Are you always attacked when walking this path?
Seldom, but that is because I am usually warding creatures away with magic. I’m not doing that now. I haven’t been since we started, actually. Even when I am, I usually hear signs of life. This area is more unbalanced than most, but there are still benign creatures. There are prey animals and insects. It is still an ecosystem. I haven’t heard any of them.
The memory of the voice-presence echoed in her mind.It prowls.
She pondered that as they walked, remembering the pulse when she’d woken up. Remembering when the creatures had fled by the brook before the darkrend revealed itself. Remembered being charged.
She called up each detail, how they had made her feel, the parts that had to be magic. Her mind churned over the memory as they walked, nothing else to do but analyze, thinking of ways in which she could beat the feeling in the future.
It wasn’t until the pale blond sun had reached its zenith, when her stomach felt like it had started sucking in her ribs, she was so hungry, that something niggled her awareness. Souls popped up on her radar, along the sides of the path, two on each side. Humanoid, not animal/creature.
Her knife had been low while her mind was distant, but she brought it back up. The movement inthe trees was a whisper, the steps nothing more than acooshof compression. Something was there. Lexi’s gift, though Daisy was far from mastering or sometimes even remembering it, gave her a fantastic edge.
She stopped Tarian with a thought. Her knife turned into a dagger. A leaf wiggled on the other side where it shouldn’t.
Someone is there,she murmured.
They stepped out as one, four large men—males—equally spaced and surrounding them in a square. She quickly scanned for the information she needed: shoulder size, muscle mass, stance, weapons, height, reach, leg size, footwear. A couple other things also trickled in—long hair, large necklaces and adornments practically begging her to choke the men with them, tattoos in a similar configuration. Their weapons were not the faerie blades she and Tarian held, so she assumed they wouldn’t change shape. The men held them comfortably, though, with obvious familiarity. They’d be good with them. All the other information pointed to their being fast, experienced, and good swordsmen. They’d give her some trouble.
Luckily, she had Tarian.
But he put his blade away. “She’s all yours,” he told the males. Then to her, “Good luck, dove. Sorry for tricking you, but…it was necessary. I told you that you wouldn’t want my touch for long. Betrayal tends to do that. It was a treat knowing you. I’m sure they’ll be gentle.”
23
Zorn’s voice:If you can save yourself, don’t wait. Being on the run gives you better odds than being locked in a box.
Tarian stepped away. One of the largest males stepped forward to grab her.
She knew a moment of pain and confusion at the deception. A moment of vulnerability as she struggled to process his actions. Tarian had been lying about several things, and she’d stupidly let down her guard. After all they’d been through, after how well they’d worked together, he’d always planned to screw her in the end.
But she only took that one moment, because he’d always said he would do it. She should’ve been ready for this. She should’ve known this was coming. She’d been a fool for forgetting the dire situation she was in thathehad created.
So she bottled up the fleeting hurt and quickly morphed it into rage and action.
She launched at them. They were big and strong, but she was quick and had extensive practice in fighting multiple people at the same time, almost always larger than her.Thank you, Kieran, for the gift of your guys training me.She’d only do enough damage to get out from under them, and then she’d run. She needed to get far enough, fast enough, to hide. Or hell, take her chances with the wylds.
She darted at the two bringing up the rear, then ducked and jabbed, stabbing the first in the underside of his thigh. That spot hurt like a fucking bitch. He staggered.
The other got hold of her hair, and she stabbed him in the gut. He yanked hard, but she didn’t need hair, so she let him pull out as much as he wanted. It would grow back. She slashed him under the arm, kneed him in the balls, and wished she had another weapon so she could get him in both sides at once. Instead, she had to rip across his stomach, not as deep as she’d have liked, but it would take him out of the fight until he could heal enough to keep his intestines.
Another came from behind her, advancing before she could get away from these two. She grabbed the ornaments encircling the neck of Hair Grabber and yanked him closer. He staggered forward in surprise, holding his stomach. She quickly twisted and head-butted the one coming from behind to grab her. Sheslipped out from between them, catching the legs of the new guy. He staggered, tripped, and got tangled with Hair Grabber. They were not used to catching hogs, and it showed.
She sliced off the ornament she held and thankfully didn’t also have to slice off her hair. Hair Grabber let go to hold his stomach and shove off the newcomer at the same time.
She went for the first guy, his expression dark. He held his sword up this time, his legs set in a fighting stance.
The ornament, a sort of heavy amulet, hit him in the nose. He flinched too late, and the pain in his face registered. Before he got around it, eyes watering and squinting shut with the nature of the wound, she’d sliced his forearm, relieved him of his sword, and stabbed him in the shoulder because she fucking missed his neck. She yanked the light and well-made sword back out and threw it at the fourth one, who was wading into the melee. It would have to do.
She was around them in an instant, a moment away from a burst of speed, when magic froze her body, and she teetered over to land on her side.Fuck.In times like this, it would be really nice to have magic of her own. She’d own the world if she could compete in a fair fight.
A slow clap echoed along the path.
Her blade pulsed before curling over the back of her hand and into the spell. It kept growing, freeing herarm. Damn she loved this blade. Tarian was a fool for giving it to her.
Except…
Work for me just this once,she begged it. Couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t like she had any alternatives.Just this once.
