Page 123 of An Archer's Redemption

I needed no crown.

I wanted one thing, and only one thing.

I wantedvengeance.

Chapter 54

Declan

The door clicked shut, and I looked around.

A tall woman with silky black hair trailing down to her waist stood glaring at a parchment in her hand. Despite the tinkling of the bells, she hadn’t seemed to notice me.

And then she looked up.

Our eyes met.

I had forgotten about my eyes and their swirling magic.

Sheknewme.

I saw it in her gaze, the recognition, the flash of anger and hatred.

Before I could think, a wall of air blasted me into the back of the heavy wooden door.

I lost my footing and landed on my rear.

Dazed, I looked up at the woman. Venom and hatred glared back.

Then she vanished, and the crinkled parchment she held drifted to the floor.

I climbed to my feet and stared at where the woman had stood a moment before. I threw up a shield of air in case she returned, then took a couple of tentative steps forward, scanning the area.

My head swam a moment before settling.

The door squealed as it flew open, and two uniformed Constables entered with swords drawn. “Are you alright, sir? We heard the crash and thought you might be in trouble.”

I released my shield and turned to the men. “I’m fine. The shop is empty. The woman got away.”

“How?” The men glanced at each other. “We have the place surrounded. There’s nowhere for her to go.”

“Officers, would you get the High Sheriff, please. We will explain everything once he arrives,” Atikus, stepping into the shop, answered before I could say a word.

I kneeled and retrieved the parchment Irina dropped as she vanished. I held it up and turned to say something, but Atikus silenced me with a mental note.“Not until we’re alone.”

The moment the door closed behind the Constables, I stepped forward and handed the flyer to Atikus. “I’m not sure if this is relevant to finding her, but she was reading this when I walked in. I caught her crumpling it up. She looked angry . . . well, angrier than her usual pissedoffness.”

“Pissedoffness?” Atikus harrumphed, then skimmed the flyer. “The Order again. Seems like they are in the middle of everything these days. When we see the Sheriff, I will ask him to assign some men to sniff around.”

He rolled up the flyer and shoved it into his robe. “Now, tell me what happened.”

I recounted the brief encounter with the woman I presumed was Irina. When I described her hair and eyes, Atikus nodded. “That’s her. She used her magic to change her appearance back to how she looked before. If I understand the mechanics, that is akin to Illusion, and not a true transformation. She shouldstill be inhabiting Larinda’s body, which means the physical limitations of an old woman still work to our advantage.”

“Maybe. She’s a magically enhanced old woman. She tossed me back like I was nothing.”

“Her magic is powerful, but she caught you by surprise. In a fight you knew was coming, I doubt she could do that without you having time to shield yourself.” He smoothed his beard as he thought. “Using magic takes a physical and mental toll. That is its price. Larinda’s constitution is robust, but she is still ancient. Without the magic of Rea Utu to restore her health, her body will fail.”

“You’re already planning our confrontation, aren’t you?”

---