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The Squaller lunged Mal blocked the first punch, but the next caught hirunted, dropped his elbow, and swung hard at the Squaller’s jaw

Eskil bobbed out of Mal’s range and scooped his ar arc With a stab of panic, I realized he was suust rustled my hair, and in the next second, Mal was blown off his feet by Etherealki wind Eskil threw out his other ar into the roof of the barn He hung there for a moment, pinned to the wooden beams by the Grisha’s power Then Eskil let hi force

I screamed, but the sound was lost in the roar of the crowd One of the Corporalki bellowed encourageet up

I pushed forward, light already bloorabbed my sleeve

"He doesn’t want your help," she said

"I don’t care," I yelled "This isn’t a fair fight That isn’t allowed!" Grisha were never per rooms

"Botkin’s rules don’t apply after dark Mal’s in the ht, not a lesson"

I yanked away frory than Mal dead

He was on his hands and knees, trying to get to his feet I was amazed he could even ain The air billowed up in a flurry of dust I called the light towhat Tamar or Mal had to say about it But this ti to his feet with surprising speed

Eskil scowled and scanned the peri He couldn’t just let loose without risking knocking us all down, and rasp on the light, unsure of what to do

Mal was breathing hard, bent at the waist, hands resting on his thighs He’d probably cracked at least one rib He was lucky he hadn’t broken his spine I willed hiet back down and stay there Instead, he forced hi at the pain He rolled his shoulders, cursed, spat blood Then, to ers and beckoned the Squaller forward A cheer went up froet himself killed"

"He’ll be fine," Tahts here alh Soed "He’s actually pretty good"

This hat Mal did with his nights? I res he’d appeared with bruises and scrapes What was he trying to prove? I thought ofparty I don’t want the burden of an army of helpless otkazat’sya

I wished I could take them back

The Squaller feinted left, then raised his hands for another attack Wind blew through the circle, and I saw Mal’s feet lose contact with the floor I gritted ainst the nearest wall But at the last second, he spun, wrenching away fro the startled Squaller

Eskil let out a loud oof as Mal cla the Grisha’s li Fjerdan snarled, , teeth bared as he tried to break Mal’s hold

I knew it rip He shifted, then drove his forehead into his opponent’s nose with a nauseating crunch Before I could blink, he’d released Eskil and haut and sides

Eskil hunched over, trying to protect hiushed over his open mouth Mal pivoted and delivered a brutal kick to the back of the Squaller’s legs Eskil fell to his knees, swaying, but still so his work The crohooping and sto to a frenzy, but Mal’s wary eyes were trained on the kneeling Squaller

He studied his opponent, then dropped his fists "Go on," he said to the Grisha The look on his face sent a chill through ri when he looked at Eskil on his knees?

Eskil’s eyes were glassy With an effort, the Grisha lifted his palms The barest breeze fluttered toward Mal A chorus of boos rose from the crowd

Mal let it wash over hiust faltered Mal planted his hand in the center of the Squaller’s chest and gave a single, disdainful shove

Eskil toppled His big body hit the ground, and he curled in on hi

Jeers and elated shrieks erupted all around us A gleeful soldier grabbed Mal’s wrist and lifted it over his head in triued toward Mal, carryingat once People slapped hi money into his pal her arainst his I saw hi out the noise of the crowd

Push her away, I begged silently Push her away

And for a ht But then his arms closed around her, and he kissed her back as the crowd hooted and cheered

The botto on a frozen creek, the crack of ice, the sudden drop, the knowledge that there was nothing beneath but dark water

He pulled away fro, his cheek still bloodied, and that hen his eyes aze and lifted a defiant brohen she saw h the crowd Tamar fell into step beside me

"Alina," she said

"Leave et outside, had to get away fro to blur my vision I wasn’t sure if they were for the kiss or what had gone before it, but I couldn’t let them see The Sun Suuards

And what right did I have? Hadn’t I almost kissed Nikolai? Maybe I could find hi of

I burst froht The air arm and thick I felt like I couldn’t breathe I strode away from the well-lit path by the paddocks and ed at my arm

"Alina," Mal said

I shook hi now