Traitor

Chapter 10

I need to do something. I've been pathetically frozen like this the whole time. I need to do something.

"Pull away, Lucien."

I am not the one who says this. Even though it should be me.

"Pick on someone your own size, why don't you?" Juniper says, placing the flat of her blade onto Lucien's shoulder, so that the sharp blade threatens to dig into his neck.

For a brief amount of time that stretches on for millennia, Lucien stays frozen in place.

Without warning, he whirls around and puts everything he has into his attacks against Juniper. Her arm, painted with metallic powder, is sliced open. Blood gushes out, but she doesn't seem to mind. Juniper returns his strikes with vigorous energy.

Taking into consideration that Lucien had already been worn down from a fight before he engaged in a new one with her, along with the fact that she is acting rationally whereas Lucien seems to have been inflicted with some kind of insanity, it takes her about two minutes to disarm Lucien and hold him at sword-point.

I rush over to Alistair and make him lean on me. He heals the remainder of his wounds, then collapses on the floor, his chest heaving in and out.

The students who had backed away before, now rush forward. Half of them come to surround me and Alistair, and the other half warily stare at the Prince.

Juniper lowers her weapon. She throws her sword to the ground beside her, and marches away without another word.

Lucien sends a powerful glare to the people staring at him, making them stumble back. Like Juniper, he stomps out of the Arena, not giving a single glance to the state he has left his best friend in.

"You okay?" I say, helping Alistair to his feet.

"Fine," he mutters, wincing slightly. "I'll walk it off."

Only an Enchanter is capable of saying 'I'll walk it off' after experiencing a series of lethal attacks.

I have a short period of free time before lunch. Curiously enough, I find myself wanting to spent this time practicing with the twin blades. I go to my room and lock the door, since I don't want to accidentally kill someone who might walk in without knocking.

I throw one of the knives at the high ceiling. In a flash, it returns to my hand. I rotate between the two blades, continuously tossing one after the other until it looks as if I am juggling the knives against the will of gravity.

As the daughter of the High Chancellor, I have been trained in many areas, and have learned to excel at all of them. Yet I have never felt passionate about any of the lessons I have been taught; History is redundant, Political Affairs is revolting, and as today's morning showed, Swordplay is brutal.

But this? Hurling the knives at the small targets I make for myself using various objects like hairbrushes and perfume bottles, flinging the blades with such great force that their motions look like nothing but a blur; This is a harmless kind of passionate fun that exhilarates me all the same.

Lucien doesn't come to the Banquet Hall for lunch. Juniper is nowhere to be seen, too, but that has become a common occurrence at this point.

The days go by, and preparations for the Solstice Ball begin. Twice a year, on the Summer and Winter Solstices, a grand ball is held. The Summer Solstice Ball is meant to be the greatest of all events; The festivities involved surpasses the revelry of the Summer Feast, the Allegiance Gala, the Lunar Spectacle, and such.

Hundreds upon thousands of people travel to the Mainlands to witness the Ball. It was first held millennia ago, as a way for our ancestors to replenish their magic with the everlasting power of the sun.