“Feisty one,” Nicron sneered, making his own water swirl around him before sending it out to evaporate my attacking conflagration. “Tell me, how did he make you trust him? Was it the sweet talking? Was it the lust?”
I curled my hand into a fist and threw it at him, fires sparking around it as I finally managed to smack him across his jaw. He stumbled backwards, fingers sliding along the wound I had caused him, before his eyes burrowed into me again and a dark smile emerged once again.
“I see,” he snickered bitterly. “He had you wrapped around his finger all this time. Well, I can’t blame him, it’s what I did to Michlael.”
I went in with my dagger, aiming for his throat, but he sidestepped at the last moment, grabbing hold of my hair with one hand, the other taking my hand with the blade and shoving it into my thigh. I screamed and it echoed over the field, the pain pulsating throughout my body.
“Maybe, I’ll have a taste myself?” Nicron hummed, his head moving towards my neck. I elbowed him in the chest, but he didn’t budge.
Shit.
A gun fired, pulling him away from me and I took the opportunity to break free. I looked up to meet with Nate’s vicious eyes, his teeth bared like an animal. “You okay?”
I nodded, before I saw a shadow emerge behind him. “Watch out!”
Nate saw the horror in my eyes, dodging quickly before Izera’s dagger could touch him.
My head snapped back towards Nicron; Nate had no quartz in his weapons, so Nicron simply pushed his finger inside of his shoulder and pulled the bullet out, growling at the pain, before his eyes returned to me.
He played with the water droplets in his hand, turning them into ice and throwing them at me. The shards cut through my skin, the slightest touch burned as if he had stabbed me with a blade.
My cheeks stung along with my arms, a small piece of ice stuck right beneath my collarbone. I carefully placed my fingers around it, all edges sharp like razors, forcing me to bleed worse as I pulled the small piece out. A strained hiss escaped me as blood trickled down my hand.
“Ah, can you feel that?” Nicron asked amused, as he took a long and sharp breath, smelling the air around us. “It’s the scent of the world falling apart, blood, war and despair.”
“You don’t want to end the war,” I said, as if to confirm it.
“You’re right,” he shrugged. “I merely enjoyed the show of Michlael and you struggling for answers.”
I clenched my teeth. “He died for his beliefs, for what the world could become.”
“He died afool,” he corrected me. “And now, I’ll assume command of the mages, infest them. All thanks to you really, so perhaps I should thank you for your stubbornness in trying to make the world a better place and all.”
“I would rather die than let you take command of anything,” I threatened, whipping another flame at him that actually struck his clothing before he choked it with water. Was he getting distracted enough for my abilities to stand a chance against him? Or was he merely toying with me, making me believe I was making progress?
“Well,” he muttered lazily, as if he was growing increasingly bored by the second. “I can arrange that.”
He casually pulled up a gun and pointed it at me, his face blank and emotionless, grey eyes glowing in the obscured light.
My eyes widened and as I tried to move away, I felt something holding me in place.
I glanced down to see water slithering around my feet, tethering me to the ground. My pulse escalated, fear creeping in. My flames tried desperately to burn at the water clinging to me, to make it dissipate enough to give me the slightest wiggle room for movement, enough to get out of his aim.
Nothing worked, if anything, more water gathered, tightening the grip as it climbed higher.
“It’s a shame to let those fierce flames go to waste, though,” he pondered, tilting his head as he cocked the gun. “No matter, I’ll enjoy killing you, andhe’llthank me later.”
Who? I almost blurted it out loud, but my voice was stuck inside of my throat. I was like a deer stuck in a trap, awaiting my fate. For the predator to lunge at its prey, for the cat to finally kill the mouse after playing with it long enough.
The words in my head stung, tears building up inside of my eyes.
Kitten.
I had been stupid, reckless, but at least I stayed true to myself to the very end. My eyes locked with Nicron, as I drew a long breath, refusing to close my eyes. A hint of emotion washed through his eyes, as if he was admiring my boldness.
He took aim at my heart as a shout echoed through the air.
“Ethalyn!”
