“Don’t answer him,” I said to Kaelun. “He’s just trying to get in our heads.”
“True. But what else are they keeping from you?”
“Shut up,” I gritted out, his words digging deeper than I cared to admit.
The click of Njal’s smarmy tongue set me over. “Lady Nyleeria,” Kaelun warned, sensing my magic pool at my ire.
I wasn’t interested in games.
Shifting, I faced Njal head on, Kaelun switching places with me, ensuring my back was covered. I ignored the verbal barbs the autumn fae flung our way as I studied the patterns in the slate, quickly noting that the green and violet marks threading through the midnight-black stone were fissures.
I traced them with my eyes, following one after another until I identified the seven that converged under his feet.
Then, I broke the laws of nature again.
Slamming my palm into the ground, I stared Njal down as I called upon the element of earth to do my bidding. I hadn’t expected it to heed my command so fast, but the instant my hand smacked the surface, the ground beneath Njal crumbled and disappeared off the cliff side, forcing his sorry ass to valen away.
“Damn,” Kaelun breathed in awe, but I wasn’t done. Knowing he would just re-materialize any second, I released my daggers in an arching spray.
Understanding, Kaelun used his offensive unara and filled in the gaps with his own weapons which appeared out of thin air, their diversity as beautiful as their detailing—it was my turn to look at him in awe.
Thump. Thump.
One heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
Two heartbeats.
Thump. Thump.
Three heartbeats.
My palms began to sweat, fearing our timing was off.
Thump. Thu?—
Njal re-materialized to our right, almost outside of our array of flying daggers.Almost.
One. Then two. Then a third blade sunk into his leathers. He bellowed in surprised fury, gaze snapping down to his chest. Unfortunately, none of them were lethal shots. Two of the daggers were Kaelun’s. But the one in his abdomen,thatone was mine… and oh how the power begged for my command to be released.
Wait,I thought toward it.
The power buzzed in my ears.
Wait.
Gripping the hilts, commander pulled Kaelun’s out in quick successions, the bloody blades clanking against the hard slate as he discarded them.
Wait for it.
Then, Njal reached for my blade needing both hands to pull it out.
“Now!” I commanded once his fingers wrapped around the small hilt. Magic exploded in hundreds of tiny ice shards, bursting outward from the source with enough force to stain the air around him in red mist as they tore through his hands.
“Holy shit,” Kaelun swore as the autumn fae screamed in pain before actually valenning away.
The dagger returned to my bandolier, and I patted it with affection. “Good job, little buddy,” I said, as I re-imbued it.
