Free Traitor by Nicole Conway Page B

blur, he disarmed me and my scimitar went clattering across the floor as Jace planted a kick squarely in my chest and sent me flying.
    I hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. There was a boot print on the front of my shirt and I could see stars winking in my vision as I got back to my feet and picked up my weapon again.
    “Don’t be stupid,” he snarled. “On the battle field, you’re always one stupid mistake away from having a blade hilt-deep in your gut.”
    I watched as he stepped back and assumed a defensive stance. It was my turn to strike first. There was a flicker of a smirk on his lips—which I could only imagine was his way of taunting me.
    “You have some of that gray elf speed in you. I’ve seen it before,” he said. “So use it.”
    My blood was boiling. I was making rookie mistakes. I couldn’t afford to be this sloppy. It wasn’t just my life on the line now; I had the rest of my brothers in Emerald Flight to think about.
    “You want me to use a gray elf skill on you? That’s new.” I glared at him with renewed energy.
    “I want you to do whatever you have to in order to stay alive.” He curled a finger at me, taunting me further by inviting me to attack him. “Now shut up and hit me … if you can.”

 
     
    The weather turned foul on the day Felix was supposed to arrive. Powerful storms weren’t uncommon here, and the already dismal skies were growing even darker. Thunder growled over the mountains, and the temperatures plummeted below freezing. From the safety of the tower, I watched the king’s banners whipping in the violent winds. Snow mixed with frozen rain made the platforms miserable to land on. Soldiers were frantically spreading salt over them to keep them from freezing over.
    I’d only been in the tower for a few days myself, but I already felt like a caged animal trapped behind these stone walls. The howling wind was like music to my ears, and the cold made me feel alive again. I breathed it all in as I watched the sky.
    I saw her an instant before I heard the sound of her roar. Felix’s dragon, Nova, came in with her wings flared and her legs outstretched for landing. I winced when she finally touched down. Her feet slipped and slid dangerously on the icy platform, but she managed to stick the landing.
    Right away, the soldiers working the platform cranked open the iron gate. Several of them rushed out to help guide Nova into the tower, and I followed to meet Felix as he came in out of the storm.
    Prax hadn’t been able to trade his shift in the armory, so he’d asked me to come and meet Felix for him. I was more than happy to stand in and spare my best friend from that moment of personal horror for as long as possible. Just seeing Nova lumbering into the tower, shaking ice and snow from her wings, made me grin. She was making irritated chirping sounds and twitching the end of her tail like angry cat. I guess she didn’t like the cold any more than Mavrik did.
    I felt Mavrik’s emotions swell in my mind. He could glimpse into my thoughts, and I guess seeing Nova got him all worked up. He started sending me excited swirls of pink and orange. Apparently they had some sort of dragon-romance brewing—or so Mavrik thought. I couldn’t tell that she was willing to give him the time of day.
    He chattered at her musically when she crawled past his stall on the way to her own bed. Then he stuck out his chest, raised the black spines along his back, and tried to puff himself out to impress her. It didn’t work. She just stopped and sniffed him a few times before moving on.
    I gave him a sympathetic pat on the snout. “Sorry, buddy. Looks like she’s playing hard to get this time.”
    Mavrik grumbled his agreement and curled up in his stall again, snorting an irritated breath over the end of his tail.
    Suddenly, someone punched me in the arm. I swung back immediately without looking. There was only one person in the world who did that to me.
    “Miss me?” Felix laughed as