Chapter Ten
Avalon never knew there were formal rules to such duels, but there were. No killing. No physical contact between the duellists. No attacks on spectators. If either of them stepped from the magic ring that circled them, passed out or admitted defeat, then their opponent won.
Helen smiled as she and Avalon circled each other. A dome of blue light crackled all around them, blocking out the sounds from the gathered crowd and making their faces blurred and distorted.
"This really isn't personal, you know," Helen said in a friendly tone. "I actually really like you. But you're too weak to hold the keys of Albian. And quite frankly your family just doesn't know what to do with them."
Be passionate, but calm. Use your strengths.
Avalon took in a deep breath. She was angry. Angry that her birthright was being challenged, angry that instead of having a great semester getting to know people and making friends, Helen had tried to poison her and which in turn, made Vaughn overprotective.
She was also afraid that she wasn't strong enough. She had shared many classes with Helen and the other witch was good at everything she tried.
"Think of it this way," Helen continued, lowering her voice. "Once you aren't responsible for the keys anymore, you and your dragon can have sex day and night without being afraid anybody is coming after you."
Before Avalon could respond, Helen shot her hand out, flicking her wrist. Avalon summoned a magical barrier. Helen's spell made her stumble back and gasp for breath, but her shield dissipated the brunt of it.
Helen grinned at her and did the same spell again. This was one stronger and Avalon fell flat on her back, wheezing and coughing. The blue crackle of the fighting ring sizzled just above her head. She flung a spell back at her opponent, buying time to scramble to her feet and rush away from the dome. When Helen sent another spell at her, she dropped to her knees and closed her eyes, focusing on her own shield.
Calm, she thought. Anger. Tuck it away. Fear. Tuck it away. Vaughn. He's not in danger. Tuck him away.
She breathed out, listening to a rapid tapping all around her. When she opened her eyes she was shielding in brilliant golden light. A swarm of green buzzing bees launching themselves against it.
Helen's face twisted, manipulating her hands like a puppet master, but even when the shape of a giant bear in black rose from the ground and crashed against the shield, Avalon stood firm.
"We all have different strengths," Avalon said, more to herself than to Helen. A surge of triumph ran through her as Helen screamed in anger.
Avalon spread her fingers wide, capturing all the loose dirt and rocks that were around her. Helen's eyes widened as Avalon lifted the debris and shot it at her. Hands flashed and a shield formed between her and the debris–but even as the rocks and twigs froze in mid-air, Avalon was letting them go and grabbing hold of something else.
Helen shrieked as her feet left the ground. She wove the shield tighter around herself, but Avalon felt no break in her concretion. The shield was only good against fire magic or physical attack.
Levitation was of the earth, not fire.
Avalon hurled Helen from the ring before the other witch could figure out what was happening.
The blue dome broke as Helen went through it. Avalon grinned, laughing in triumph. She'd won! She had won and she hadn't even needed to use offensive magic.
Vaughn was right! She just needed to use her own strengths and forget about what she couldn't do. Just be confident in what she could do!
Helen scrambled to her feet, her face twisting in fury. "She cheated! Physical attacks were not allowed!"
"Physical contact between us wasn't allowed," Avalon shot back. "Face it, Helen, you just weren't as good as you thought."
The white-haired women behind Helen shook their heads and muttered to each other, glaring at Helen. She glanced over her shoulder at them, then clenched her fists and whirled back to Avalon.
"This isn't over!"
"Unless you plan to keep trying to kill me, it is!"
Helen's face paled. There was a collective silence. Every eye seemed to be on Helen, but even as she began a nervous laughter, George strode from the sidelines.
"It'll be over if you die now!"
He sprang at her, white wings sprouting from his back, clothes shredding as he doubled, then tripled, in size. The wyvern screamed at her, a poisonous sting shooting from the back of his throat. Avalon threw up her hands, ripping a chunk of dirt from the ground and hurling it into the stinger's path.
A Red Dragon barreled into the wyvern, fire billowing from its mouth. Vaughn.
Avalon opened her mouth to call his name but a pair of arms wrapped around her, dragging her away. She struggled instinctively until she saw it was Stane. He pulled her out of harm's way and began herding her and her mother back towards the hummer where her father waited.
"No!" Avalon twisted away. "Vaughn!"
When she turned back she saw George on his back, kicking and screaming at Vaughn. The Red Dragon's jaws clenched around the wyvern's neck. A snap rang across the field. Helen screamed and the wyvern jerked, trembled and grew still.
"George!" A swirl of fire surrounded Helen and she screamed again.
The white-haired women stepped forward and lifted their hands as one. Helen dropped, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Avalon thought she was dead, but her chest still moved.
"Avalon," Elaine muttered, tugging on her arm. "Come on."
Avalon shook her mother off and faced the Ladies of the Lake. Her fists trembled.
"Is this what you want?" she screamed at them. "For people to die? For your own children to be killed before your eyes? It's not bad enough that you try to kill me by sending that wyvern after me, but now—"
"If the wyvern attacked it was at Helen's bidding, not ours," one of the women interrupted. "You have proven yourself worthier than she to hold the keys of Albian. We withdraw our petition against the House Grey."
Several of them were still staring at Helen in disgust. Vaughn glided over the battlefield to where Avalon was. He brushed his muzzle against her hair and she pressed a hand to his cheek, gratitude welling in her heart. Patches of scales were missing and he bled at a few places, but he was otherwise unharmed.
"You were right," Stane muttered to his nephew. "The assassination attempts were one impatient girl. Look at the others. She ruined their plans to reveal themselves at a more opportune time. I'll bet they cut all contact with her."
Avalon gazed at Helen's crumpled body and couldn't help but feel pity for her. "She's paid a high price for her actions. Her brother is dead."
"And she is going to jail. You can be certain of that." Elaine's glare was fierce. "Vaughn, take Avalon away. I'll deal with this mess."
***
The flight home had been bad, but soon Avalon was laying in her own bed, tucked in beside Vaughn's warm body. His cuts and scrapes were all bandaged up, and when Avalon had suddenly begun shaking he'd put her to bed and climbed in after her, holding her while she sobbed.
She wasn't even sure why she was crying–thinking about how George and Helen, people she knew, wanted to kill her was bad enough, but she also could not get Helen's anguished scream when George died, out of her mind.
Eventually, she stilled and Vaughn kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"If I had protected you like I should have, none of this would have happened."
Avalon pressed her fingers to his lips. "You did protect me. I'm alive. That's your job."
"But if you had someone more experienced—"
This time, she cut him off with a kiss. "I don't want someone more experienced. I want you. I want to be with your forever. I love you."
Vaughn's eyes widened a little, then he kissed her back, fevered and passionate.
"I love you, too." A grin spread across his face, a smug twinkle in his eyes. "So… does this mean you're my girlfriend?"
"Of course!" She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in as close as she could. "Of course, of course."