Chapter 11: 9 [the Queen’s gambit]

Now that we were outside the train carriage, I could finally take a good look at the world Lukterasia had created. We were standing in what looked like a rail yard, though as I looked to my left and right, I realised that the tracks spread out endlessly in all directions with neither head nor end. 

Occasionally a train or two would come screaming past, drowning out the patter of rain and rumbling the ground beneath our feet. Their bright lights cast long shadows on the tracks and illuminated the curtain of raindrops that enshrouded us, creating a momentary break in the perpetual tempest before slowly fading away in a rush of wind. 

I tried to assume a ready stance with my sword in front of me, but the slippery surface of the gravel made it almost impossible to plant my feet firmly. I would have no choice but to compensate by adopting a wider stance—which meant limiting both speed and power of my movements against Lukterasia. Besides, I would practically be exposing my midsection and legs to her attacks. It simply wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. 

Lukterasia, undoubtedly, had the upper hand in offence right now. Her fan was not only much lighter than my sword, but also easier to control and manoeuvre while maintaining her balance. Worst of all, she could easily shoot out magic at me if I were to dive into her melee range. 

Then, was it just a matter of dodging her attacks and waiting for her to get close to me? I quickly threw that strategy out the window. There was absolutely no chance I could dodge any of her blows in this state without losing my balance on the wet gravel. 

I glanced down at my sword slick with rain. It had responded to Lukterasia’s attack just now by activating some kind of time dilation spell, hadn’t it? Perhaps it was possible to use the spell in the offensive too. Calming my breaths and opening my mind, I latched onto the sliver of connection between my consciousness and my sword, visualising and concentrating on the flow of magic passing between us. The sword began to hum in my hand again. I could feel its magic pulsing brighter as my thoughts and emotions aligned with it, strengthening and deepening our bond until we were completely in sync. 

Before I knew it, the hilt of my sword shrank and my blade magically thinned into a sleek and slender rapier. The weight on my sword arm suddenly lessened, allowing me to wield my sword easily in one hand. 

Not bad, Lukterasia commented, nodding her head in approval at my new weapon. Now you’re finally using your sword to its full potential. 

Giving her an obliging smile, I flicked my sword to length and pointed my blade at Lukterasia. 

Shall we begin? Her aquamarine eyes shone with delighted pleasure. Holding her fan aloft, she bowed and twirled it gracefully around her fingers in a fluid and dramatic flourish. A train passed by us then, the pale glow of its carriage lights illuminating her entrancing dance in a flickering, almost surreal way. 

All of a sudden, Lukterasia brought her fan down in one quick snap. Tall, roaring columns of fire abruptly burst up from the ground, melting the steel rails and instantly vaporising the raindrops as the maelstrom of flames blazed towards me. 

I tapped into the connection with my sword and activated its magic. My blade humming with renewed energy, I raised it skyward and summoned a barrage of shimmering swords, creating a flight of steps into the murky clouds. The wind and rain whistled around me as I swiftly ascended the stair of swords over the tops of the fiery columns. 

Sensing my presence above her, Lukterasia kicked off against the ground and leapt upwards. Her hair fluttering behind her like a veil of black silk, she danced into the air with breathtaking levity—as though the laws of physics meant nothing to her. 

I called forth the swords hovering in the air beneath me and directed them at Lukterasia with my blade. The rain of steel immediately hurtled towards her figure with deadly speed and accuracy. She tried to dodge them at first, but the swords instantly changed course and followed closely behind her. 

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Seeing this, she spun around and promptly flicked her fan open, the paper crackling loudly and sharply like a clap of thunder. The immense gust of wind generated by her fan blew the swords out of their trajectory all at once, sending them hurling straight down to the earth. I quickly recalled the swords towards myself—but my concentration was abruptly interrupted by a blade of wind slicing through the tips of my hair and narrowly missing my face. 

Eyes on me, Stefania. Lukterasia closed her fan shut with a flourish and snapped it open at me again, hurling another deadly blade of wind with lightning-fast precision. Her movements became increasingly swift and fluid; she seamlessly weaved the raw power of her attacks into an elegant light-footed dance, effortlessly switching between grace and ferocity with each step and twirl. The sound of her fan whipping through the rain created a surreal symphony, each snap a crescendo in her spellbinding performance.

I was immediately forced to abandon the swords and go on the defensive. To make matters worse, the blades of wind generated by her fan were completely invisible—I could only guess at their trajectories by observing the movements of raindrops and the sharp hiss of air being sliced apart. A searing jolt of pain shot through my body as one of her attacks landed a hit, slicing clean through the flesh of my left arm. 

This isn’t good. Though my wound healed instantly as Lukterasia had said, the unbearable pain nearly caused me to lose my focus on parrying her attacks. I had to do something quick to distract her and take the offensive. But what could I possibly do to turn the tide? 

The scene of Liam lunging forward to pull me down with him flashed into my mind at that moment. I narrowed my eyes at the sudden thought. It would have been suicidal to pull off such a move—but in this duel, I just had to bear with the pain until she was within my striking range. 

Before I even registered that I was moving, I ducked under another invisible blade and threw my sword like a spear straight at Lukterasia. Surprise flashed in her eyes. Anticipating it to be a feint, she aimed her fan at me—but hesitated when she noticed that I was lunging at her with nothing but my bare hands. 

What are you—?! She gasped as I pulled her into a sudden embrace. The fan in her hand slipped from her fingers. Her wide aquamarine eyes reflected the reckless grin on my rain-streaked face. 

For a brief moment, we were like two leaves caught in a gust of wind, twirling and spinning in perfect harmony through the sky. The world seemingly went silent all of a sudden, the howling wind stilling and the droplets of rain slowing down until they were seemingly suspended in mid-air. We were frozen in our embrace, our gazes locked with all the force of lightning coursing through us. 

“I win,” I mouthed.

Lukterasia smiled. 

Then, the world came crashing back down as we plummeted to the earth.

 

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