“You must leave, little flame.”
I ignored him, my feet moving of their own accord. “You are hurt!”
Before my hand could settle on his cheek, a voice shouted my name, followed by a pounding of booted footsteps.
I turned to face Xylos, who stood in the archway with a heaving chest and frantic eyes.
The thinner guards that stood beside their towering, centered leader, shuffled uneasily. But the leader did not share the same sentiment, stepping forward and tilting his head mockingly.
“So the alerts were true,” he nodded. “After years upon years of cooperation, why must you feel it necessary to free the captive? We had a pact, Master Talon.”
Talon glowered. “Pacts evolve as the centuries wear on.”
The guard barked out a harsh laugh. “That is for both parties to decide. And as far as I am concerned, this decision was made behind our backs.”
Talon’s hands braced against the floor, pushing himself up until he rose unsteadily with a curse. The dagger’s hilt jutted from his stomach, yet he stood as though it were nothing but an inconvenience.
“Do not act as though this war was inevitable,” he snarled. “The High Court was always going to send guards for us. They want us killed.”
A guard to the leader’s left scoffed. “Blasphemy.”
The other stepped forward. “We will take them both. It seems you cannot be trusted to pose punishment against your own.”
All three guards advanced forward but froze when Vesuva lunged toward them.
“I dare you to raise a hand to my kin. You will leave here soulless.” Talon spat, the serpent hissing in agreement.
“Your protectiveness is impressive.” The leader’s longsword cleared its sheath with a cold, singing ring, his eyes locked on the dagger jutting from Talon’s side. “However, that blade is laced with the silver of the Sunken Isles. It binds shadow and it starves spirit. You may stand, Master, but you cannot fight. And you certainly cannot protect them.”
His gaze landed on me, chilling me to the marrow.
The leader advanced. The remaining two guards fanned out, locking Xylos into a defensive posture and closing the ranks toward the wounded Master.
Talon swayed, a choked sound of agony escaping him as his shadows began to constrict, inward as if the tainted blade was drinking his very life.
The ghost pain in my ribs intensified, as his hand pressed down on the wound, but I straightened and took a closer step forward, positioning myself so I stood just in front of Talon’s injured side.
“Kaelia, do not,” Talon’s voice strained.
Without much thought, my right hand shot out, and the shadows responded with a violent, instinctive surge. They coalesced into a shimmering, obsidian claw that whipped across the space. It caught the leader’s arm, tightening with a visceral grip. He cursed, ripping his arm back to tear the shadow apart, but the distraction was enough.
“Impressive, Lady Kaelia,” he sneered, his voice losing its calm. He massaged his arm, though his armor showed no mark. “You are the perfect portrayal of what the High Court despises.”
“Watch your tone,” Xylos growled. “You trespass in our domain and badmouth our Master. One more word and I will think you are offering me a feed I cannot resist.”
“Keep it quiet, you abomination. As soon as we get our hands on you, we will have you sent back to confinement, only the treatment in Haelen will be far worse.”
Xylos roared and surged forward, heading not for the leader, but the two guards flanking him. He moved with a speed that belied his tall frame, a blur of black smoke and cloth.
The attack was effective in distracting the High Court leader, his attention flickering as both bodies landed into a heap on the ground.
Talon’s body shuddered beside me, his shadowed shield moving diagonally until the corner blocked me completely from the guards’ view. “Get them, little flame.”
Rooting my feet to the ground, my palms turned upwards, pulling a few wispy strands from the shield and coalescing them into a ball. Their long tails tickled the space between my fingers, distracting me momentarily, but a small shove from the shield to my shoulder, had me honing in with focus.
Once the form solidified, I glanced around the defensive wall to see that the guard remained in the same spot.
With a loud exhale, I threw my hands forward, the ball splitting through the shield and sailing straight into the chest of the leader.