Aldric groaned, every muscle in his body protesting as he attempted to rise again. His vision blurred, and the taste of iron filled his mouth. Blood trickled down his chin, but he fought against the darkness that threatened to pull him under.
He barely had time to steady himself when the fiery whip lashed around him once more, the heat of it biting into his skin. Valerie pulled him effortlessly into the air again and threw him violently to the side.
The crowd roared in delight, and the sound of frenzied support filled the arena. From his position on the ground, Aldric could hear the gambling tickets tearing as his supporters lost hope. His vision cleared for a moment, and he saw them — some shaking their heads, others with resigned expressions, tossing away the proof of their foolish faith. They thought it was over.
Valerie, standing tall and untouched, was already turning to face the crowd, his chest heaving but his grin wide. Aldric could see the fire burning in Valerie’s eyes, the hunger for victory reflected in his smirk. He stood victorious, gloating over the slumped body of the dark Fae prince.
He turned to Islinda, his eyes gleaming with cold determination. "Watch as I purge this demon from this realm," his expression seemed to say.
Islinda’s heart clenched with fear. How foolish she had been to plead with Aldric to spare Valerie when Valerie had no such intention. "Please," she muttered, her gaze pleading.
But Valerie’s eyes remained hard, unmoved by her silent plea. With a dramatic flex of his shoulder, his arms caught fire, the flames an eerie blue. The crowd gasped in astonishment.
But it was not an ordinary flame this time, Islinda could tell not just from the ominous change of color but from the way the members gasped in astonishment.
"The blue flame," Someone muttered after recovering from the shock.
"He’s wielding the blue flame. Our crown prince is wielding the blue flame!" Another summer Fae acknowledged with something like reverence in his eyes.
The Summer Fae stood in unison, rising to their feet in reverence. Valerie stood like a god amongst them, bathed in the eerie light of his blue flames. The arena, which moments ago was filled with the chaotic roar of the crowd, had now fallen into a reverent hush.
Even Queen Maeve sat up straighter, a look of pride flickering across her usually impassive face. Yes, this was it. The respect and admiration her son needed. It was time for them to know that Valerie was the King Astaria needed.
By this time the summer Faeries overwhelming support had saturated the arena and fed his ego. Valerie turned his attention back to Aldric, the first pulse of blue flame shot from his hand, heading straight for him.
Aldric barely dodged it, the heat from the impact slamming him into the barrier with a force that knocked the wind from his lungs. The crowd erupted once more, celebrating Valerie’s apparent victory as if the duel was already over.
At this point, there was only one option, either Aldric surrendered and he was treated as an outcast or die like a warrior that he was.
Islinda couldn’t bear it any longer.
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