He sneered. “I like it when there are less things between me and what I want.”
“We don’t always get what we want, do we?” I said.
Rhyan laughed. “Maybeyoudon’t.” His eyes narrowed. “ButIplan to.”
“Well, that’s nice for you. But I didn’t come here to talk,” I said.
“No? Good. How about you and I go right back to where we left off? Finish what we started.”
I brandished my sword. “We are.”
“Lover,” his eyes narrowed, “that’s not what I was thinking.”
I took a step forward. “How about you stop thinking, and fight. And fight me for real this time.”
He bared his teeth. “As you wish.”
The entire cave shook, a deep rumble that ran through the ground. A seam split right under Rhyan’s legs.
All the akadim stilled, their eyes wide.
“Get to the pit,” Rhyan shouted. “Something’s happening.”
Auriel. I hadn’t seen him move, but I knew with absolute certainty that he was there. That he’d found his way into the mines.
“NOW!” Rhyan yelled. “Go. All of you.”
At that moment, a giant boulder fell between us. A few akadim scrambled out of the way, barely missing being crushed to death.
“I think something’s wrong with your fortress,” I said, my voice shaking. Above us, the rope bridge fell, the floorboards coming loose, crashing to the ground. A crack broke through the stone bridge, severing it down the center.
“That means we’re close to getting what we came here for.” Rhyan jerked his chin at the akadim still frozen in place, now visibly shaking with fear. He growled low in his throat, and they quickly shuffled off.
“Now it’s just you and me,” Rhyan said, withdrawing the red shard from his back. He held the hilt between his clawed hands. Its blade pointed at me.
My chest heated, and golden flames burst around my heart. It felt like the light inside me was calling out to its other half, wanting to possess it—to claim it, but most of all, to reunite and be whole.
I eyed the blade carefully. “I thought akadim were the weapon,” I said, pointing my own sword at him, our bodies perfect mirrors.
Tilting his head to the side, Rhyan stretched, his nostrils flaring. “And I thought you didn’t come here to talk. Are you sure you want this fight?”
“I’m sure.”
He let out a low roar, deep in his throat and then he took off, running for me.
I raced out to meet him, dodging rocks and pebbles that had skittered across the ground, our swords meeting with a clang.
The force of his hit against my blade, made it reverberate to the hilt, tiny tremors rushing through my arm.
I spun and again our swords met. I angled my hips, my knees bent as I thrust, just missing him. His sword stabbed, and I blocked a hit, shifting my body back.
The akadim began to run. The ground was vibrating beneath us, and to my shock the wall behind us was starting to crumble, creating a small opening that led back outside toward the valley. An akadim began to dig, and then crawled through to escape. Another quickly followed.
Rhyan launched himself at me, his blade swinging, the red shard little more than a flash of red and crystal. I dodged, just barely missing the hit. Another spin and I prepared to swing, but Rhyan knocked me back with his elbow, and I stumbled, crashing into a metal cart.
I groaned, peeling myself off and stabbing my sword, just in time to block his next attack.
Breathing heavily, I raced behind the cart and pushed it at him. It rolled forward with a surprising burst of speed, but he stopped it easily with one hand.
