I spun around.
Two Watchers stood at the pass-through door, their dark cloaks gleaming faintly in the low light. Without a word, they had slid the lock into place.
“Hey…” My hand eased to my sword hilt as I backed up a step. The air was suddenly thick, and the hum of the train felt distant, muffled.
Why were Watchers on the train? I didn’t remember seeing them before.
'Unsheathe me,'Valkaryn ordered, her voice sharp in my head.
'On a Watcher?'
'Yes!'Her voice rang so loudly through my mind that I winced.
The moment I drew her, one of the Watchers flung his hand toward me. The magic he cast wasinvisible, but I felt it slam into Valkaryn like a wall, the force throwing me backward three feet. My boots scraped against the floor, barely keeping me upright.
Footsteps pounded behind me.
My stomach dropped when I turned to see two more Watchers advancing from the opposite door. I was surrounded.
“What’s going on?” I asked, keeping my voice even, feigning ignorance.
'Kaelric, help. I’m three cars back and about to get jumped by four Watchers.'I pushed the thought toward him with urgency.
A spike of fear slammed through my chest that wasn’t mine.'I’m coming.'
“What’s going on?” one of the Watchers mocked as I pivoted, trying to keep all four of them in sight.
A golden cord of magic shot toward me. Valkaryn sliced through it in a single arc.
“We don’t want some Dreg rat taking our magic,” one spat.
I’d been called a Dreg rat my whole life. The insult usually slid right off me, but this time, something inside me broke. This pompous Elite thought he was more deserving than me? As if I hadn’t fought for every breath I took my entire life…?
That insult on his lips was not okay.
Not today.
My grip tightened, my pulse racing.
I ran at him with a battle cry tearing from my throat, Valkaryn cutting down the three magical attacks he hurled in desperation. Fear flared in his eyes when he realized too late that magic wouldn’t save him. He reached for his sword, but I was already there, my blade sliding into his heart. His mouth opened like a fish, gasping for air.
It was my first life taken entirely by my own hand. Regret flickered, brief, sharp, but when I saw the sneer in his dying eyes and the last word he mouthed, it evaporated.
“Scum,” he croaked.
'Behind!'Valkaryn’s voice snapped me back. I ripped my blade free and turned just in time to face the other three Watchers, now armed with swords and closing fast.
The door behind me rattled, Kaelric’s face appearing in the narrow glass as he tried to force it open. I barely had time to see the raw panic there before a burst of heat flared along Valkaryn’s edge, and I had to focus again.
'Can you just kill them all like you did Mercy?'I asked, blocking left, right, then slamming my boot into one of their knees.
'It would weaken you for the next trial. My magic works through you. You are the vessel as much as thesword. Although the Creator’s strength is infinite, you are not. Especially as a human.'
Interesting. And good to know. Hadn’t I felt drained of energy after Val had killed Mercy? When I was feeding my family with the donated food from Cassian, a wave of fatigue had come over me.
My arm vibrated as Valkaryn clashed with another blade, her rhythm feeding into mine. We moved together, each strike instinctual, almost like she was sending commands directly into my mind.
Too slow. One blade slipped past, slicing across my cheek. Pain ripped through my face. Warm blood trailed down my neck.
