“Gods.” My chest heaved, my entire face warm. The three akadim, the ones who could come out now in daylight, walked behind Morgana, waiting for her command. Their eyes reddened, and they looked at me hungrily.
My hand tightened on my sword, but I tried to keep my focus away from them. “How? How do I get to him and save him on my own? How without extra power?”
“Bring the shield to me. Hold onto it, and put your hand on the indigo shard. I will give you strength. Enough to fight. Use it, and call on Asherah. That’s all I can offer.”
The crowd was growing wild. My heart pounded. A warning flared in the back of my mind. What would happen if Aemon took control of the shards. If he called onRakashonim.If Moriel were unleashed again.
I didn’t care. I was going to save Rhyan.
I raced across the room, and held out my hand, reaching for the shard. “I touch it first,” I said. “Or no deal.”
Her eyes narrowed, but she could read my mind, she knew I spoke the truth.
As soon as my hand was against it, the shard began to glow, the crystal filling with pure indigo light. In the sunlight there was no mistaking the color.
I closed my eyes. Just like in the vision I’d taken from Meera, I saw pure orange light and indigo mixing together. I imagined the light flowing through me, into me, strengthening me. And I imagined the red light, the original shard of the Valalumir in its purest form, inside my heart.
All at once, my body began to warm. Aches and bruises I’d been ignoring, hunger in my belly, strains in my calves—they vanished. The shield felt lighter in my hand, and then everything felt lighter, as if I could fly. My blood began to heat, pulsing and buzzing through my veins—it was a power I could feel in my bones. A strength unlike any other I’d known.
I opened my eyes, meeting Morgana’s. The shield began to pulse, the shard as well. The room was a mix of orange and indigo light and nothing else. It was emanating from Morgana and pouring into me. She stumbled back, and thelights vanished, leaving my body vibrating, my sight clear, as well as my mind.
“Now!” Morgana said. “Go! Now!”
I relinquished the shard and the shield.They’re yours, I thought.Thank you.
In the back of my mind, was the thoughtI love you.And a prayer that she loved me, too. That this wasn’t another betrayal.
But she only shook her head. “I know,” she said, her eyes red. “Now run!” The door opened. And a wall of soturi stood ready to attack.
I ran from the Throne Room down the hall, sliding through their ranks, my feet barely touching the ground, my legs moving so fast I could barely see them. They yelled, calling after me. But I was down the stairs in an instant, my vision going back and forth between what was in front of me and what I’d memorized. I could see it so clearly, see the path to the arena. Soturi screamed behind me, calling for backup to the Throne Room. I knew the moment they realized how many had died. That the Blade was gone. And suddenly, all of their attention was back there, and not on me. Back on a Throne Room that I knew Morgana had once more locked.
I kept running until I found a window that would lead to the courtyard and then out to the field before the arena. I ran, straight for the glass, my body smashing it to pieces as I leapt and braced for my feet to hit the ground. Not a single piece of glass had cut me. I was untouched, and I wasn’t stopping. An alarm began to ring, but I was already running ahead, moving faster and faster.
I reached the outer wall. A soturion stood on guard. I lifted my mask back up without missing a beat.
“Hey! Slow down!” he yelled, but I kept going running faster. “Drop your weapons!”
I entered the inner hall.
“What are you? Fuck! Stop her!” he screamed.
A soturion rushed at me from the left, but I was ready. My fist swung, hitting him square in his eye. He doubled back and another one came, catching my fist again. I felt someone from behind and revved up my arm, before elbowing them in the chest with enough force they stumbled. I kept running, moving through the corridors. Anyone in my way wasn’t for long. I punched a mage in the face, and knocked another soturion to the ground. After that, everyone stood back, allowing me to pass, seeing me for the threat I was. And then seconds later, I was outside in the stands of the arena. The Nutavian Katurium was just like in my vision and arranged just like the other Katuriums, with surrounding stadium seats and an open field.
In the center was a dais, and on top of it was Rhyan.
I froze, shocked at seeing him like this. He was nearly naked, his skin red, and covered in a mix of sweat and long thick welts, all bleeding. He’d been tied up to a tall golden pole. Kunda Lith the examiner stood beside him. Emperor Avery, the Bastardmaker, Rhyan’s father and Kane all watched on the dais behind him.
Rhyan’s head had fallen forward, his dark curls, bronzed in the sun were matted down with blood and sweat. His shoulders jerked suddenly, his body pushed against the pole. He looked like he was barely hanging on to consciousness.
Kunda pulled back his arm. It looked like a long shining nahashim had wrapped itself around his wrist. It was thick and scaly. The stripping whip. A weapon I’d only ever read about before. One I’d never expected to see. Not outside of my nightmares.
Blue light pulsed around Kunda’s hand, its eerie glow flowing like a damn had burst down his wrist. The magic pushed itself out the remaining length of the whip which was long and flowing in the air behind him. He reared his armback, and with a snapping sound that tore through my soul, he struck, the whip coming down on Rhyan’s back.
NO!
I leapt over the benches and the gates. My feet touched down inside the arena, as a burst of blue light flowed out of Rhyan, running back up the whip, to Kunda’s hand.
An elderly soturion serving the Emperor in pale gold armor turned, his dagger pointed right at my chest.
