My fingers tangle into his shirt and I yank him forward, driving my knee into his gut, then I follow him to the floor.
Creed’s and Kyzen’s bellows are muffled from the laughter that continues to spill from Riven’s bloody mouth. Every hit of his that lands against my ribs cracks something inside of me.
Not bone.
The hands that grip us get slung off as we roll across the floor, bashing into furniture and anything else in our way.
“Every night,” I shout as I drive my fist into his face. “Every night I clutched that torch lamp to my chest as I walked across that dark room.”
The air is thrust from my lungs as he strikes me in my stomach. I don’t let it stop me. My elbow connects with someone’s nose behind me before I bring it down again.
“He taunted me and taunted me!”
He grabs me by the collar of my shirt, jerks me down, and I hit the ground hard. My shoulder takes the brunt of it, and pain flares, hot and immediate, when he slams his forehead into my face.
That doesn’t stop me.
We don’t stop.
His legs straddle mine and his fist comes down. I catch it, barely. Our arms shake with the strain.
My shout morphs into a grunt as I raise my hips, hook a leg around his and flip us again. His back hits the ground and his breath rushes out of him.
A hand grabs at my shoulder and whoever tries to pull us apart receives a sharp shove. It sends them stumbling away, and fabric tears somewhere around us.
“I waited in the dark every night with my torch lamp. Waiting for it to be you.”
I draw my arm back, readying to bring my fist down again.
“Enough!”
The sound of metal sliding against metal has the room falling into an eerie stillness. Riven’s and my attention slowly pivots to the side.
“The next one of you to throw a punch loses their fucking hand.”
Kyzen’s eyes have completely voided of life. I slowly lower my fist and crawl off Riven, giving him my hand to pull him up.
Creed steps in front of the two of us with his palms facing out.
“Hey, everything’s okay. They’re fine now. They just needed to get it out.”
“Get it out? Get it out?”
A haunting laugh tears from Kyzen’s throat and the sword he has pointed at us trembles from his shaking.
“And when do I get to get it out, huh? When do I get to unload all the secrets you’ve all dumped on me to hold?”
Riven and I cautiously take a side each of Creed’s. None of us move further than that. We know better.
One wrong step and he’s going to swing those blades.
“Kyzen. What is that on your chest?” Riven asks low.
“Oh, this?” He pierces the sword against his heart until a stream of blood flows down his chest. “My mark. The little piece Obsidian left me to remind me of who I am.”
My eyes trace the sunsetter with the sword going through it.
It ticks.
