When Stars Fall (Book 2, When Shadows Rise series)

Chapter 3 (Kayden)

Kayden moved through the crowd like a wraith, nobody sparing her a glance as she made her way down to the pit. She tucked her ponytail beneath the back of her shirt just as Nkosana–from somewhere high in the stands–demanded that all contestants clear the ring. All but her.

Murmurs broke out, growing louder as she shed her cloak and discarded her knives on the other side of the wall. No doubt they were eyeing her silver warrior markings and her countless gruesome scars as she dropped effortlessly into the pit on silent feet. Kayden felt bare without her knives, but she had to make a show of removing them. No weapons were allowed in the pit, but that didn't mean she couldn't keep the needles still hidden in her hair a secret.

"My friends," Nkosana began with open arms, "and enemies, I have a special someone I'd like to introduce to you tonight. She hails from the east, all the way across the Islean Sea. I present to you, the Silver Lynx of Freca. Princess Kayden Branimir in the flesh."

Kayden kept her features arranged in an indifferent mask, although on the inside she was less than pleased with Nkosana's title for her. He was trying to be cute, it seemed. Nevermind her true identity–there were already whisperings about her all over town.

She locked eyes with him from across the large room, and perhaps he noticed the ire in her gaze, because his lips quirked into a devious smile. With her chin tilted up, she let the crowd look their fill. She had spent far too many years in the shadows, but never again would she be somebody's secret. If Nkosana was giving her the opportunity to make a name for herself, then she would show them all what she could do.

Because she was not broken.

No, she was brutal.

She was a Branimir.

She thought Nkosana was done with his little speech, but he continued on.

"As many of you may have heard, the bounty upon the Silver Lynx's head is something of legend. So tonight, for only two silvers you will have the chance at a fortune. For two silvers, you will fight the Silver Lynx herself, and if you win, the crew of the Drakon's Claw will personally aid you in delivering her to Chhaya Sarvesh."

A hush fell over the room. Kayden could feel everyone's gazes prickling across her skin, sizing her up. She curled her fingers into a fist, but her right hand refused to obey, save for the faintest twitch of movement. As if that was the deciding factor–the weakness that could be exploited–the crowd roared back to life, and Nkosana's pockets quickly filled with silver.

It seemed he would be paying back his debts tonight, after all.

She gave him a nod that said well-played, and he returned it with a wicked flash of teeth. She knew better than to trust the son of the Pirate King, but the way he looked at her made something flutter deep within her. Because in his eyes, she was not a girl tortured until her mind tore apart at the seams, she was not a prisoner to her past, and most importantly, she was not weak.

He knew as well as she did that no pirate on this island could defeat her in combat, paralyzed hand or not.

Her opponents lined up along the pit wall, waiting for their chance at a glory they would never achieve. The first fight was over sooner than she wished. She left her opponent unconscious with a nasty left hook, and the crowd dragged him off the pit floor. Her second opponent took an elbow to the nose, too dazed to continue fighting.

Her third opponent–a woman twice her size–managed to land a couple blows, but only because Kayden allowed it. Kayden relished the pain, grinning at the metallic taste of blood on her tongue. Her knuckles burned in the best way as they cracked across the woman's jaw.