For a second, nobody moved. The entire arena seemed frozen beneath the afternoon sun.“RYKAL!”The commander’s roar shook the arena but he was too late. The blade was already moving towards Lysera.The crowd screamed and even Queen Selara went pale where she sat, the a blur crossed the arena.And a sword hit Rykal sword away.CLANG!The impact exploded through the stadium. Rykal’s sword was knocked aside. The killing blow missed Lysera by inches.A figure stood between them, it was Kael.The crowd erupted into cheers, thousands of voices exploded into chaos.“He moved!”“When did he get down there?!”“That was impossible!”Kael didn’t hear any of it. His entire focus was on the man in front of him.Rykal.For a long moment neither of them spoke. The brothers stared at one another.One filled with fury and the other frighteningly calm.Rykal’s jaw clenched.“Move out of my way .” Kael didn’t.“Move, Kael.”Still nothing.The prince simply stood there with one hand gripping his sword.

The valley buzzed with movement. From the hills above, Kael could see the other contestants racing toward the fortress like starving wolves spotting prey.Everyone was focused on the same thing, getting to the fortress which was exactly why Kael ignored it.He stood on a ridge with his soldiers behind him.The cold wind tugged at his dark hair as he studied the map one final time.The older veteran beside him scratched his beard.“Still feels strange not heading for the fortress.”Kael folded the map.“Good thats the whole point .”The veteran blinked.“What?”“If everyone agrees on something, it’s usually the wrong move.”Several soldiers chuckled and the old veteran laughed loudly.“I like him.”The group began moving towards the supply routes.Three hours later.The first signs of battle were already visible, smoke and fire came from thr direction of thr fortress, the contestants had already started fighting each other exactly as Kael expected.One of the younger soldiers climbed a

The soldiers lining the fortress walls exchanged uneasy glances. One of them swallowed hard.“There are too many.”Another tightened his grip around his spear. “We’re finished.”Kael climbed the stone staircase leading to the battlements, his boots sounding softly against the steps.He stopped beside the old veteran and looked down at the soldiers, they were about three hundred soldiers at least.Perhaps more.The veteran exhaled slowly.“I’ve seen battles lost with fewer enemies than this.”Kael rested both hands on the cold stone wall. “They outnumber us.”“By a great deal.”“They’re stronger.”“Probably are.”“They also believe they’ve already won.”The veteran looked at him.“And?”Kael smiled faintly. “That’s their greatest weakness.”Rykal rode to the center of the field, his horse pawed impatiently at the frozen ground.He raised his sword toward the fortress.“Kael!”His voice echoed between the cliffs. “You’ve hidden long enough!”A few contestants laughed and another shoute

The horses thundered across the valley.Behind Kael, hundreds of riders gave chase, shouting as they closed the distance. The sound of pounding hooves echoed against the mountains, growing louder with every passing second."He's running!""Don't let him escape!""Finish it!"Rykal rode at the front of the charge, his face twisted into a grin."I knew it," he laughed. "He's finally panicking!"Dust rose into the air as the army surged after Kael.Ahead, the wide valley slowly narrowed until it became a winding pass between two towering cliffs. Jagged stone walls rose on either side, leaving only a narrow path wide enough for a handful of horses to ride abreast.Kael didn't slow down. He rode straight into it.The veteran looked over his shoulder at the approaching army. "They're right behind us.""I know.""We'll be trapped." Kael shook his head. "No."He looked ahead. "We'll be protected."The moment they entered the pass, the sound of the battlefield changed. The wind whistled betwee

The clash echoed through the stone pass. Kael and Rykal broke apart, their swords sliding against each other before they stepped back.For a brief second, neither of them moved, dust drifted lazily between them. Around them, the battle continued.Cassian was still keeping three elite warriors occupied by himself, moving so quickly that even the veteran occasionally stopped to watch him. At the mouth of the pass, Kael’s soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder, refusing to give the enemy even a single step.Above them, Lysera released another arrow.It whistled through the air before striking a contestant square in the chest.The man stumbled backward and was immediately ruled out by one of the officials. She reached for another arrow, but her eyes kept drifting back to Kael.Rykal attacked and his sword cut through the air with surprising speed. Kael blocked the strike, twisting his wrist at the last second and redirecting the force instead of meeting it head-on.Rykal immediately follo