“Pits!” she swore. “Any ideas?”
And suddenly I did have an idea. I’d managed to get my silk on her once, but I’d let that strand go. If I could do that again and pull her close… but… she wanted me to be close, didn’t she? Or perhaps that had been a double-bluff. Perhaps I killed her by getting her close and she’d proposed that so I’d be suspicious and not want to get close? I didn’t know and was only thinking in circles now. But I knew that together, Skyfire and I were physically stronger than she was, so perhaps if we could get her in close…?
But I doubted she’d let me get a solid strand of silk on her again.
And before I could come up with an answer, Skyfire didn’t quite dodge a slam of mist and we both went tumbling to the floor. I felt the bones in my right arm shatter at the impact, even with my armor andHerogift, that was how hard I hit. I rolled like a ragdoll and came to a stop abruptly when I hit a pillar.
Trying to regain myself as quickly as I could I looked around for Skyfire and saw a whip of mists around the woman’s leg pulling her closer to Merlin, who seemed almost fully recovered from Midnight’s attack earlier. With her other hand, Merlin sent another lash of mist out to Skyfire’s neck. She was lifted, the mists at her neck acting like a noose, pulling her up as she flailed and gasped for air. Merlin cackled with glee as she turned toward me.
“You can watch her die, knowing you’re next,” Merlin said, releasing the strand of mist around Skyfire’s leg, holding the woman out far enough in front — and facing away from her — such that Skyfire’s flailing and puffs of fire-breath had no effect. Then she formed a blade of mist extended out from her free hand and slashed it in toward Skyfire’s mid-section.
I screamed reaching out with my good hand, but could do nothing. The blade flashed in and cut.
But stopped, trembling, cutting no more than an inch into Skyfire’s side. Merlin screeched with rage, eyes wide.
I didn’t know what had happened. Looking around frantically, I saw Ahmaia standing at the entrance to the hall extending a hand toward Merlin. She was controlling the mistweaver’s clothes, freezing her in place, even slowly pulling the blade hand away from Skyfire.
Merlin’s mists tossed Skyfire to one side, the woman hit the floor hard, clearly gasping desperately for air and out of commission for the moment.
Even though Merlin couldn’t move, the mists rotated her around so she could see the doorway. Her shrill screech hadn’t stopped and it hit a new maddening pitch seeing Ahmaia. Mists lashed out at Ahmaia, whose loose clothes began dancing around her batting the mists away, even as Merlin was dragged down to the floor.
“I had a bad feeling, so Ahmaia and I came to help you.” I was stunned by the voice next to me and I turned to see Sparrow there. “Gods, this place is a mess. Is Silence…?”
“I don’t know. But I’m hurt pretty bad.” Still my plan to get in close to Merlin was the only one I had, even with a wounded foot and a broken arm. “I just need to get close to her. Can you distract her for a moment?”
“Me?” Sparrow’s voice was a terrified whisper.
I smiled at her. “You’re quick and agile. I know you’ll be fine. I need you Sparrow. Spirits, we all need you!”
The fear in her eyes turned to a hard determination. “Then I’ll do what I can.” She rose and veered into her bird form.
But even as she flew toward Merlin, mists were tearing away Merlin’s clothes so Ahmaia wouldn’t have control over her. Sparrow did a quick pass at Merlin’s head, pecking with her small beak and the madwoman flailed at the attack with one freed arm but missed.
I slowly pushed myself up, bleeding and in pain so severe it was draining away myHerogift and seeping into my very bones, but I got to my one good foot and started limping toward Merlin.
Get in close, just… punch her once, or… a kick. Perhaps that would do it?
Ahmaia was moving in slowly, distracting Merlin, trying to capture her with tendrils of her own robe. Sparrow flitted about with speed and grace, weaving to avoid the strands of mist trying to capture her. Another peck at Merlin’s head and the woman roared and a large box of mist appeared around Sparrow, then quickly crushed in.
“No!” I couldn’t help but call out.
Merlin spun to me.
Ahmaia ran forward, tendrils of cloth lashing out to hold Merlin. “Now!” she screamed.
I leapt in and slammed my fist into Merlin’s face. The mistweaver reeled back, even as I kneed her in the stomach.
A bubble of mist exploded out from her, pushing myself and Ahmaia away, freeing Merlin, but… I’d landed a single strand of silk on her face when I’d punched her and I quickly pulled myself back in before Merlin had recovered from my knee attack.
I grasped her neck and pulled her close. “This ends now!” I whispered, then pressed my lips to hers. She jerked and I could sense her trying to summon her mists, but my toxin was already affecting her. She went stiff, stuck, paralyzed.
I slammed her to the ground, knee on her chest and spun webbing over her mouth. Her eyes, went wide with fear and rage.
A sword skittered over the floor to me and I looked up to see it had been pushed my way by… Ahmaia of all people. The message was clear. Even the Fey — who revered life — wanted the mistweaver to die.
I plucked up the sword in my good hand. “For all your crimes against Elista and Vauphan, for all those you’ve killed, for all the pain and suffering you’ve caused, I Legs, Head of Spider House and High Noble of the Realm sentence you to death.” I slammed the blade down into Merlin’s heart so hard the sword shattered when it hit the ground on the other side of her. I took the jagged bit remaining attached to the hilt and ran it across the woman’s throat, then stabbed it into her eye, for good measure.
She was dead.
