Page 21 of When Storms Collide

I pulled Stormslayer free, the dagger instilling a sense of surety in me as I held it tight in my grip. We took off in the opposing direction, our boots slamming against the cobblestones as we ran. Kenna led the way, but none of us were sure of the best way to escape from this vantage point. We didn’t know where we were. We weren’t lost, exactly, but we werein a part of The Shadow none of us were familiar with, and Kane and his men were close on our trail.

I could sense the magic rolling off Kane as if it were a physical, tangible thing. He was more powerful than Fletcher, and the thought had a lump forming in the back of my throat. Would we be able to beat them if it came down to hand-to-hand combat?

“Kotova!” Kane roared behind us, the sound of his boots against the cobbles growing closer and closer.

They were faster than us, that much was clear at this point. They were gaining on us faster than we could outrun them. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kane was familiar with these streets. We followed Kenna as she banked right, towards the center of The Shadow, away from the Siraway mountains we had been heading towards. The street narrowed, and we had to pass through single file before it opened again on the other side and we took off at top speed.

We were racing through the streets of The Shadow, causing quite a raucous, eyes drifting towards us and heads peeking out of shops to see what the commotion was about as we stormed by.

We darted around another hard left and Puck almost lost his footing, sliding against the stone road and scratching his forearm, leaving behind a streak of hot, red blood. He was on his feet again in a matter of seconds, catching up to us. He was faster than we were, and I feared he was holding himself back as to not leave us behind. I pumped my arms at my side harder and harder, pushing myself to the limit.

I was never the fastest runner, but Ihadbeen training. At least I wasn’t being left behind by the entire group. Tess held herself back for me too, and I knew that nothing I could say or do would change that fact. She was all legs, and she could outrun any of us on her worst day.

“Where are we going?” Saanvi called out from behind me as we turned left again.

“You think I’ve got a clue?” Kenna turned her head as she called back to us. “I’m just trying to lose them!”

One more turn led us to a dead end, and we all skittered to a stop barely in time to prevent us from toppling over, one after the other as if we were a row of dominos.

“Shit.” My breaths came in short, fast pants as I tried to fill my lungs with gulping heaps of air again.

“Turn back!” Kenna called from the front.

“Too late.” Tess replied, swallowing hard as we turned towards the way we had just come.

Kane had cornered us, twirling the club in his hand, a sinister smile across his lips.

“Kane, it doesn’t have to be like this…” Puck tried, his hands out as if he could put some distance between us and Kane’s men.

“I’ve never much liked you,Petyr,” Kane spit out, Puck’s full name dripping with disdain as it left his mouth. As if it were not a name at all, but a curse.

“The feeling is mutual, trust me. But we don’t want any trouble,” Puck replied, his right hand moving to his Katana strapped across his back.

His hand rest against the hilt, but he didn’t pull it free. Not yet.

“My quarrel isn’t with you, though I’ve been given instructions to bring the whole lot of you in. Dead or alive.” Kane raised the broadsword in his hand and pointed it at me, his murky brown eyes narrowing. “You. Nowyou, I will bring in dead.”

I swallowed hard. “I understand your pain, but I had no choice. It was me or him, and I wasn’t about to lie down and let Fletcher kill me,” I replied, voice gruff.

“I don’t give a shit. A life for a life. You killed my brother, so now I will kill you. I’ll give you the mercy of making it quick.” His voice was full of rage as he moved forwards again.

Puck stepped in front of me, sliding his Katana free of its sheath and holding it in the space between us. His expression was a warning. “You won’t take her.”

“We’ll have to see about that, won’t we?” Kane asked, his smile menacing as his eyes fell on me. “Nikolai wants to see you again. Begged Donika to let him be the one to capture you. Best I can do is bring him your limp, lifeless body.”

The mention of Nikolai had my blood singing in my veins and my magic moved forwards forcefully, pressing under my skin so urgently I almostwantedto let it loose. It was too unpredictable, and I could hurt one of us as easily as I could hurt Kane or his men. I pressed my eyes closed as I pushed the magic down, my hand gliding to the back of my belt, and the throwing blade tucked beneath my leather jacket.

My fingers found the hilt of the throwing dagger and as I slid the dagger free, my eyes snapped open, my throwing arm surging forward.

The knife struck home barely shy of its target, sinking into the flesh below Kane’s left shoulder and lodging into the thick muscle. He tore it free and threw it to the cobblestone, where it skittered away from him into the shadows.

His mouth opened in a snarl that was half human, half wolf, his fangs protruding from his mouth and splitting his lips in a menacing grin. Blood trickled down his chin and the wound in his shoulder, soaking through his shirt as he surged forwards, his blade meeting Puck’s as he moved to stand before me. To guard me.

Everything felt as if it happened all at once, my blade meeting that of one of Kane’s men as I narrowly ducked under his blow. The force with which his blade hit mine had me faltering, almost slipping to my knees. I pushed back with all my strength, the man taking a few steps back, an expression of surprise crossing his features.

I darted forward swiftly, using speed to my advantage. But Kane’s soldier fell away before my blade could hit home, barely catching the material at his shoulder. The training gear split open, revealing the thin slice I had made against his skin with my blade beneath.

I turned with the blade in my hand as he raised his own between us, but this time I was ready for the jarring force with which our blades met. My other hand slid to the back of my shirt to grab the other throwing knife stashed there. As my hand closed around the hilt of the small knife-edge, Ieased the force with which I was pushing Stormslayer, allowing the soldier to fall forwards towards me.

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