He’d live.
“Don’t lose that,” I hissed at him.
I widened my stance, my knees bent, distantly aware of Auriel and the other soturion. He must have regained consciousness because now they were both fighting against two akadim.
Mine started toward me. I dodged, barely missing his claws. Fuck. I wasn’t used to fighting them like this. The bigger ones I was used to, the more giant—oddly enough—felt easier to battle. When I didn’t come face-to-face with them, they were easier to strike since their bodies were larger. And it took them longersometimes to reach me since their arms had to go a greater distance. If this was any other akadim, I would have jumped on his back by now. I would have raced past him and sliced his thigh open.
But this one was more like battling a soturion, we were face-to-face. He was quick. And it was clear from his movements that he’d had training. He seemed to sense all of my moves before I made them, and was able to block thrust after thrust and hit after hit of my blade.
I leapt back, just barely avoiding another swipe of his claws. He’d nearly gotten me.
“You serve Morgana?” I asked, hoping to distract him— but also needing answers.
The akadim’s eyes glowed and he tilted his head in curiosity, before running forward, both hands outstretched. I attacked his side, blocking his hit, and forced him into retreat. Grunting, I pushed my blade forward, further pushing him back.
“Do you serve Morgana?” I asked again, my voice hard.
“Morgana?” he asked, his voice low. He bent his knees, shifting his weight side to side. He squinted in confusion, then bared his fangs, seeing an opening to attack.
I dodged, spun on my heels, and whirled my blade forward. “Queen Ereshya,” I said.
“Maraaka,” he confirmed.
“She put the collar on you?” I asked, the blunt side of my sword meeting his arm. He used the impact to push me back and steered me around, herding me toward the woodland. Auriel was fighting behind me. And so was the other soturion, who was surprisingly holding his own.
But the one who’d tried to capture me just now was slowly getting up, and inching away. Coward. And he was holding my dagger in his hand. My dagger from the oath ceremony. With my Godsdamned name burned into the metal. Fuck! The daggermeant something to me—we’d been through so much. But more importantly, with my name burned into the steel, it was Godsdamned proof I was here.
It was one thing for this idiot to know my name, to claim that he’d seen me—to say he saw a girl with Bamarian armor. But it was a whole other thing to have actual evidence to show. To have my official blade in his hands.
“Drop my dagger!” I roared, barely blocking another blow from the akadim.
But the soturion only laughed, his eyes flashing on the steel before sliding across, and reading. “Soturion Lyriana. I fucking knew it.”
“You know shit!” I yelled.
But he continued to stalk away, abandoning both the fight and his friend. My blade clutched to his chest.
Bastard! I hoisted my sword above my head, and catapulted it—not at him, but close enough. The target I’d been aiming for was struck. His cloak. I’d torn right through the cape folded over his shoulder.
“You bitch!” he screamed, murder in his eyes as he faced me again. “I’ll fucking kill you! I don’t care what the reward is for turning you in!”
“Get in line,” I gritted, stabbing my sword. I pierced the akadim’s thigh. But I barely made a scratch. Shit. These daywalking demons were small, but their skin and muscles were just as tough as any other akadim’s to break through.
“I will,” the soturion growled, and he started charging back. Gods. He was bleeding from his arm, and I was currently battling a fucking akadim. Apparently, for him, petty revenge was more important than his actual Godsdamned safety. Or mine. Or his friend’s.
The demon turned, grabbing the soturion by the neck and squeezing hard. The Kormac soldier wheezed, his feet kickinghelplessly as he was lifted into the air. Then the akadim reached for his armor.
No! No! He was going to eat his soul. He was going to?—
I didn’t think, I just acted. And I threw my second sword, screaming as I put all of my strength behind it. This time I struck. Not enough to cut the beast’s arm off as I’d intended. But enough to impale his bicep.
The akadim roared, his eyes burning with fire. But he didn’t turn on me.
He finished ripping the soldier’s armor off, tearing through his tunic, and spreading the material open. The akadim pursed his lips together, as white light began to stream from the soturion’s chest, a small black hole taking over his heart.
I screamed in horror. Seeing Rhyan again, helpless in the akadim’s arms. Injured and dying, the brilliant light of his soul pouring out of his heart. A black shadow across his chest.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t fucking breathe. My vision blurred with tears and a fire that was raging inside of me. I couldn’t see this. I couldn’t see this happen again. Even if this soturion was a fucking asshole, I didn’t want to see him lose his soul. I had to do something. I had to act.
