Page 83 of Star Bringer
Kali storms into the room with a bit less regality than usual. “What’s going on?” she demands. Then jerks to a halt as she sees exactly what’s happening.
“They’re fighting,” Beckett says unnecessarily. She’s come up on my other side.
“Shocking.” Kali snorts. “I never would have guessed. But why?” She looks at me, but I don’t want to admit this mess is about me.
Beckett has no such qualms. “Merrick wants to take Rain home, thinks she might be having too good a time here. He demanded Ian take us to Serati so he can lock her back up in the monastery and…” She waves a hand at the two men. “Ian didn’t agree.”
The two men are on their feet now. Merrick whirls, kicking Ian in the stomach. He grunts but doesn’t go down. Seconds later, he punches Merrick in the chest so hard he stumbles backward. Then they’re grappling again, gripping each other’s shoulders and jockeying for position. They come crashing toward us, and we move away. Merrick forces Ian back, and he slams into the wall.
I wince. I don’t want Merrick to get hurt. But a part of me—the dark little part that I didn’t know even existed until now—doesn’t want him to win, either.
But then Ian head butts him in the face and blood spurts from his already broken nose.
“Ouch,” Kali murmurs, assessing. “They’re both good, but I think Ian is meaner.”
“It’s because he learned in the real world,” Beckett says without moving her gaze away from the fight. “Win or die.”
I don’t know what to say to that, and judging by the look on her face, neither does Kali.
“He said he’s going to teach me,” Kali adds.
Beckett peels her eyes away from the fight to give Kali an appraising stare. But for once, it’s not openly hateful. Or at least notonlyopenly hateful. There’s respect in there, too, I think.
“Teach you what?” I ask as once again the men come crashing toward us and we have to skitter out of the way. This time even Max and Gage have to move to avoid getting slammed into.
Kali grins. “How to fight.”
“God help us all,” Beckett mutters, but she flashes Kali the slightest of slight smiles.
The men grapple some more, crashing into the console. A yellow light starts flashing, and then a shrill beeping begins.
“Hey, watch the fucking spaceship,” Beckett yells, hurrying over. As they both crash to the floor at her feet, she presses something, and the light stops.
I glance at Max, who’s still talking to Gage like he’s at some kind of social event and not witnessing a bloody fight between his best friend and someone else. But then I realize he is paying attention to the fight, his hand unconsciously rubbing his stomach and his eyes following the action on the ground even while he talks to Gage about the last time he and Ian were on Glacea.
Knowing he does care a lot more than he’s letting on makes me like him more.
“So…how long do you think this is going to go on?” I ask nervously.
Kali shrugs. “Who knows? I do wish I had some chobwa bites, though. This is getting good.”
Merrick rushes Ian, but he sticks out a foot and trips him, sending Merrick slamming to the ground.
“You’re not bad for a priest,” Ian tells him with a grin. “But you’re just playing. Show me what you’ve really got.”
Merrick, who’s back on his feet, lunges for him, but Ian laughs as he spins out of reach. Then he stops and seems to look over Merrick’s shoulder to where I’m standing. Merrick has his back to me; I can’t see his expression. But shock flashes across Ian’s face, his eyes widening. I glance around, but there’s nothing. Suddenly, he shouts, “No, Rain, don’t do it!”
Do what? I look at Kali, confused, but it’s obvious she has no clue what he’s talking about, either.
But Merrick takes the bait, whirling around to see just what it is I’m doing, and that’s when Ian leaps for him. He sweeps out with a leg and swipes Merrick’s feet out from under him. Then drops him down on his back and smashes his head to the floor.
“No! Don’t kill him.” I run forward, grabbing Ian by the shoulder and trying to pull him back. He doesn’t budge, but that doesn’t stop me from yelling, “Get off him.”
“Don’t worry—he’s not dead. Far from it.” Ian stands up and wipes the blood from his cheek. Max tosses him his weapon, and he straps it on.
Merrick is lying facedown, and I gently roll him over. For a second, I think Ian was lying and he is dead, but then his eyes flutter open.
And I sag. All the strength goes out of me.
