Page 135 of Court of Lies and Deceit

They scream, half of them flying backwards and crashing into the people behind. The leader leaps to his feet, a snarl on his face, and throws a torrent of fire back at Draven, who is countering with another blast of wind. The other squad members lurch to their feet and swing their bows towards the Red Faction.

Panicked orders split the air as the team leader yells at the rest of his faction. Two of them summon fire and water to block the hail of arrows while their fastest runner, a woman with golden hair, breaks off from the group. And sprints towardsme.

A jolt shoots up my spine, and I cast a panicked glance over my shoulder.

Oh shit. She’s heading for the portal. And if she makes it through, her entire team will be transported out with her and the pocket reality will collapse. It won’t matter if we can hold off against these strange beings in bronze until Isera gets here. If one person from the Red Faction steps through, the portal will disappear, leaving us trapped here with these furious beings forever.

A snarl of fury rips from my lungs as I spin around and sprint back towards the portal, aiming to cut off the woman’s path to it before she can reach it. I have to keep her from reaching it.

She snaps her gaze towards me. Anger crackles across her face, and she picks up speed.

Panic pulses through my entire body like lightning strikes as she hurtles across the grass at an impossible speed. I run with everything I have, but she keeps getting closer.

Ten strides from the portal.

Eight.

Six.

Three.

I slam into her from the side.

She gasps as my body connects with hers so forcefully that we both go crashing down on the grass in a tangle of limbs. I yank my arm out from between her body and the ground, and then I stab my blade straight towards her throat.

No time to hesitate. No room for second thoughts. No chances to knock her out or to make her surrender. She needs to die. Right now. Before she can get through the portal.

Panic flashes across her face, and she yanks her head to the side right in time.

A pulse shoots up my entire forearm as my blade slams into the ground instead, sinking deep into the grass. With a growl, I yank it back out. But that buys her enough time to get her knee up in between us.

I suck in a sharp breath as she kicks hard, forcing my body away from hers. The force of it throws me backwards. She pushes herself up from the grass and tries to get to her feet, but I launch myself at her again. A cry rips from her throat as I manage to slash my blade across the back of her hand. Drawing her other fist back, she tries to punch me in the face.

But she doesn’t summon any magic, which means that running impossibly fast probably is her magical ability.

I duck her punch, twisting my body sideways as I try to get back on top of her. But she kicks her knee out, forcing me back again. While swiping with my dagger, I reach blindly towards her. Grabbing her collar, I yank her body sideways and throw herto the grass. She gasps, panic bursting in her eyes as she hits the ground hard while I roll on top of her.

The portal glitters only a single stride away now.

She reaches for it, stretching out her hand towards the sand on the other side. Her fingers almost brush the glittering blue frame.

I scream.

And ram my blade down through her throat.

Shock pulses across her whole face, and her hand falters.

With that shock, and a sudden flood of fear, in her eyes, she stares up at me as I yank the blade back out. Blood wells up from the wound, bubbling as she tries to breathe. Only gurgling sounds make it out.

For a few seconds, all I can do is to stare down at her as the light dies in her eyes.

Then she goes still, her dead eyes staring up at me unseeing and her fingers one single inch away from the portal.

Warm blood trickles down her throat from the wound and spills over the hand I still have buried in the collar of her red fighting leathers. The feeling of it snaps me out of my stupor, and I yank my hand back.

Flicking warm blood from my fingers, I stagger to my feet while sucking in a shuddering breath.

I have recovered enough strength that I will be able to use my magic to create one emotion. And I need to use that on the squad leader in bronze so that Draven doesn’t have to?—

---