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Rui knew the two men on either side of her were trouble the moment she laid eyes on them.
And if her instincts were off (which they never were), then Ere waving wildly at her from behind a throng of spectators, and Sorin’s frightening scowl would have warned her.
She looked to her left.
The straggly, dark-haired male with beady black eyes gave her a psycho-killer smile. Wonderful.
She looked to her right.
The golden-haired angel among mortals should have beguiled her with his beauty, but all she saw were his blank eyes. Devoid of any emotion. Intent on a singular purpose.
She had a feeling the purpose behind both males was to make her lose this race. Well, they couldtry.
When the signal was given by the herald, she dove sleekly into the water, a half step ahead of her competitors. Immediately, she knew her instincts were right. The two men were out to get her.
They both swam in her direction instead of staying in their own lane, so to speak. The one on the left used a burst of power to propel him close enough to grab at her leg.
But she was ready for him. She timed the kick well, mashing her heel directly into his nose, likely breaking it.
It wasn’t easy to hit and kick in water. If a strong wind made fighters on land adjust their tactics and movements, then that calculation of push and pull was even more critical in a fluid environment.
Good thing Rui was born to this.
Even in her human form she was the strongest swimmer by far, the deadliest fighter in water, and the lake itself lent her its strength. She used the force of the currents she created with her strokes to her advantage.
Thus, she left one adversary in her watery wake, the blood from his broken nose blooming in a cloud of red around him.
The kick slowed her down, however, enough that the man on her right was able get a grip on her elbow. With surprising strength, he twisted her arm, and would have wrenched it from its socket if Rui hadn’t spun in time.
She kicked out at him with both feet, using the sudden propulsion to yank her arm free.
But this man wasn’t as easily dismissed as the other. He was remarkably agile in water, avoiding the full force of her kick, while making another grab at her ankle.
Rui somersaulted in the water and undulated her torso and legs like a dolphin, keeping her arms close to her sides.
Just barely, she avoided him. But he somehow managed to stay close to her, just a few inches from her feet.
They’d been submerged for minutes now. Rui could hold her breath longer than any human despite her form. She barely felt winded by the lack of air. This was perhaps one of the Gifts the Master alluded to that she still retained.
The man who chased her also remained submerged. She would have thought he needed to surface for air by now, but he continued to keep pace with her, his strength not waning, his body moving like hers.
She looked behind her briefly.
He was staring right at her, his face a grim mask, his eyes empty but determined.
Was he a merman to be able to swim so well?
No human Rui had ever met could keep up with her. He didn’t move like humans moved. They tended to use all of their limbs and had a tendency to stay closer to the surface of the water for easy change of breath.
Only animals of the sea went deeper to go faster, for the resistance was less the deeper they went. And therefore, the efficiency of their movements was maximized.
She focused on reaching the opposite shore. If she swam faster, he wouldn’t catch her.
Bit by bit, he began to trail slightly behind, and he had to surface before she did to fill his lungs with air. She used this delay to push her lead. Across the entire length of the lake, she only surfaced a few times.
Soon, the opposite bank came into view, with observers and heralds keeping track of who reached it to make sure the contestants followed the rules. Despite her delay and struggles, she was still the first one to reach the opposite side.