I am a beast to them and that is how I will remain.
“Donotcome near the castle until it is done,” I say, at which the crowd parts to let me through.
My mind is filled with resolve as I make my way back to the castle, prowling along the city streets as I go, using my heightened senses and my ability to identify Blacksmith power to determine that there are no more Blacksmiths alive outside the castle’s walls. Only within it.
Near to the castle, Maybelle waits in the shadows, embraced in her husband’s arms. They both have tears in their eyes.
“Maybelle?”
“Ayla and Kalith took their children to the castle like you wanted,” she says.
I give her and her husband a nod. “Thank you.”
That’s all I need to know before I continue on.
I watch the ramparts carefully as I approach, sensing the immense power within these walls.
The strongest living Blacksmiths now stand between me and Asha.
I count the heartbeats from a distance, sensing the power attached to each one. Skirra’s senses confirm that Asha is not among the eight Blacksmiths standing guard within the courtyard itself.
Farther back are two more Blacksmiths, both waiting in a corridor beyond the courtyard. The power emanating from those two is the strongest of all.
They must be Ayla and Kalith Silverspun.
I close my eyes and stretch my senses, seeking the fainter heartbeats farther back still. The ones I care about. They sound different in my ears than the other Blacksmiths’ heartbeats.
It is Asha, Skirra confirms, and I trust that he would recognize her heartbeat.The other heartbeats belong to children.
Skirra didn’t have the chance to interact with Tamra and Gallium, but it has to be them. The protectiveness Asha showed her brother and sister at the Academy means she wouldn’t let them out of her sight.
Steadying my breathing, I stretch out my shoulders and neck, and then I grip my daggers, turning them back and forth through the air, clearing my mind of all doubt.
I remind myself of the cut of blood across Asha’s back, the fall of her hair, and the ice in her fingers, and I fill my thoughts only with rage.
She is the reason I’m here.
She is the reason I won’t fail.
With a snarl, I leap forward, sprinting toward the gate.
The portcullis is closed, but it doesn’t stop me.
I turn my shoulder, absorbing the impact as I smash through it, sending pieces of metal and splinters of wood flying across the courtyard.
Eight Blacksmiths are waiting for me. One of them is Landon Copperstream, although I already dealt with his friends.
He sneers at me. “Well, it looks like it’s true. Malak turned you into a dog.”
None of the other Blacksmiths echo Landon’s laughter. I suppose they’re smart enough to acknowledge all of the screaming they must have heard today. My ears are still ringing with the death I brought.
All the blood is on my hands now.
Several of the others dart toward me, but I duck between their blades, moving faster than they can as I head straight for Landon.
He extends his right hand but a sword hasn’t even finished manifesting before I sever his outstretched hand from his body and slice through his throat. Two quick cuts with my daggers.
Shock fills his eyes as he falls to his feet.
