Elyria leapt from behind Severin and drove her fist straight into the broad face of the man standing before him.
The impact cracked through the air with a sickening thud. Bone t knuckle, and the sound echoed like a snapped branch in a silent forest. The man staggered back, his head jerking to the side as blood sprayed from his mouth. Two teeth hit the ground and rolled into the dust.
For a heartbeat, the world seed to pause.
The other three n froze, eyes wide, shock rippling through them as they watched their leader reel. None of them had expected the attack, least of all from a woman they had once chased like prey through narrow alleys.
Elyria straightened slowly, flexing her fingers as if shaking off a mild inconvenience. Her pulse roared in her ears, but her lips curved upward in a sharp, satisfied smile. Ever since the night she had been forced to flee from them, her mind had not known peace. Every insult. Every threat. Every humiliating word they had spat at her had been etched into her mory.
She had planned for this mont.
Not with maps or careful calculations, but with fury simring patiently beneath her skin. She had known they would cross her path again soday. n like them always did.
And now, the opportunity had unfolded perfectly.
She was being threatened. Therefore, she had every right to defend herself.
The man she had struck clutched his face, coughing blood as he glared at her through watering eyes. Rage twisted his features, turning him red and ugly.
"You stupid whore!"
The word sliced through her like a familiar blade.
Elyria bit her lower lip, hard enough to taste iron. That damned word again. It followed her everywhere, carried by mouths too small to understand the weight of what they said.
Slowly, deliberately, she placed both palms on her hips and tilted her head to the side, studying him like an insect pinned beneath glass.
"You should really learn when to hold your tongue," she scoffed, her voice calm but edged with venom.
The big man turned abruptly to his companions, fury overriding caution. "What are you waiting for?" he roared. "Get that bitch now!"
The hesitation vanished.
The n snapped into motion, spreading out as they advanced toward her, boots grinding against the earth. Their faces hardened, jaws clenched as adrenaline surged through their bodies. Fists tightened. Muscles coiled.
Elyria reached for her belt.
Leather slid smoothly through her fingers as she pulled it free, the tal buckle catching the light. She let it dangle loosely from her hand, its length swaying back and forth like a serpent preparing to strike.
"That might be a very bad idea," she said lightly, eyes glinting with dangerous amusent. Then she smiled wider. "But if you insist."
She lunged.
Her body moved with lethal grace, every step asured, every motion sharp and purposeful. The belt sliced through the air with a vicious snap, striking the first man across the chest. The sound echoed, wet and loud, as he cried out and stumbled backward, clutching his ribs.
She did not slow.
Twisting on the ball of her foot, she swung again, the leather curling around another man’s arm before she yanked hard. He lost his balance, crashing face first into the ground with a grunt of pain.
The third man charged her from the side, teeth bared as he raised his fist. Elyria ducked beneath the blow, the wind of it brushing past her hair. She spun low, sweeping her leg beneath his knees. He went down hard, breath knocked from his lungs in a strangled gasp.
The fourth man was quicker.
He managed to grab her leg as she landed, fingers digging into her calf with bruising force. At the sa ti, the one she had knocked down earlier surged forward, fist cocked back, intent on smashing it into her face.
Elyria smirked.
In one fluid motion, she twisted her body, using the grip on her leg to propel herself upward. She flipped gracefully through the air, her wings flaring out instinctively to guide her movent. Her heel connected with the attacker’s jaw, snapping his head back violently.
She landed just outside their reach, boots striking the ground with a solid thud.
Before they could recover, she lashed out again.
The belt whistled through the air and wrapped painfully around two necks in quick succession. The n scread as they clawed at their throats, skin already reddening beneath the force of the blows.
One of them, eyes wild with desperation, suddenly noticed Severin standing several paces away.
He broke free and ran toward him, fists clenched, intent on venting his fear and rage on an easier target.
Severin did not move.
He did not raise his hands. He did not shift his stance. He rely lifted his gaze.
His eyes locked onto the man with cold, rciless precision.
The charging man faltered.
His steps slowed, then stopped entirely, as if he had slamd into an invisible wall. Sweat broke out across his forehead. His breath hitched painfully in his chest. Sothing ancient and primal scread inside him to run.
With a strangled sound, he backed away, terror flooding his face. He turned and fled without another glance.
Calithar watched from the shadows, astonishnt rippling through him.
Just a look.
Nothing more than a look, and a grown man had been reduced to a trembling coward. Calithar felt an unfamiliar chill crawl down his spine. If he had been human and soone had looked at him that way, he doubted he would have fared any better.
Beings like that did not need grand gestures or displays of power to inspire fear. Their presence alone was enough.
The fight continued, and Elyria did not falter.
She drove the remaining n back with relentless strikes, her movents sharp and unforgiving. Each swing of her belt carried her anger, her humiliation, her long restrained fury. Eventually, their courage shattered completely.
"Witch!" one of them scread as they turned and ran. "She’s a witch!"
Another tripped over his own feet in his haste to escape. "A witch!" he echoed.
Elyria laughed, breathless and triumphant.
"Wasn’t it whore?" she called mockingly after them, snapping her belt through the air as she chased them a few steps farther. "You should really decide!"
They disappeared into the distance, their shouts fading as fear drove them onward.
Elyria slowed to a stop and exhaled deeply, adrenaline still buzzing beneath her skin. She rolled her shoulders and turned back to Severin, who stood exactly where she had left him.
He had not moved an inch.
"That felt good?" he asked, his tone unreadable.
"Insanely!" Elyria chirped, practically glowing. She grinned at him, then turned on her heel. "Co on. Let’s go, you shell prince."
She walked a few steps ahead, then spread her wings wide. The mbranes caught the light, shimring with subtle hues of crimson and gold.
"What?" she said, glancing back at him. "Never seen a dragon before?"
Severin’s expression remained unchanged as he approached her. Elyria reached for his arm, but her fingers barely wrapped around half of it. Clicking her tongue in irritation, she looped her arm around his instead.
Before they took off, Severin’s gaze shifted.
His eyes drifted toward the shadows where Calithar stood hidden.
Calithar stiffened.
For a fraction of a second, their gazes seed to et. His breath caught in his chest, and an unfamiliar tension locked his body in place. There was no being above a god, yet sothing about this man unsettled him deeply.
It was not fear.
It was recognition without understanding.
Severin stared for another heartbeat, then Elyria launched them upward. The ground fell away beneath them as they soared toward Kesath at a speed that stole the breath from Calithar’s lungs.
When they were gone, Calithar stepped out from his hiding place.
Disappointnt weighed heavily on him. The woman had not been Elena. That much was clear now. She was a dragon, and Elena was not. The man with her was not Damien either.
Damien possessed a commanding presence, an aura that demanded attention. Yet even he did not carry the oppressive, otherworldly weight that Severin had radiated.
If anything, that presence had felt almost equal to a high ranking demon or a being of light.
Calithar shook his head. It was not his concern. He had a mission, and distractions would only delay it. He turned away and continued his search for Elena and the book.
Far above, Elyria and Severin descended into Kesath.
They landed smoothly at the edge of the massive courtyard, stone tiles stretching endlessly before them. The air humd with ancient magic, familiar and comforting to Elyria.
"Elder," she greeted as Zephyr approached them. He had sensed her return and had co out to et her, robes flowing gently around his tall fra.
"Elyria," he said warmly. "You have done well."
His eyes shifted to Severin, who made no effort to greet him.
Even with the blatant disrespect, Zephyr smiled.
"Jesse, was it?" Zephyr asked gently.
"What do you want?" Severin replied flatly.
Elyria’s head snapped toward him, eyes flashing with ice. How rude could one being be? Speaking to an elder as though he were an inconvenience.
"And you owe my Elder a favor," she snapped. "The least you can do is show so decency in your speech."
Zephyr placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "She is quite the feisty one," he chuckled.
"What is your request?" Severin asked again, his expression unchanged.
Zephyr studied him for a long mont before smiling. "Please," he said softly. "Co with ."
The three of them walked into the house. Severin remained silent, while Elyria stewed in quiet fury, already plotting how she would one day get even with him for humiliating her back in the human world.
Zephyr led them through the halls and into the backyard.
Lio and Elena were on the patio.
Lio rose imdiately when he saw them. "Elder," he greeted respectfully, bowing his head.
"Mm," Zephyr replied, patting him fondly on the back. "Lioren, this is Jesse."
Lio turned to Severin and extended his hand.
Severin stared at it without moving.
Lio clenched his jaw and withdrew his hand, embarrassnt flickering across his features. Elyria’s anger deepened.
"He must be in a hurry," Zephyr said calmly, easing the tension. "I need you to check on her, Jesse."
He took Severin by the arm and led him to where Elena lay resting on a bench.
A flicker of shock crossed Severin’s face. It lasted less than a second, gone before anyone could notice.
He stared down at Elena, silent and still.
"Do you know what is wrong with her or not?" Elyria asked sharply. "You have been standing there forever."
Severin did not respond.
He knelt before Elena and reached into his coat, pulling out a small green gem that appeared to be broken in half.
"I need a scale," he said.
"Didn’t you already steal mine?" Elyria snapped.
"That one is for my personal use," he replied coldly. "Now give it."
"Here," Lio said quietly, holding out his own.
Severin placed the gem on the scale and then set both on Elena’s chest.
Light burst forth, ba
thing her in a luminous glow.
Suddenly, Elena’s eyes flew open.
Her pupils burned scarlet purple, and her irises turned white as snow.
Severin rose slowly to his feet.
"She is a Tarod," he declared simply.
Reviews
All reviews (0)