“Give. It. To. Me,” he grunted with each knife swipe. I stumbled and landed hard on my back right next to the lamp, knocking my head against the wall so hard that stars popped in front of my eyes.
I grabbed the lamp and raised it to attempt a block at his next swipe but only managed a weak deflection so Rahil’s blade plunged into my shoulder instead of my heart. I screamed, sure my head would split in two from the pain, as he leaned in. The fingers of my stabbed arm slackened around the lamp’s handle. Still blinking back stars, I gazed up at my husband, who was kneeling over me with a malicious smile on his face.
I couldn’t resist my hand coming up to cover his, trying to push him away, but I couldn’t tell which metal I touched was his rings and which was the hilt. Everything was going fuzzy.
“Any last words?” he snarled, digging the blade in another inch.
I would never see my sister again.
No one would be here to mourn my death.
No one would even know I was gone.
I let out a low whisper as my limp fingers rubbed lightly against the fallen lamp, a final action before my death. “I wish I was on the other side of the world, far away from you,” I said.
Immediately, everything vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.
CHAPTER 7
Everything hurt.
My face was pressed into burning hot sand, the brutal sun scorched the back of my neck, and blood streamed down my shoulder so I grew more lightheaded by the moment.
I coughed, immediately inhaling tiny granules of sand that stuck in my throat and intensified the coughing. When my eyes opened, I saw a long stream of sandal-clad feet striding past in a street ahead, everyone in a hurry to rush by the bleeding girl face-down in the scalding, gritty sand of an abandoned alley.
Where was Rahil? Where was I?
Nothing looked familiar. This was nothing like Brisden, but at least Rahil wasn’t still looming over me with a knife.
I tried to move and immediately cried out in pain. My blood continued to stain the sand a deep scarlet that faded to a light brown as the sun baked everything in sight.
Nadia.
I had to stop her from going to see Rahil.
My left arm wasn’t working properly, but I managed to roll and fumble for the mirror in my pocket. I clumsily turned it over three times, and the glass fogged slower than normal.
“Nadia,” I groaned. “Nadia, can you hear me?”
The fuzzy image of Nadia’s profile filled the mirror, but the image was distorted and grainy.
“Alia?” Her voice was garbled too.
“S-stay away from Rahil,” I choked out, the pain so excruciating I was blinded by it. My head felt like it was heavier than a camel. “D-don’t go to him.”
“What—” Nadia’s voice cracked and her image flickered. “Is that blood?”
“Stay…stay away,” I panted. “He—he tried to k-kill me.” Every word was costing me dearly. “S-stay safe. Hide.”
“Where are—” Nadia began, but then the mirror went blank.
I collapsed back down, too weak to even return the mirror to my pocket. I could only hope that she knew to stay away.Please, Nadia, stay away.
“Help,” I croaked, trying and failing to sit up.
“Flames alive!” A woman larger than most men ran up and crouched beside me. “What happened to you, dearie?”
“Stabbed,” I panted, eyes fluttering from the pain. “I’ve b-been stabbed.”
