The Infrit’s eyes turned red. He growled, then swung out with his blade. Nasir jumped back. The tip of the Infrit’s weapon caught him across the belly. Blood welled, but it wasn’t deep. Nasir shifted to the side and caught the Infrit across the right bicep.
A howl echoed from the Infrit. When he turned, Nasir ducked his head and did a forward roll right through the giant’s legs, then sliced into the djinni’s flesh, just above the knee.
Blood gushed. His wound wasn’t deep either, but it was enough to bring the crowd to their feet. They screamed as the Infrit dropped to his knee. Sweat dripped into Nasir’s eyes as he circled around the giant, looking for an opportunity to let the sahad get the upper hand.
“Make your death look good.”
He intended to. As the giant slowly pushed to his feet, Nasir glanced at Kavin in the crowd. Worry shone in her eyes. Worry and fear and love. A love that would carry him into the next world, wherever that may be.
He drew a deep breath, turned away from her, and watched as the Infrit rose to his full height, easily seven feet tall. At one point, back when he’d been just a soldier, he might have been scared by this beast, but not today.
“They’re waiting for you to die, Infrit,” he said, mocking the djinni, knowing it would fire him up and give Kavin’s master exactly what he wanted. He turned the hilt of the sword in his hand. “Can’t you hear them?”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“You’re wrong, Marid,” the Infrit growled. “They’re waiting for your death.”
Instead of swinging out with his weapon, the giant charged. Nasir barely had time to brace himself. The Infrit plowed into him, hurling his body back and to the ground. Nasir landed with a grunt on his back. Pain radiated up his spine. He tried to lift his arm, but the Infrit was suddenly above him, pressing against Nasir’s stomach, holding him still.
“Don’t move,” the giant growled.
The crowd gasped, then went eerily silent.
Confused as to what was happening, Nasir looked down, and his eyes widened at the crimson blood spilling from his belly around the Infrit’s weapon sticking straight out of his gut.
How…? When…?
His gaze lifted. He didn’t feel as if he’d been skewered, but then maybe he was in shock. This was what was supposed to happen, but why all of a sudden didn’t it feel right?
“Don’t move, you asshole,” the Infrit growled again. “I’m trying to help you here.”
Help him? Did he know about the deal? Had Malik told him? Nasir’s head grew light, and he tilted his chin up so he could look into the crowd. Kavin was somewhere behind him. He wanted to see her face. Needed to look upon her one last time…
“Stay down,” the Infrit said in a low voice, his hand pressing harder into Nasir’s shoulders. “If you know what’s good for you, you won’t move until we tell you to.”
We?
Nasir stopped searching for Kavin and instead looked at the Infrit, pushing off him, dust and sand kicking up around his feet. The giant turned toward the crowd, held his arms out wide, and roared through his victory.
The crowd remained eerily silent.
The Infrit dropped his arms, turned and picked up Nasir’s sword, which was lying on the ground a foot from his hand. And as Nasir watched the giant lift it over his head, readying the killing blow, his instincts screamed Get up! Defend yourself! But then he thought of Kavin. Of everything she’d done for him. Of the fact that without her, he’d still be only a shell of the djinni he used to be.
He drew a deep breath. Readied himself.
The Infrit grinned. The fucker actually grinned. “Watch this.”
Then he turned toward the crowd, zeroed in on something above Nasir and hurled the sword as hard as he could.
Right toward the area where Kavin was standing.
Chapter Fifteen
“No!”
A red haze descended over Nasir’s vision. He lurched to his feet and threw his weight into the Infrit. The giant went down with a grunt, sand flying out all around his sweaty body. Nasir nailed him hard in the jaw with his fist, then scrambled to his feet, searching, looking…
Spectators screamed. A mass exodus was taking place in the stands. He couldn’t find Kavin. If the Infrit had hit her…
And then he saw her, being dragged by the hair up the steps toward the upper concourse, fighting against the hold her master had on her while frightened spectators rushed around in a frenzy.
She was alive. She hadn’t been hit. She…
The highborn paused at the top step and shot Nasir a brutal glare. Kavin screamed, but it was the blood welling from the highborn’s shoulder that stopped Nasir’s breath. Blood from the wound the Infrit had inflicted when he’d hit the piece of shit with Nasir’s sword.
Holy fuck…
His muscles bunched. He looked down at his own body, and his eyes widened when he realized there was no gaping hole. No injury from the Infrit’s weapon other than a few scratches.
Shouts and the sounds of heavy footfalls drew his attention toward the main gate before he could figure out what was happening. At least twenty guards were spilling into the arena with weapons drawn.
Shit. Shit!
He searched the ground for his other sword. What the hell had the moron done? He’d tried to kill his own master in front of the entire city. They were both going to burn for this. It didn’t matter what had happened during their match or who’d thrown the blade into the crowd. If the guards didn’t kill them first, the highborns would execute them both simply for the fun of it. And Kavin…
He caught sight of his sword halfway across the arena just as the giant was pushing himself to his feet.
“Some gratitude you’ve got,” the Infrit growled.
“Gratitude? Fuck that.” He had to get to Kavin. He had to find her before…
His feet skidded to a stop near his weapon. He picked it up, then froze when the gates on the other side of the arena opened and at least thirty sahads—djinn of all races—each armed, their eyes glowing hot with the promise of retribution, filled the space. Sahads led by Malik.
Nasir stared, unable to believe what he was seeing. Before he could ask what the hell was going on, the Infrit picked up his weapon, lifted it over his head, and yelled, “For freedom!”
The pack charged right by Nasir, weapons and fists and bodies clashing with the guards in an echo that filled the arena and drowned out the screams of spectators still rushing out of the stands.
Malik met him in the center of the arena, lifted his sword, and took down a guard just before he reached Nasir.
“What the hell is happening?” Nasir yelled over the roar.
Malik kicked the guard to the ground and pulled his bloody sword from the guard’s belly. “Something that should have happened long ago. Find her. Get her the hell out of here before they send reinforcements.”
Nasir’s chest grew tight as things suddenly made sense. They’d done all this for him. Malik had cast an illusion spell to distract the crowd. Then he’d rallied the sahads—djinn who didn’t even know Nasir personally, who hated his race—and staged a revolt.
His head swam with the impact of what they were doing. Of what would happen to them all as a result.
Malik grasped his shoulder, dragging his attention back to his mu’allim’s face. “Find her and get the hell out of here. But when you’re free, make sure you tell the others…anyone who will listen, all the tribes…what’s happening here. I should have done that long ago, but I couldn’t. Be stronger than I was, Nasir.” His eyes hardened as the battle raged around them. “Then bring your army back and shut this fucking hellhole down.”