I had the power to end my own life… or preserve it.
A life weaver.
It was almost too much. My brain was on fire as I balanced the chaos of the magic raging inside me. It festered like an open wound. Necromancy thrived on pain; I understood that now. But I had to be enduring the pain the entire time in order to trigger it.
I had to act quickly or the agony would consume me. I couldn’t save Eira if I was unconscious.
Very carefully, I spread my awareness forward, focusing on Vikros’s thread. It glowed brighter as my magic drew closer. I pictured invisible hands grasping the line, felt the way it stretched taut under pressure. I closed my eyes, and envisioned myself snapping the strand in half.
A loudcrackechoed in the street. In a flash, all the visible threads I’d seen vanished, and reality slammed back into me, pressing on my chest so heavily I couldn’t breathe. The air was squeezed out of me, and I choked, my lungs screaming.
Shouts echoed around me. Black spots danced in my vision, and I knew I would pass out. I would die. Couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’tlive…
Sharp fingernails dug into my cheeks, and there was Eira, her eyes wild with panic as she stared at me. Slowly, her muffled voice became clearer as my senses returned. “Pull yourself together, hunter!” she was saying. “We need to move,now!”
I blinked, and the scene came into focus. Vikros had collapsed, and a few soldiers hurried to examine him. But I already knew he was dead.
The others kept their weapons pointed at us, but they were distracted, their eyes on their fallen commander. A few shifted their feet, and I knew this was our opportunity.
Vikros was their commander. What would they do now? They answered to the queen, but she wasn’t here.
A soldier without orders was like a fish without water. They wouldn’t know what to do.
Chaos was our ally.
I sucked in several deep gulps of air, struggling to loosenthe tight ball of nerves in my chest. With a swift nod, I took Eira’s hand and squeezed. “Invisibility,” I whispered.
Half her mouth lifted in a knowing smile, and she vanished again. Even though I could no longer see her, I still felt the warmth of her hand in my grasp.
More soldiers were shouting. Their swords faltered, as they no doubt scrambled to find out where Eira had gone.
I allowed myself three more breaths before I sprang into action. My movements were more sluggish than normal, but the swordsmen had no chance. Even on my worst day, I was a better fighter, and right now, they were confused and disoriented.
Easy prey.
I ducked to avoid a blow, then struck the man in the throat. With a twist of his arm, the sword was free, and I had a weapon. Two more men rushed me, and I swung the sword, slicing a deep wound in the neck, then severing the man’s head completely. My sword clanged as the second soldier attacked. We sparred, and I saw an opening. A swift jab to the exposed part of his underarm and he was dead.
I removed his head as well, for good measure.
The remaining soldiers continued to advance toward me, but fear was etched into their faces.
I might have shown them mercy. But each and every one of these men had threatened Eira. They had seen her face. Her magic.
Mymagic.
They couldn’t be left alive.
It took me less than a minute to end their lives. I didn’t need their threads to do it, and the motions were as simple, as effortless, to me as breathing. The swing of a blade. Duck,parry, a slash to the throat. My sword clashed with one soldier while I drove my fist into the stomach of the one creeping up behind me. They were armored and outnumbered me.
But I was faster.
Soon, there were only five left. Then three. Another thrust of my sword, and the last soldier’s head went rolling.
Panting and covered in blood that wasn’t mine, I surveyed the carnage that stained the street.
Thirteen men, including Vikros, lay dead before me. The street was completely empty, though it should have been bustling at this time of the morning. I caught a glimpse of a few terrified faces peering at me from windows across the street.
Witnesses. Plenty of villagers had seen me kill the queen’s men.
