TWENTY

LILY’s POV

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” — JRR Tolkien

I step onto the ring and all around me, the men quieten down to a hush. A gentle breeze picks up and blows at my hair, sending a few stray strands to dance around my eyes.

Dance…yes. This is only a dance, I tell myself. Except it is a dance of blades.

Baldy makes his way to the ring and takes his stance opposite me. He winks at me and licks his lips in the most obscene of ways. Maybe I should aim for his tongue first.

I tuck the strands of hair behind my ear and stretch out my right hand in front of me with the blade held tight. The tip gleams under the sunlight, it momentarily blinds me and I stagger back slightly. This elicits a laugh from Baldy. “Sweetheart, why don’t you just give up? You can’t even stan