"Wait, Lira," Charles said, raising his hands in a calming gesture. His voice came out steadier than he expected, though inside he was scrambling for a way out.
"Think about it for a second. We're in your room, not a fighting arena. If we duke it out here and now, won't we trash this whole place?"
Lira stared at him for a moment, then, to his surprise, let out a short, dry laugh.
"What's wrong, Rian? Already backing down?" she said, crossing her arms with a sarcastic smirk. "Look, if you manage to beat me now, I'll give you my word: I'll push your fights to tonight. They'll be the last two of the day—the big closers, the most important ones."
Lira paused to brush her hair back, then added with a biting edge:
"Of course, that's if you can beat me, which I highly doubt."
She threw that out there even though, despite her authority as Kraus Cole's daughter, shifting the fight schedule wouldn't be a walk in the park for her.
It was an empty promise, a taunt dressed up as a deal.
Charles, hearing her words, just thought it was a lousy offer.
Seriously? He had to beat her to earn her permission to fight?
That was ridiculous!
"I could get hurt right now," Charles pressed, trying to reason with her again. "If you break something here, I won't be in any shape to fight later. Aren't you supposed to want me to avoid tarnishing the Cole name?"
Lira smiled, but this time there was a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Good thing you're finally getting my point," she said, stepping toward him. "That's exactly what'll happen if you insist on those two back-to-back fights today. Darion's going to wear you down with his air control, and if you survive that… Syris will burn whatever's left of you to a crisp. But if you give up now, you don't have to worry about any of it, right?"
Lira's voice was soft, almost kind, but it dripped with a condescension that turned Charles's stomach.
'This woman's seriously unhinged…' he thought.
Charles darted his eyes around, sizing up his options.
The room had no water in sight—no bucket, no pitcher, nothing he could use as a conductor like he did at the fountain. Without that, he was undeniably at a disadvantage.
Lira, taking his silence as surrender, turned on her heel and strolled back to her armchair.
"Fine, guess that settles it," she said with a victorious lilt, sitting down with an elegant flourish. "Get out of my room, Rian. Your servant clothes will be in your quarters this afternoon. Be ready to start with the crops tomorrow."
She waved a hand dismissively and started tidying the stuff on her table.
Charles clenched his teeth.
The thought of giving in, bowing to Lira and spending his days watering plants while she lorded over him… it made his blood boil.
'No,' he thought, a spark flaring in his chest. 'I'm not gonna be your slave. I'm not living like Rian.'
Charles took a deep breath and spoke before she could tune him out completely.
"I want to fight you in a proper arena."
Lira froze, her hand hovering over the table.
What had this idiot just said?
Slowly, she turned her head toward Charles, her eyes narrowing.
"What'd you say?" she asked, her voice low and menacing.
But Lira didn't wait for an answer. She shot to her feet, fury simmering beneath her skin, and marched toward him with quick, determined steps.
Before Charles could react, she threw a punch straight at his face.
Whooosh!
The blow sliced through the air, and Charles dodged on pure instinct, jerking his head to the side.
Her fist missed his cheek by inches, the sound of it making his eyes go wide.
'Crap!' he thought, stumbling back a step. 'She's fast! Way faster than those two clowns in the courtyard!'
Toren Vask's sons had been slow, clumsy, predictable.
But Lira…
Lira stopped, arm still outstretched, and glared at Charles with raw anger.
"What's your deal, Rian?" she said, her voice quaking with rage. "You think this is a game? That you can waltz in here, challenge me, then ask for an arena like you're some big shot?"
She stepped closer, crowding his space.
"You've always been useless. What makes you think you can take me on—here or anywhere else? Come to your senses!"
Charles swallowed hard, trying to keep his cool.
His heart was racing, his mind spinning a mile a minute.
"Listen," he tried, raising his hands again. "I'm not saying it'll be easy. I'm just saying if we're gonna fight, we should do it right, in a place where—"
"Shut up!" Lira cut him off. "I'm not wasting time dragging you to an arena so you can make a fool of yourself in front of everyone. If you want to fight, we do it here. Now."
Her eyes blazed with an intensity that forced him back another step.
'Damn it, why's this body backing off on its own now? Was Rian that scared of his half-sister?' Charles thought, panic rising as he felt himself start to tremble—something that hadn't happened with the other guys.