The world came to a standstill.
The crackle of magic and patter of the storm vanished. The flames were still in place, rain droplets hovering in the air. Klyde muttered a low curse at the streak of lightning unmoving in the sky. Artemis and Magnus stood frozen in front of her, but only for a split second.
Essence rippled around her uncle, and he lurched forward with a spell blazing in hands. “Lucenna, stop!”
“Enjoy your stay.” She snapped her fingers again, and the world flashed a blinding white.
They fell backward onto the fountain ledge. Magnus and his son were gone, along with any remaining Enforcers.Gods, it worked.
Klyde held her against him as she breathed heavily, feeling her strength wane. “Are you all right, lass? What happened?”
“I’m fine,” Lucenna rasped. “I need a moment to gather my bearings.”
He nodded as they looked at the mess she had made of the town square, bodies strewn all around. “Gods,” he muttered. “I still don’t quite understand what happened.”
“I’ve trapped them in a rift within the Time Gate. But it won’t hold Magnus for long, and I am out of magic.”
“All right. Let me know when you can walk.” He supported her against his chest so she could rest on him. He was firm and warm.
She blinked blearily up at him. “You came back...”
“Did you really expect me to leave?” The intensity of Klyde’s storming blue eyes rendered her speechless. Shifting his position, he took her arms, and she felt his hands trembling. “You can’t do that, Lucenna. You can’t toss me aside like I am some rubbish to forget in the rain. Damn whatever comes. I am with you. From here to the end.”
Lucenna couldn’t do anything but take in a shaky breath. She had always fought her battles alone. But with him, she no longer felt alone. Fighting back the knot in her throat, she gave him a short nod.
“Are you injured?”
“No, but you are,” Lucenna said when she noticed the blood dripping down his arm.
“I’m fine.”
“Let me see.”
He slipped his mercenary jacket down his arm enough to reveal the gash on his shoulder. It was shallow. Must have happened during the fight. She tore off a piece of her blouse and wrapped it around his arm.
“You’re not as mean as you pretend to be,” Klyde murmured.
Lucenna rolled her eyes as she fastened the bandage in place. “Then what am I?”
Klyde’s gaze searched hers, and the rare lack of humor in them made her still. “Angry. You’re angry that this is your life and how helpless it makes you feel. So now you must prove to the world that you’re not.”
She gritted her teeth. “I am not helpless.”
He brushed the hair from her temples, and the gentle stroke of his fingers eased the rigidity from her body. “I know, lass. You’ve never had to prove it to me.”
Why did he have to say things like that to her? Her eyes stung, and she blamed it on the smoke.
She managed to stand without falling over. “We need to leave before anyone else arrives.”
“Aye.” Klyde sheathed his short swords within the scabbards strapped to his back and slipped his hand around hers. “Follow me.”
They left the remains of the mage battle behind and ran into the night. She looked down at where he held her, perplexed at the way he did so with ease. His hold comforted her more than it should have. He led her to a street of inns where they stole a beige horse from a stable.
“We should take the next exit out of the state,” Klyde said as he helped her up onto the saddle. That meant leaving the others behind again.
We are stronger together,Rawn had once told her. It was about time she started listening.
“The Enforcers will expect that,” Lucenna said. “We need to join the others. Our only way out of Dwarf Shoe is to finish the plan and steal Tarn’s ship.”
