Finally, when I’m about to give up and go seek out the Ezkai by the gates outside the estate, I notice a narrow door at the very back of the corridor that I missed before. I twist the door handle and it opens with ease. No lock. Obviously, when you have an army of Ezkai at your disposal, who needs locks?
There is a narrow staircase leading into the basement. I hear no voices downstairs either. Without wasting any more time, I rush down the stairs and straight into the dimly lit corridor at the bottom.
At the end of the short corridor is another door. Two large Ezkai stand in front of it. The moment their surprised eyes meet mine, I spring to action.
Before the Ezkai react, I throw the blade I hold in my hand, the same one that still has Daegel’s blood on it, at one of the soldiers. It sinks right into the middle of his throat. Blood pours down his neck and chest, and the man chokes on his own blood as he falls to his knees.
I’m not that lucky with the second Ezkai.
The largest man I’ve seen has time to stifle the surprise at seeing me and attacks, fists swinging. I dodge one fist, but the second collides with my jaw and I grunt. I fly sideways into the wall next to me. Something cracks, right next to my ear. I’m not sure if it’s my skull, or the wall.
Before the Ezkai can crush me against the wall with his sheer size, I push myself off and away from him. The taste of copper fills my mouth. I spit the blood on the floor and roll my shoulders. Then I pull out my second blade from my boot.
The Ezkai’s nostrils flare as he watches me. I don’t see weapons on him. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. But something in my gut tells me this soldier fights with brutal forcealone. The way he looks at me reminds me of a wild, untamed animal.
I hear the faint sound of the door opening, but I don’t have the time to see which door it is. Maybe more Ezkai are coming to aid their comrades.Shit.
I try to dodge, but the Ezkai is fast.
He grabs for my throat and his grip is ironclad. I gasp when my back hits the wall so hard my bones rattle. My air supply is cut off; I can’t breathe. With a roar, I bury the dagger in his side. He barely fucking acknowledges it.
Bewildered, I blink.
He sneers at me. I push the blade deeper and twist it. Black spots appear at the edges of my vision. Strength abandons me quicker than I expect. I can’t push the blade any deeper, I’m too weak.
My head is light.
I close my eyes, desperate for air.
Suddenly, the pressure on my throat is gone and I can breathe. I inhale and my eyes snap open. My knees are too weak to hold me upright and I sink to the floor. The soldier is on the floor next to me, with Jax on top of him. Not for long, though.
Another Ezkai’s fist collides with Jax’s jaw and he rolls to his side. Before Jax can recover, the soldier is on top of him, strangling Jax with his bare hands. I scramble to my feet quickly. From the bleeding corpse of the first Ezkai, I pull out my other blade and quickly rush towards the fight.
With ruthless precision, I grab the hair at the back of the soldier’s head and yank his head backwards before I slit his throat. He chokes, and blood pours down his torso onto Jax.
I push the soldier to the side and let the lifeless body fall onto the hard floor. For a moment, I just stand there, panting and looking at Jax while he lies on the stone, panting and looking back at me in disbelief.
“You’re lucky I got here just in time,” I say finally. “Can you stand up and walk?”
For the first time since I met Jax, he’s speechless. He nods and I help him to his feet. I can barely recognize the man, he’s so battered. I try to ignore the way he stares at me with wide eyes, as if I’m the eighth wonder of the world.
“Did they cut your tongue out?” Before I get an answer, I shove my fingers into his mouth to check. It’s still there, all intact. “Or did somebody finally beat your wits out of you?”
Finally, Jax chuckles. Then coughs and winces from pain.
“It’s you, Phoenix darling. It’s you,” he says, voice rough. I arch an eyebrow in question. “You’re the only one who manages to knock the wind out of me with your presence alone.”
I snort and he flashes me a crooked, bloody smile.
He’s just fine.
The relief I feel is unmatched.
Quickly, I inspect the damage. His body is riddled with cuts. Some are deep while others are surface level. None are life-threatening. At least not for now. The bruises on his ribs and abdomen worry me, though. But I bite my tongue and say nothing. We’ll get him help.
“We have to get out of here quickly. Daegel can wake up anytime,” I say in a hushed voice. “Will you be able to climb a wall?”
Jax hesitates. But then, he presses his lips into a thin line and gives me a curt nod.
