Firm arms wrapped around my shoulders, pinning me before I could inflict any more damage. “Let go!” The voice was familiar. Sarina, or Corra. I strained against their hold, but they had me off balance and temporarily restrained.
Deep visceral instinct rejected the idea of leaving Nikolach injured but alive. He had tried to kill me, this was justice. Self-defense was protected under Ascendancy law.
I’d never let something precious be taken from me again.
“Stop, he’s defenseless!” She shouted.
Nikolach was seeking revenge for the time and freedom I’d taken from him. My righteous fury dimmed with the realization.
What had Yeshar called him, ‘predictably rough’?
He was a dangerous, brutal criminal. But so was I. And between the two of us, I was the greater threat. Without the axe, he was weak by comparison.
Nikolach wasn’t clever, skilled, or quick. He wasn’t even sober. I had Skinscript and Voyager training, and friends too.
I was stronger than him. I’d overpowered him despite his greater height and weight, and outmaneuvered him despite his weapon.
There was no reason to fear him anymore.
Letting my anger dissipate, I sank one more kick into his ribcage before relaxing. It gave a satisfying crunch.
“What are you doing!? Leave him! We’ve gotta go.” I turned, seeing Corra was the one pulling at me. “There isn’t much light left.”
My attention snapped back like a rubber band. The final exam.
“He attacked Sarina in the forest. She’s injured,” Corra explained. “I’m taking over for her to make sure we graduate.”
I very much wanted to kick Nikolach again.
“Is she okay?” I winced as Corra released her grip on my shoulder.
Pain didn’t care what I wanted.
Papa’s Medic knowledge woke up with the awareness of my injuries.
Fetching my scarf, I winced as the movement aggravated my shoulder wound. I wrapped the length of it around my shoulder, securing it with a tight square knot. It hurt a lot, but it was more of a scrape. The blade hadn’t sunk too deep.
“She’ll heal,” Corra said. “Later you can tell us who the hell he is and why he tried to kill you both. Right now, we need to go.”
I gave a terse nod.
We didn’t linger. We ran.
Within an hour, Corra and I reached our destination.
The lake spread out before us in a churning inky mass. Pandanus and raphia palms rimmed the edges of the lake, with water-logged hibiscus gilding their trunks. Lake Mirae was the remnant of a series of four smaller lakes that had once existed on Mesmoria. Over time, the wet season had flooded them until they’d drained into each other, coalescing into one single body of water. Somewhere beneath these waters, the skeletal ruins ofbuildings that had existed on paths between those smaller lakes still rested.
Peering through the blinding rainfall, I channeled Perception. A faint tingling sensation from my thigh told me it was working. A buzzing tickled my ears.
Lightning split the air as we reached the lake, sharp with the tang of ozone. It tore open the darkening sky like a gleaming blade, casting the dark waters in an eerie ginger glow and charring a nearby tree. We had minutes before sundown, and not enough of them to count on both hands.
“There,” I pointed to the center of the lake. “A lodge.” It had to be the meeting point. Past the curtains of rain and overcast murk of the storm, it was nearly invisible. I barely made out the pale shape of someone already in the water.
Crossing the lake without a conductor to draw the lightning away would be suicide.
Corra didn’t share my concerns, as she waded into the muddy depths. “See ya on the other side,” she called. Without hesitating, she swam in the direction I had pointed. She moved like a fish, slipping forward with ease.
Unlacing my boots, I left them behind. They’d only slow me down.
