Thank you, Teshya.Iryana hoped her cousin’s wife was still tucked somewhere safely.
Iryana swung the fire-forged dagger around, smacking the tip of Karvek’s sword. Nothing happened, not even a flicker.
Metal was weak to fire, so why wasn’t Karvek struggling to hold his forging against hers?
She was forced to parry Karvek’s sword, barely knocking it out of the way.
Fighting with a dagger against a longer-reached weapon was a skill in and of itself, but Iryana was a guardian.
She danced around Karvek, waiting for the right opportunity to slice at his sword with her dagger. The metal pinged, but nothing else happened.
Iryana stumbled a few steps back, desperate for enough space to figure out what was going on. Why wasn’t Karvek’s blade vulnerable to fire? Why wasn’t it working? Her eyes flicked to the mottled red dagger, the handle warm in her hand. His sword should react to the dagger like… like her spear had to his sword.
Oh, no.No. No. No. They were wrong about something. Karvek wasn’t metal-forged. Not entirely.
Karvek was watching her carefully, a smirk pulling his lips back.
“How?” she whispered.
“If only you weren’t my enemy, Iryana.”
She barely shifted her weight fast enough to avoid his swing, gasping as she desperately regained her footing. Just as she collected herself, something shimmering and white slammed into her.
His shield.
The force knocked her off her feet, and she tumbled onto the ground. She didn’t even feel it.
What do I do?What do I do? What do I do?
Iryana crawled along the side of the estate, away from Karvek. Pieces of wood that had crumpled off the road dug sharply into her palms, but the blow sheexpected to come never did. Tears burned her eyes, and panic clenched her throat so tight her breaths were weak little gasps.
Karvek had enough magic and enough control to shove her back with his shield.
She didn’t have a weapon that could defeat him.
Where were Pyetar and her uncle? She couldn’t do it alone.
Pulling herself up, dagger waving in front of her in a pathetic attempt to keep herself safe, Iryana faced Karvek again.
His eyes burned with rage, with betrayal.
Karvek’s foot came out of nowhere, knocking Iryana back off her feet. Her back slammed into the hard wall of the estate, her head snapping back with a crack. Before she could crash to the ground again, Karvek caught her. Somewhere Pyetar shouted her name.
The dagger was ripped from her hand, and she was hauled against Karvek, back against his chest. His arms were a brace, trapping her to his body.
Iryana gasped, back arching away from Karvek’s chest as the razor edge of a dagger nicked her neck.
Then her eyes widened with horror as she saw the surrounding sight. The fighting had slowed; most of the Kleesolds and the soldiers that had joined them were on their knees along the side of the road.
Pyetar was on his knees in the center of the road, facing them. Two soldiers flanked him, spears pointed at his chest, and Darish stood behind him, whispering something Iryana couldn’t hear.
They werethoroughly fucked.
Pyetar’s face was twisted with fear as he stared at her. As if he were watching his worst nightmare unfold. The more she watched, the more she realized his entire body was shaking.
Iryana picked out her family members one by one. Uncle Dinhal, Kladara, and Tonhald were near the front; Teshya curled up in her husband’s arms. The sight would have brought her to her knees if Karvek wasn’t holding her up.
“They don’t understand you. They never will,” Karvek said, his voice low and rumbling next to her ear. “I may not be sweet and gentle, but I see what you couldbe capable of. I would have molded you into an unstoppable force; I would have cherished you.”
