The other fights were good, but I was too pleased with myself to pay close attention. I should have. I might’ve learned something.
In the second round, I got my butt handed to me by the Hunter who had come to get me. Crane rushed me, ignoring my attempts at finesse. Up in the air, I tried to overbalance him, but he was holding me too tightly. I could feel the bruises forming. He slammed me to the ground and shoved my face in the floor before I had time to get my balance. I felt like he’d break my spine before I tapped.
Afterward, I shook his hand and limped to join the other losers, but even that didn’t dim my glow. I hadn’t lost in the first match, at least. As far as I could tell, no other new blood had made it out of the first round besides me.
Bets flew fast and furious while the fights went on. In disbelief, I watched Fade claw his way up the ranks. He was grace personified, compared to most of the Hunters. He fought with lethal beauty and an escalating sense of urgency. Sometimes, after a fight, he stared with such ferocity the spectators backed away. Even the other winners gave him a significant amount of space.
Eventually, it came down to Crane … and Fade. Final match. This would decide who held the title until the next feast. Fade was taller, leaner, but Crane had more muscle mass. He had brute strength in contrast to my partner’s agility. After watching them both, I didn’t know which way this would go.
The big Hunter charged but Fade dodged. He was so fast he made Crane seem lumbering in comparison. I knew how strong Crane was, but he had to get ahold of Fade first.
Three times, Crane lunged, Fade evaded, and the crowd got restless. Fade was losing them. They wanted a final match, not to see him refuse to take a hit. Come on, I said silently. You can do this.
He attempted his first strike, and he was just fast enough to clip the big guy’s jaw. But that brought him close enough for Crane to grapple. He crushed Fade in a rib-breaking hug and lifted him up off the ground. I realized the mistake as soon as he did it. Fade slammed his brow into the other Hunter’s temple.
Yes, that’s the way. Fight to win. While the big Hunter staggered, dizzied, Fade went for the kneecap. He gave no quarter, becoming more ferocious with every passing minute. It was almost as if he’d forgotten this was a match, as if he thought he’d die if he lost. On his last hit, he dropped Crane to the ground and he went with him, fist upraised to pummel his face.
The big guy tapped.
The crowd stilled, breath caught. They expected Fade to hit him anyway. So did I. I shook my head slowly, hoping he wouldn’t, hoping he wasn’t crazy. Slowly, he lowered his arm, and let Silk pull him to his feet. When she threw his arm in the air, he stumbled. He’d fought a lot of matches today. His black eyes flashed as he glanced around. His fists were still clenched, despite Silk’s grip. I wasn’t sure he knew the fights were over, or that he was safe.
“Our winner!” she shouted, and the citizens surrounded him to thump his back.
He was the best the Hunters had to offer, and he was about to attack the congratulatory crowd. Before I could think better of it, I pushed my way through the throng toward him. When necessary, I connected with a discreet shoulder or elbow to clear a path. I snagged his hand and towed him out of the mix.
The pipers and drummers started up again, distracting everyone with a festive tune. All the better for us to make our escape. The dancers stomped and clapped, and I pushed clear, leading him away into a quiet section of the warren. He leaned against the wall, seeming grateful for my intervention, even though he blamed me for my inaction after Banner’s death. His breath churned his chest as if he’d been running, and sweat trickled down his face.
“I’ll get you some water.”
“Stay. I just need a minute.”
“It’s hard for you,” I said. “Because you fight to live, not for show.”
Eyes closed, he nodded. “I participate because Silk won’t let me sit out. But once I get going, I … forget it’s not real.”
What must those years have been like for him outside the enclave? This wasn’t the time to ask, but I wondered. I noticed he had a host of new bruises from all the matches he’d fought today, but they didn’t seem to trouble him. He pushed away from the wall, skin gleaming pale in the torchlight. For a moment I wanted to put my hand over his heart so I could feel it beating, and the impulse frightened me. I took a step back.
“You sure I can’t get you anything to eat or drink?” Ordinarily I wouldn’t offer; that was brat work, but he’d earned it. Tonight he stood as the Hunters’ champion, and he could have whatever he wanted, including a Huntress for a serving girl.
“You did enough getting me out of there.” The flat, unfriendly tone cut me, and my smile died. For a minute, I’d felt like we were back on the old ground.
I didn’t know why I was still trying to help him. If he still thought I had something to do with Banner’s death, then we shouldn’t work together. Hurt curled through me.
“If we don’t hammer this out,” I said, “I’m going to ask Silk for a new partner.”
“I would have already if I thought it would do any good.”
I exhaled. “I’ll go talk to Silk.”
As I turned, he grabbed my arm and wheeled me around. “You want to tell me why you did it? This is on me. I told her she could trust you.”
I’d thought he trusted me—and that he was angry because I wouldn’t do anything after I admitted I knew she hadn’t killed herself. It was much worse than I’d imagined.
With fierce resolve, I broke his hold on me. “You want to fight this out? I didn’t do anything. If someone found out her secret, it wasn’t through me.”
His black eyes studied me. “You willing to take a blood oath on that?”
“Get your knife.”
For obvious reasons, we couldn’t do this in the hallway, so he dragged me off toward the hall we used for ceremonies. That was fitting enough, and nobody would bother us. Once we arrived, he produced his dagger and offered it to me.
I cut a line on my palm and spoke the words. “On my blood, I swear I had nothing to do with Banner’s death. May it boil in my veins if I speak untruth.”
Fade watched me as if he expected it to happen, no matter what I said. He didn’t relax until I handed back the blade. I curled my fingers in as if I could trap the blood. Instead it trickled out between my fingers.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “She was my only friend, and I needed someone to blame.”
After our trip to Nassau, I’d thought we were friends. But I didn’t let on that his words bit deep. I kept my face blank. “Maybe I’d feel the same if it had been Thimble or Stone.”
“He’s that big Breeder I sometimes see you with.”
“Probably.”
He hesitated. “I never had a partner pay this much attention to me before.”
That made me feel I’d overstepped. He’d had two before me, so he knew better than I did what constituted normal behavior. Maybe I watched him too closely. It was unsuitable, and Silk would demote me to Breeder if she ever found out.
“I should get back,” I muttered.
“Not yet.” In an unspeakable liberty, he snatched the tie from my hair, so it spilled around my face.
“Why did you do that?” My breath caught when he brushed the strands around my face just so. Touching me. We were on shaky ground here. If someone saw us—
“I wanted to see what you’d look like.”
Back off, I told myself. Walk away now. Instead I froze, gazing up into his impossibly dark eyes.
He bent his head and brushed my lips with his. His hair spilled against my forehead, sleek and startling. Shock held me immobile, shock—and something else. Part of me wanted to lean into him. I shouldn’t want that. A Huntress wouldn’t. Shame, confusion, and longing warred for dominance. Against my better judgment, I let my brow graze his jaw, just a whisper of heat, wrapped around me like a pair of arms. And then I drew back.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“Apologizing. I missed you, Deuce. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
Maybe the kiss didn’t mean anything. Maybe it was just an apology, like he said. “Accepted. But if you ever misjudge me like that again—”
“Got it.” He smiled. “Now come on. We’re missing all the fun.”
To my surprise, he took my hand and led me back to the dancing. As a brat, this wasn’t something I’d ever done, but I learned the rhythm easily enough. They circled in a long progression, and the two of us joined at the end. Fade let go of me after the second circuit, carried away by well-wishers.
I danced until I had no breath left. A brat tapped me on the arm. When I turned, I recognized one of the younger ones. She’d joked with me in the kitchen a while back, and I’d shared dorm space with her until my naming day. Her small, dirty face reflected the same kind of admiration I’d felt. I remembered her number too.
Her eyes lit when I said, “What’s up, Twenty-six?”
“Do you think I could ever learn to fight like you?”
“If you work hard and don’t skip lessons, I think you could.”
She confided, “I don’t want to be a yucky old Breeder.”
“I don’t blame you. You can do it, if you want it enough.” Once, those words would’ve meant the world to me. The new bloods were busy trying to impress the older ones, and experienced Hunters had no time for brats.
After 26 ran off, I followed the other Hunters back to the section of the warren they’d appropriated as their own. Nobody else dared come in here. I’d never even been in here, as a matter of fact, although I could have. Torches lit the darkness and the Builders, understanding our importance, had filled the space with proper chairs and cushions. This was the nicest section of the enclave by far, even better than what I’d seen of the elders’ area—unless they had hidden comforts.
Making sure not to look at Fade, I sat down beside Crane, who flashed me a grin. “No hard feelings, new blood?”
“No,” I said, smiling back.
They dealt me into a game they were playing, and I basked in the simple pleasure of being one of them. Deuce. Huntress. This was the best day of my life.
Countless hours later, Silk tugged me aside, wearing a smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Thank you,” I said. I didn’t ask what I was thanking her for. It only mattered that I spoke the words.
“I run them.” She gestured all the assembled Hunters, who had surrounded Fade to congratulate him. “I told them the two of you are forgiven and part of the team again—that you’ve done your penance, and I don’t expect any more trouble out of you.” She paused. “I won’t get any, will I?”
Ah. I got it now. She wanted me to know Fade had been accepted, because she ordered it, and if I enjoyed the pleasure of being a Hunter, it was only because of her. Which meant I wasn’t to spout off about Nassau or the Freaks or the Burrowers, if I wanted to enjoy such simple things. My job wasn’t to think or to plan. I was a Huntress—and new blood at that. Leave the important stuff to the elders. The more I got to know Silk, outside of the hero worship that lasted through my brat-hood, the less I liked her. But maybe she had to be this way to keep everyone in line.