First Lie || Deception Book I ||

The Lake

"Hey, Rianna, do you-" Luke stopped talking as he rounded the corner into the arena to see me and Ally locked in combat.

"Hold," I said to Ally, breathing heavily. She stopped, her vines sinking back into the ground.

I took a moment to catch my breath. Damn. While her skills with physical weapons were nowhere near as good as mine, her control over her magical powers was growing considerably, to the point where I became winded when I fought her. Sometimes, I cheated and used my magic (most of the time) but other days, I just relied on old-fashioned knives, which were good practice when my magic became depleted.

"Oh-kay," Luke said, backing off. "I'll come back later if you want. By the way, you weren't lying when you said you knew how to use blades."

I managed a glare. "What?"

"Um," Luke said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nothing. I just wanted to see what you were doing."

I ignored the smirk Ally shot me. "Well, since you're here, you might as well take over for me and let me rest. You can get attacked by Ally's crazy plants."

Ally whipped a vine at my face and I solidified the mist in a shield in an instant. The vine bounced off.

Luke stared at me, then at her. "I think I'm-"

"What, scared?" I smirked.

I walked over to where Luke was standing and grabbed his arm. I dragged him into the center of the arena. "You can't leave now. You're gonna have to get through me first. Luke grumbled but unsheathed his sword. I tossed him a dagger. "You're gonna need this as well."

"Fine." He settled into a fighting stance, blades at the ready.

I nodded at Ally.

Ally raised her arms, and vines sprouted from the ground. A few tendrils shot forwards, probing Luke's defence. He sliced through them easily. I grinned, motioning her to go ahead.

Ally flicked her wrist, motioning with her hands, and vines of all different sizes and thickness slithered out from the ground. Then, she attacked.

I stared at Luke, honestly surprised. I knew he was good, but this? Luke whirled and spun, slashing at the vines and cutting through them like scything wheat. I fought down my rising apprehension and the questions swirling around my mind. If I was at full strength with my magic, there was no doubt that I could beat him. But physical combat? I wasn't so sure anymore.

Luke hissed, wincing, and my attention was drawn back to them. One of Ally's vines had gotten under his defence and had sliced a shallow cut on his shoulder.

I motioned for Ally to stop and she immediately stumbled, collapsing. Dammit, I winced. "Ally! You should have told me you were nearing your limit!"

I rushed over and shook her shoulder gently. "I know you want to increase your capacity, but pushing yourself to exhaustion will help no one. Understood?"

Ally sighed, sitting up. "Fine."

Luke smiled. "It takes practice, but what's the rush? Your powers are already incredible." He glanced at me. "I would like to see Rianna's display sometime."

I glared at him. "What, you want me to mist a tree to drop on your head? I twitched my fingers and a swirl of white smoke appeared. "I just have control over the Mist, though I have to say that it's mightily useful." Forming a ball in my hand, I tossed it into the centre of the arena, where it burst into white smoke, revealing a growling hellhound.

"Ack!" Luke yelped, grabbing his blade. "What-"

I snickered, waving my hand and dissipating it. "There."