What fun would it be if I didn’t cheat?She couldfeelhis devious smile in every inch of her body.Good luck, my treasure. You might need it.
She marched over to the weapon, shimmering and beautiful. Without another thought, she bent over and snatched it up. Her palm nearly compressed into the supple leather as she wrapped her fingers aroundthe hilt. She pulled it free and couldn’t help marveling at the sheer beauty of the blade. The edges were like rivulets in a stream, ebbing and flowing down its length. The metal, whatever it was, glowed a phosphorescent seafoam color with lighter streaks running within. Down the center was more metal scrollwork to match the sheath, with intricate designs curving around twinkling gems. Diamonds, if she had to guess.
With her free hand, she touched the blade. The surface of the weapon was ice cold. That certainly boded well for using it on the fae, though she’d thought iron was a key component in the recipe. She wasn’t sure there was any iron in this one, unless that was what made up the scrollwork.
There was no belt with it. Where would she put the sheath if she had to use…
Her thoughts trailed away. With a deadpan stare at empty air, she slipped the sheath into her shirt. Even though it should’ve been too large, it fit perfectly between her breasts, almost as if it could shrink enough to fit. She could carry it, hidden, in her bra. The same place he’d found the rock-chalice thing.
Cute,she thought dryly.
His chuckle was a ripple of black velvet.
Rolling her eyes, she reached in to grab the sheath again. Before her fingers could close over it, though, the darkness around her changed. Liquified, almost. She watched in horror as solidified midnight slid across the ground all around her. It shivered, as though someonehad disturbed the fabric of the night, before crawling into the air. One by one, blots of obsidian took shape into twisted, horrible creatures.
Were these what the other people were looking for?
Let me know how it works…
10
The building lights clicked off, dousing her in darkness. Only the paltry moon illuminated the makeshift battlefield. Horned beasts rose before her, each topping her height by a couple of feet or more. Black on black, she couldn’t make out their details, merely the long, curved claws adorning spindly arms.
Emotions from the moment before calmed. Tremors of unease subsided. She’d trained for this. Not horrible fae creatures with distorted bodies and unknown magicspecifically, but for the human counterpart. She’d trained in total darkness, her eyes useless, and with only one small weapon in her hand. She’d been accosted on city streets, in gutters, in a swamp without proper footing. Zorn had subjected her to every horrible situation he could possibly imagine, and with practice, she’d risen above them all.
If it was battle prowess this fae was looking for, she was about to show Zorn’s magnificence as a teacher.
She calmly placed the computer to the side and bent her knees, her knife held aloft.
“Your move, asshole,” she murmured, watching the largest of the creatures. It stood directly in front of her, and with her words, it cocked its head, five horns moving within the night.
A shadowy hand rose from the concrete at her feet. It latched on to her ankles to keep her put.
Without her heart so much as kick-starting, she bent in a smooth motion and sliced through the solid, dark mass. A high-pitched squeal accompanied the substance shrinking away.
The forms of the beasts on her sides wobbled before they launched. The claws on their feet clacked against the concrete. The first creature reached her and swung its spindly arm. Claws swiped through the air toward her face.
She leaned away as she stepped, her knife elongating into a long, curved blade. The change stopped her for a moment, and she blinked stupidly at the weapon.
Another creature slashed at her. Its claws raked across her back, digging into her skin. She sucked in a pained breath before she spun away, dancing around another reaching creature to give herself space. The sword elongated just that bit more, enhancing her reach within the creatures’ long limbs.
“Far out,” she muttered, a term that strangely annoyed Mordie to no end, before she stepped toward them again, altering her stance. A purplish glow pulsed from the blade right before it parted midnight flesh. A sizzle preceded a twisting line of smoke and the creature’s shriek. There was almost no resistance. She wondered if that was relative to these creatures, or if this blade would go through her fae just as easily.
She slashed at the next creature. The blade cut through at the shoulder, severing the limb and sending the beast careening to the side. It was almost as though the weapon had added a small explosion to the strike. Better and better.
The next creature reached her. The others were on its heels. She ducked a strike and spun, cutting into its stomach. Another handful of claws raked down her arm. The searing agony seeped into her, through her, and dissipated into the background. Part of staying alive was mastering one’s pain receptors.
It swiped again, but she was already moving, working around it and slicing into its back. Spinning again, she jabbed her sword through a creature’s chest and pivoted to swoop low, separating a leg. Shrieks and howls existed all around her. Creatures shook and writhed on the ground, those still standing now backing away, fearful of being burned. She dispatched the last and looked on, breathing heavily with the exertion, ready for more.
The lights clicked back on, flooding the scene.She squinted against the sudden brilliance but didn’t drop her stance. There was no telling when the game would end. The beasts vanished as though they’d never been there. Her sword pulsed a pale blue before shrinking down to its original knife size.
Stillness hung in the air. Her breathing slowed.
Well done,said the fae in her mind, his tone appreciative.Give my regards to your trainer. He is currently waiting in his BMW around the corner with his hands gripping the steering wheel. Remember…if you share my secrets, it will be your family I must silence.His tone lightened.Snitches get stitches.
She felt his touch slip from her mind, as though his attention was turning elsewhere. The space in her cranium felt strangely hollow in the aftermath.
Dropping the knife hand to her side, she glanced back at the door, then up. A camera peeked down at her. She’d need to get Amber or Henry to erase whatever footage was there.
