the girl displayed ever-improving fighting intuition.
It wasn't fair to her, however, as the man who had requested it refused to allow Je'Surana to use her full power against Nadia. Always winning did little to help Nadia hone her fighting skills. There was no challenge in defeating a young, inexperienced half-blood holding back the blood rage, a remarkable feat to be sure but one which left her vulnerable in some ways.
That had improved when Lord Je'Kaoron ordered Nadia to push Je'Surana to test the limits of her control. As the daughter of a demonlord and an Adept, Je'Surana was the only half-blood with the power to dispirit the demon half of her blood. The blood rage could only be sated by the taking of lives as an instinct of the predator demonlord side to hunt and kill. Unfortunately, the human side was not strong enough to control the blood rage, which could take over in any situation of intense emotions. Je'Surana had proven that not all half-bloods were a threat to humans.
"Nadia, please," Je'Surana begged. Teeth and fingers had returned to normal. Pale blue eyes like the royal Je'Gri who fathered her turned aside. "My lord."
Nadia waited, struggling against her desire to pull the dagger from the girl. It should never have happened. Damn him for allowing this! And to his own child!
Lord Je'Kaoron's soft steps stopped at the girl's side, but he made no effort to help her. "Get up."
Nadia blinked, uncertain she had heard right. Didn't he care?
Yes, he did. The flash of a swallow and the twitch of his eye gave it away, yet he maintained his cool composure. "This is but a minor injury for one such as yourself. You're stronger than this. Get up."
Je'Surana's face creased into confusion for only an instant before smoothing into determination in accepting his order without consideration to herself. Amid twitches of pain and using the column for support, the girl climbed to her feet. The stain in her shirt grew, spreading down to her waist.
Lord Je'Kaoron made no move to help but stood like a statue watching.
Her back against the pillar, Je'Surana gripped in both hands the dagger handle now dripping blood. Amid grunts of pain and gasping for breath, she pulled it from her side. Her trembling hands dropped the blade. It clinked an echoing note on the floor, and she pressed her empty hands to the wound. In her weakness, she sank against the pillar.
Nadia clamped her jaw and forced her feet to stay in place against her desire to carry her to the girl's side. While full demonlords could not be injured by any mortal weapons, half-bloods healed quickly from far more severe wounds than what the girl bore.
But Je'Surana had never endured such pain, living a life surrounded by demonlords who accepted her and never having to struggle to survive.
Nadia pushed away the sympathy invading her mind.
"Now, watch and learn." Lord Je'Kaoron turned those cool eyes on Nadia.
A chill raced down her spine as she realized what he intended. The inherited dispirit power of Adepts didn't work on demonlords. There was a reason they were the lords and ladies of Derandria; no one was more powerful than the shapeshifting rulers of the world. And now, Nadia had no weapons to defend herself, if it would do any good.
Her heart pounding, she stepped back at his approach into the center of the fighting ring. Light cast down on them from windows high above along one side. Like many of the structures of Acropa Je'Gri, most of it had been carved from the mountainside, and this had only one side facing the sun.
"I'm sorry about Je'Surana," she said.
Je'Kaoron's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
Nadia shifted aside, and he followed with a menacing casualness that made the hair at the back of her neck stand up. If he was upset at her stabbing Je'Surana, Nadia would be lucky to survive this encounter.
Now, she wished she held the dagger of souls. Its darkness had kept her from touching it since returning to Acropa Je'Gri after it took
It wasn't fair to her, however, as the man who had requested it refused to allow Je'Surana to use her full power against Nadia. Always winning did little to help Nadia hone her fighting skills. There was no challenge in defeating a young, inexperienced half-blood holding back the blood rage, a remarkable feat to be sure but one which left her vulnerable in some ways.
That had improved when Lord Je'Kaoron ordered Nadia to push Je'Surana to test the limits of her control. As the daughter of a demonlord and an Adept, Je'Surana was the only half-blood with the power to dispirit the demon half of her blood. The blood rage could only be sated by the taking of lives as an instinct of the predator demonlord side to hunt and kill. Unfortunately, the human side was not strong enough to control the blood rage, which could take over in any situation of intense emotions. Je'Surana had proven that not all half-bloods were a threat to humans.
"Nadia, please," Je'Surana begged. Teeth and fingers had returned to normal. Pale blue eyes like the royal Je'Gri who fathered her turned aside. "My lord."
Nadia waited, struggling against her desire to pull the dagger from the girl. It should never have happened. Damn him for allowing this! And to his own child!
Lord Je'Kaoron's soft steps stopped at the girl's side, but he made no effort to help her. "Get up."
Nadia blinked, uncertain she had heard right. Didn't he care?
Yes, he did. The flash of a swallow and the twitch of his eye gave it away, yet he maintained his cool composure. "This is but a minor injury for one such as yourself. You're stronger than this. Get up."
Je'Surana's face creased into confusion for only an instant before smoothing into determination in accepting his order without consideration to herself. Amid twitches of pain and using the column for support, the girl climbed to her feet. The stain in her shirt grew, spreading down to her waist.
Lord Je'Kaoron made no move to help but stood like a statue watching.
Her back against the pillar, Je'Surana gripped in both hands the dagger handle now dripping blood. Amid grunts of pain and gasping for breath, she pulled it from her side. Her trembling hands dropped the blade. It clinked an echoing note on the floor, and she pressed her empty hands to the wound. In her weakness, she sank against the pillar.
Nadia clamped her jaw and forced her feet to stay in place against her desire to carry her to the girl's side. While full demonlords could not be injured by any mortal weapons, half-bloods healed quickly from far more severe wounds than what the girl bore.
But Je'Surana had never endured such pain, living a life surrounded by demonlords who accepted her and never having to struggle to survive.
Nadia pushed away the sympathy invading her mind.
"Now, watch and learn." Lord Je'Kaoron turned those cool eyes on Nadia.
A chill raced down her spine as she realized what he intended. The inherited dispirit power of Adepts didn't work on demonlords. There was a reason they were the lords and ladies of Derandria; no one was more powerful than the shapeshifting rulers of the world. And now, Nadia had no weapons to defend herself, if it would do any good.
Her heart pounding, she stepped back at his approach into the center of the fighting ring. Light cast down on them from windows high above along one side. Like many of the structures of Acropa Je'Gri, most of it had been carved from the mountainside, and this had only one side facing the sun.
"I'm sorry about Je'Surana," she said.
Je'Kaoron's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
Nadia shifted aside, and he followed with a menacing casualness that made the hair at the back of her neck stand up. If he was upset at her stabbing Je'Surana, Nadia would be lucky to survive this encounter.
Now, she wished she held the dagger of souls. Its darkness had kept her from touching it since returning to Acropa Je'Gri after it took
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