Page 12 of The Daughter of the Scarred Elf

Kolfinna couldn’t hear what he was saying. She could only focus on Inkeri’s bloodless face, on the pleading look in her eyes, as if to sayhelp me.

If there was one thing the Royal Guards had taught Kolfinna, it was to protect people. It had been drilled in her every morning practice. Protect, serve, and help the people. It was a guard’s duty. In the face of someone who needed protection, it was hard for her to turn away.

Kolfinna lurched to her feet. Her mana rushed through her body like a jolt of lightning, tingling her senses and warming her flesh. “Let her go.”

She wasn’t in the Royal Guards anymore. She didn’t have to control herself for fear of losing her position. She didn’t have to make herself small so everyone else could be comfortable. She didn’t need to make friends. She didn’t need to fit in. She didn’t need anything here, so it didn’t matter what they thought of her.

There was nothing standing in her way of beating the shit out of this man.

“Oh? The little fae bi?—”

Kolfinna ripped a stone the size of her hand off the floor and chucked it straight at his face. It smashed right on target, the stone crumbling into smaller pieces. He stumbled back, blood gushing from his nose, and his arms flailed as he righted himself. It was all the time Inkeri needed to slip out of the bench and back away into the crowd—far from him and Kolfinna.

The silence in the room was deafening; everyone held their breaths. Waiting. Watching.

It feltgoodto smash the stone on his face. All the frustrations she had been feeling the past few weeks—the stress of the trial, the uncertainties of her future, losing her position as a guard, the weight of Ragnarök, binding herself to a man like Sijur—released with that single strike.

Never again did she want to feel like she had in the Royal Guards.

Never again would she let someone like Edwin, like Farthin, like Gisela—like Bjarni—push her around.

Bjarni brought a hand to the dust and blood smeared on his face. Scarlet dripped onto his fingers and spattered against the cold floor. At the sight of his blood on his hands, he brought his gaze slowly up to Kolfinna’s. Murder danced within the dark depths of his eyes.

For someone so large, he moved quickly. He snatched a knife off the table and flung it at Kolfinna. She raised her arm, but her magic was too slow for the knife. It slammed into her forearm and stuck there.

She hissed as hot pain flashed over her senses, clouding her focus, but her mana was already working into the floor beneath Bjarni’s feet. He ran toward her, lips twisted into a snarl when Kolfinna raised her hand and a spear of stone struck up from the floor. He tried dodging, but his body was too big of a target. The stone spear struck his shoulder and sent him reeling back.

Kolfinna stepped farther away from Bjarni; she didn’t know what magic he possessed—Enhancer or Elemental, and which element he controlled—so she had to be wary and keep her distance.

Warm blood seeped down her forearm and created streaks of bright red on the drab gray floor. The other soldiers parted, clearing the area into a ring so they could watch better.

She grabbed the metal handle of the knife and wrenched it free from her flesh. She winced, more blood gushing fromthe wound. The pain made it hard to focus, but the rush of adrenaline dulled it with every throb.

Bjarni circled her. There was a smear of blood beneath his nose, tingeing his skin in pink. Bits of stone were still stuck to his shoulder, but he made no move to brush them away or yank them out. He had his hawkish eyes on her, watching her every move, looking for an opening.

Kolfinna launched another stone at him at the same time she threw the knife, but he ducked and rolled away. Another soldier caught the stone and it cracked in her hands.

They both kept circling each other, fingers flexing. He was probably an Enhancer, Kolfinna thought. If he was an Elemental—whether that was ice, fire, wind, lightning, or water—he would’ve been able to do long-distance attacks on her. But he wasn’t: which only meant that he was an Enhancer and that she needed to be careful. If he caught her, there was a high chance that he would break her bones.

She wouldn’t give him that chance.

Her mana worked into the floor, ready to rip a hole and drag him in?—

Someone clapped loudly. Normally, it wouldn’t have stopped her from a fight—especially since she was hyper focused on it—but at the same time, sparks of blue-white lightning synergized the air and surrounded her and Bjarni. Strands of her hair floated at the charged energy. Bjarni’s forehead crinkled, clearly just as surprised as she was.

The clapping grew louder and the crowd parted. Sijur strolled into their circle with ease and grace and none of the rage she would’ve expected from her commanding officer. Instead, he appearedamused. His lips were curved up into a large grin, and those beady black eyes lit with laughter. Sparks of lightning buzzed off his fingertips.

“My, my, that was intriguing to watch,” Sijur purred, rubbing his hands together. The crackle of lightning made Bjarni stand taller. A nervous look passed over his once arrogant face. “It’s always so fascinating to see you fight, Kolfinna. As it is to watch you fight, Bjarni, but we can resume this match at a later time. Such as during a sparring match or a duel during training hours. But here”—he spread his arms wide and gestured to the room—“in the middle of the dining hall where everyone is trying to enjoy their meals? As much as Ilovethe enthusiasm from you both, I will have to urge you both to stop.”

He smiled wider and even though he made it sound like a request, It was anything but that. Kolfinna lowered her arms and released her hold on the stone flooring. She saw the fight leave Bjarni too.

“Bjarni, I’d like a word with you in my office.” Sijur was still smiling, seemingly unaware—or unconcerned—about the way Bjarni’s body went slack and his face turned ashen. “Kolfinna, why don’t you go to your room and rest? Maybe get your arm checked out as well.”

Kolfinna didn’t need to be told twice to get lost. She moved toward the exit and the crowd of soldiers made way for her. Their expressions were a mixture of intrigue, confusion, awe, horror, and—what surprised Kolfinna the most—respect.

She had never seen that look before. Not when people knew what she was—a fae.

She spotted Herja by the exit. She was leaning against the wall, her muscular arms crossed over her chest and a violent grin on her face. She looked all too entertained, but there was that gleam in her eyes that told Kolfinna that something had changed. Like Kolfinna had upgraded from a fae murderer to something more desirable.

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