” Hale’s face goes cherry red. “But none of them ever stuck. Now, I find out that our evening sparring sessions have ceased because my brother is spending all afternoon in the library with a Western runaway.” Adrian raises an eyebrow. “You can see how I’m curious.”