Astraia pushed once more with her blade, except this time she dropped her right hand and placed her palm on his abdomen. His muscles flexed beneath her touch, and with a smile, she forced her bond into her hand, slamming hard against his frame.
Draven’s eyes went wide as he was thrown backward, his entire body, soaring through the air, until he landed with a splash in the stream several paces away.
He coughed as he sat up in the stream, water dripping down his face. “I believe you have channeled your Power bond,” he rasped, standing slowly.
Astraia laughed, pulling on her tether and willing the light to fade from her hands. The white Starlight blade flickered and vanished. She looked at her hands, surveying for wounds she knew would not be there, awestruck at what she had just managed to accomplish. Her gaze lifted to meet Draven’s as he walked out of the stream, wet clothes clinging to his frame. Her pulse quickened at the sight.
“How do you feel?” he asked as he strode up to her, looking her over for any sign of harm.
“Me? I just flung you halfway across Virellia,” she said in disbelief, trying to keep her focus on his face instead of his wet tunic.
He chuckled. “Worried about me?”
She huffed, rolling her eyes. “I should have remembered your inflated ego would cushion your fall.”
That insufferable smirk graced his lips, and she fought the urge to slap it off his face. He stepped away from her, making for his saddle bag, then turned to face her once more. This time, he held something much more frightening than any bond in his hands—the iron manacles.
***
Astraia unsheathed the dagger at her thigh, grasping it so tight her knuckles turned white as she angled herself to face him. Her muscles tightened, ready to defend herself, and her bonds flared again in the center of her spine.
“Just what do you think you’re doing with those?” she demanded, fuming. He was a fool if he thought she would let him put those horrific devices back on her.
“Easy. Hear me out,” he started, holding up one hand in protest. “You’re a strong fighter with your bonds, willing to burn yourself and everyone else to ash if you need to. And you’re decent with a bow and dagger from what I’ve seen.” His voice was even, calm, despite holding the one weapon in the entire realm she feared most. “But when you were attacked by those men in the stables, you lost your tether. You’re getting stronger, but what if you can’t access your power again one day? And what if you don’t have a weapon? What then, Starborne?”
There was no condescension in his tone. If Astraia did not know any better, she would have thought there was even an inkling of concern from the bounty hunter.
“Come closer with those, and I’ll show you,” she hissed, still poised to cut off his hands if he advanced.
“Fine. Prove it.” He stopped walking toward her, holding the manacles in one hand. The chain between them clanking together set her teeth on edge.
“I won’t go down without a fight,” she replied, deadpan.
“I would expect nothing less. Show me you can defend yourself. No weapons. No bonds. Just you.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say I’m protecting my asset.”
Astraia still held her stance, unconvinced of his true motives. Her bonds thrummed against her spine, ready to channel at the first sign of danger, but he did not move. The two of them stood in the forest at a stalemate.
“Look, I’ll give you the key,” he said as he pulled the metal key from around his neck, holding it out toward her.
She eyed it warily, but her mind jumped at the prospect of holding the literal key to her freedom in her own hands. “And you will help me remove them when I have proven I can?”
“Yes.”
Relaxing her hands, she sheathed her dagger, then extended her right hand. Without blinking, Draven dropped the key into her open hand. The small key appeared so insignificant, but the weight of it in her palm was liberating. Exhaling, she placed the chain holding the key around her neck. The cool metal met her bare skin, making her shiver, both from the cold and from the implications the key possessed.
“I need your hands, Starborne.” Draven held out the manacles, unlocked and ready to claim their victim.
Dread pooled in her stomach, but Astraia stifled her fear, burying it deep into her mind. She was a Starborne—chains would not hold her. She took the remaining step forward until their chests were a hand’s breadth apart and grabbed the manacles. This time, she smirked at the bounty hunter as he snapped both of the cuffs in place around her wrists.
Darkness claimed her.
Her mind became devoid of all emotion, dampening access to her tether and her bonds. She could tell Power and Sacrifice were still connected to her, but hidden behind a cage—impenetrable and inaccessible. Astraia breathed deeply through her nose, acclimating to the chasm in her soul, before looking directly into Draven’s eyes with pure contempt.
In the blink of an eye, he had unsheathed her dagger and was pointing it under her chin. She stiffened as the cold point grazed her skin. Impulsively, her mind searched for her tether, ready to channel Power and knock the brute onto his back to wipe the grin off his face.
