Page 121 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

He’s going to keep me blinded like this until he can get the ring.

Squeezing my fingers into an even tighter fist, I hold on to the ring as hard as I can while I slash with my knife and reach for my own magic. Shoving it around me, I try to increaseKevlin’s fear. But he is not afraid. I try exhaustion. Boredom. Pity. Compassion. Anything I can think of that will help me. But he feels none of those emotions.

Still blinded by the light, I swipe through the air where I hope he is standing.

Pain spikes through my elbow as a punch lands. The strike to my elbow hits it right in the wrong spot, making my muscles spasm and my fingers fly open. The knife flies from my hand. But I don’t even have time to hear where it lands, because a weight slams into me from straight ahead.

My head snaps back from the force of the sudden hit, and I topple backwards with Kevlin on top of me. My back hits the ground with a thud, knocking the breath out of me again. Before I can recover it, a hand closes around my throat.

“Give it to me,” Kevlin snarls as he squeezes my neck. “Or I swear to Mabona, I will strangle you and then take it from your corpse.”

Panic blares through my skull as he cuts off my air. Still blinded by his light, I move my hand up far above my head so that he won’t be able to reach the ring, and then I yank my leg up and try to slam my knee into his ass again. But this time, he is sitting on my hips rather than my chest, so the move accomplishes nothing. I throw my other hand out, desperately searching for the knife that must be somewhere around us.

Kevlin hisses as I squirm and struggle underneath him, but his hand stays around my throat. My lungs burn.

Fuck, I need to think. Think!

My fingers only find grass and soil and roots. No knife.

A scream of frustration and panic and sheer utter desperation builds in my throat. But with him choking me like this, I can’t even let it out.

Bucking my hips, I try to throw him off me. It only serves to make him lift his weight for a few seconds. But I use thoseseconds well as I yank my free hand back and punch him straight in the balls.

He screams in pain.

I push with my magic, throwing everything I have into that violet spark of pain inside him.

Another bloodcurdling scream rips from his chest as he releases my throat. I gasp in a deep breath while the blinding white light disappears in a flash.

I blink furiously as silhouettes of the forest start returning to my vision. I still can’t see properly, but the weight of Kevlin’s body disappears from above me as he scrambles away while screaming in pain. Keeping my magic pouring into him, I gasp air into my lungs and try to force my vision to return faster. My heart pounds against my ribs. I need to find the knife. And get off the ground. Twisting around, I start struggling up while still dragging air back into my lungs. I need to?—

Blinding agony shoots through my leg as Kevlin stomps his boot down on the side of my ankle.

I scream, losing the grip on my magic.

Bones crack as Kevlin shatters my ankle.

The light is gone but I can barely see anything because of the black spots that are now dancing before my eyes. Pain sears through me, shooting like lightning up and down my leg, as I try to crawl backwards.

Kevlin, still bent over in pain from my strike to his balls, gasps in breaths through clenched teeth as he throws out an arm and grabs me by the collar. I slam my elbow into the crook of his, breaking his grip. But before I can get away, he slams his other fist into my cheek.

My head snaps to the side while more stars dance before my eyes. I suck in a sharp breath as Kevlin buries his fist in my collar again while I’m still trying to recover. With a yank, he pulls meback towards him and up onto my knees. I blink furiously, trying to clear my head, while I pound my fist against his hand.

He releases my collar. But before I can even feel relief over that, he grabs my left wrist and yanks my hand towards him. I keep my fingers tightly squeezed into a fist, protecting the ring. But he doesn’t even try to pry my fingers up. Instead, he bends over and shoves my hand down on the ground.

Then he raises his foot.

Alarm screams through my head. I try to yank my wrist out of his grip, but it’s too late.

He stomps his heel down on my hand.

I scream as the bones in my hand crunch underneath his boot.

Desperately, I try to summon my magic and manipulate his pain again. But the agony pulsing from my own ankle and hand is so blinding that I can’t concentrate enough to channel magic.

My gaze darts around the ground, frantically searching for the knife instead.

Hope pulses through me.

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