Abducted by Adera Orfanelli Page B

It did sound horribly romantic, no matter how much she tried to dismiss it. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to remain in the chair and not stand up and announce that no one had to fight at all. She’d already chosen. If I stand up, I’ll probably trip myself in this dress . That, and the fact that she really didn’t think she’d succeed in doing much except embarrassing herself, kept her seated.
    Aidan rose to his feet. Amid cheers from the spectators, he made his way down the dais to the fields. Jacey forced a smile to remain on her face, but she watched as Linu handed Aidan a large sword. He wore his traditional blue and white, with armor on his chest, arms, and thighs. He activated the sword, and a blue aura surrounded the metal. Oh my God. He’s really going to do this . He held the sword high. The crowd roared.
    Aidan turned and tilted the sword in her direction. Linu retreated to the side of the field.
    “You fight,” the announcer said in a loud voice, “for the honor of Lady Jacey. Is her honor worth any price? Even your life?”
    Say no . Jacey willed him to deny the question. Surely her honor couldn’t be worth any price.
    “Yes!”
    Aidan’s triumphant shout filled the stadium. Her heart fell. He bowed once more to her, then turned to face the field. On the other end of the field, a man entered. A leather thong contained his blue-black hair away from his face, and he wore a navy and black tunic and breeches. Silver armor glinted from the vambraces on his arms and his chest plate. He nodded once to Aidan.
    The announcer moved to the center of the field. He raised a white flag embroidered with the crest of Aidan’s holdings, then let it fall. He picked it up and stepped out of the way.
    The two men regarded each other with wary stares. Jodarin stepped forward. His sword flashed blue in the light, and Jacey held her breath. He attacked Aidan with a great sweep of his sword. Aidan blocked it. The sound of metal against metal rang in the fields. The battle began in earnest. Jacey watched as the swords glowed. The blue aura grew brighter each time the swords clanged together, almost as if they gained strength from the conflict.
    Aidan danced on nimble feet around Jodarin. He swung, the blade of his sword scraping across his opponent’s chest plate. Jodarin looked down and growled. He lunged for Aidan, anger making him foolish. Swinging wildly, he went mad. His sword blurred as he repeatedly tried to strike at Aidan’s arms and neck.
    Jacey couldn’t keep up with the action. She gasped, her knuckles pressed to her lips to keep a scream from emerging. Aidan fought bravely. Beneath his tunic and armor, Jacey imagined the ripple of muscles. Her body grew pliant as she watched him battle for her honor.
    The sword flashed toward Aidan’s arm. He tried to duck, and Jacey watched in horror as he pulled his arm away. A crackle like lightning filled the air. Blue flames shot from the sword, slicing into Aidan’s forearm. He yanked away but too late. The smell of burning filled the air. Against the white tunic, a vivid dark line burned, disappearing beneath the vambraces.
    Aidan cradled his injured arm against his chest.
    Jodarin struck again. He swung for Aidan’s neck. Aidan ducked and lunged. The tip of his sword caught Jodarin just beneath the chest plate. Another crackling hiss filled the air, along with the stench of charred meat.
    Jacey sat hunched on the edge of her chair. She couldn’t bear to watch, yet refused to turn away. In her mind, she willed Aidan to come out the victor. “Please,” she whispered, “please.”
    Jodarin scrambled back from the wound. He looked at Aidan, then down at the black marks across the front of his plate armor, then laughed. The mocking tones sent chills down Jacey’s spine, but Aidan appeared unbothered. He picked up his sword, closing both hands around the hilt, and stared at Jodarin.
    Aidan lunged. He screamed a blood-curdling war cry and engaged Jodarin. He