Sariah’s suspicious gaze moved from Kira to Raider.“What is he doing?Tell him to step away from there.”
Raider placed the second magnet against his chest.It stayed in position despite no evidence of any harness keeping it in place.
Sariah etched a complicated symbol in the air.Power built as herkifunneled into the pattern that she had created, slowly meandering along the predetermined lines.When it reached the end of the pattern, it would act like a circuit, closing and kicking off whatever working Sariah had planned.
Kira equated it to something like a pre-written computer program.The symbol acted like a piece of code, giving thekiits commands.
Achieved through countless years of study and experimentation, the symbols were personalized to each Tuann.Though some runes ran through family lines.Their secrets guarded with dogged fanaticism.
However, even those contained slight flourishes based on the user.
Only extremely powerful Tuann like Kira’s lover, Graydon, and her Uncle Harlow were capable of forcing theirkiinto shape without the symbol or its more physically intensive and complicated cousin, thekatta,which involved the use of the entire body and a series of martial arts moves.
Kira had never used either the rune shapes orkattasuntil she came to Ta Sa’Riel.But that was because she never received proper training.Her application of her soul’s breath had always been more like brute force.
Sariah gave Kira a triumphant smile as herkireached the end of its circuit.The air vibrated with restrained power.“Comply or die.”
“That’s your cue, Raider.”
Sariah’s gaze darted between them.“This is not a bluff.”
Kira smiled at her.“I never thought it was.”
Raider caught Finn in a bear hug from behind.“Try not to die, Phoenix.”
Kira kept her gaze steady on Sariah as Raider tipped himself and Finn backward.The two dropped out of sight.There was a hum as the device Raider had attached started working, slowing their descent to a controlled fall.
Sariah released herki.Pressure built.Kira’s ears popped and then it was like an avalanche as shards of ice shot toward her.
Kira blocked the first part of the wave, ducking under some, but not fast enough as one of the ice blades sliced through the top of her trapezius muscle.
Freezing cold invaded the wound, numbing the area around it.
Then Kira was through it, next to Sariah, and sweeping the other woman’s legs out from under her.
Sariah toppled backward, hitting the ground with a cry.
“Nice trick,” Kira growled, stomping her foot down onto one of the woman’s arms to prevent her from performing a second.“But maybe not the best choice in close quarters.”
She would have been better served with her pretty dagger.
A mask of fury wreathed the inquisitor’s face.“You’ll pay for this.”
Kira winced as she touched her shoulder, rolling it to assess the extent of the damage.“I’m pretty sure you’re the least of my worries right now.”
As if to punctuate that statement, Asanth fired on Roake’s fortress.And like Asanth and Kashori’s barriers, Roake’s failed to activate.
“Much bigger worries indeed,” Kira whispered.
Like the possibility of a war that left no victors.Only weakened prey, ripe for the plucking when the Tsavitee’s masters moved in.
“Are you really going to let her act like this?”Sariah demanded of Isla.
The oshota quirked an eyebrow.“What exactly do you expect me to do?”
“Apprehend her.Arrest her and her companions.”
Isla considered Kira with pursed lips.
