Page 55 of Tragic Ink
Chapter 18
Fake Rhys roaredand pushed forward, arms outstretched as he chased me. Up ahead, Real Rhys was whispering furiously at the tattoos I’d given him, willing them to form into three dimensional weapons. The knives Fake Rhys had claimed were gone suddenly sprang to life and found their way into Real Rhys’s hands as he ran for us. I gathered my own magic faster than I ever had before, and the ropes I’d tattooed on my own skin sprang forth. I whispered the phrase I knew would activate the magic, nothing more than a few broken words paired with my own strength of intention, and the ropes spun out into the air, wrapping themselves almost instantly around Fake Rhys’ ankles. They tightened into a lasso and then yankedhard.
He went down with a loudgrunt.
Real Rhys reached me and pulled me against him in a fierce hug. He ran a hand over my hair and down my neck then pulled back long enough to search my face. “You’re allright?”
“I’mgood.”
“How did you know it was me?” he asked while Fake Rhys thrashed on the groundnearby.
I rolled my eyes. “You weren’t nearly as paranoid with worry for me as usual. And when I told you to follow me, you did it without question. That was a deadgiveaway.”
Real Rhys grinned and planted a hard kiss on my mouth. “Don’t everchange.”
It was all we had time for before Fake Rhys was groaning and pushing up on his hands. When he raised his head, his eyes were ringed in a bright yellow that was definitely not a trait he’d stolen fromRhys.
“Gwen, get back,” Rhys said, already shoving me aside as he brandished hisknives.
Fake Rhys was already working at untangling the ropes, but my magic held them in place. Still, it wasn’t enough to stand against whatever he had. When his hands couldn’t untie them, he wrapped his fingers around the rope and whispered words I didn’t understand. The ropes slipped free, their spellbroken.
He sprang to his feet as the ropes melted into thin air, the spellwork having run its course. Real Rhys was ready. In a move too fast for me to see, Fake Rhys drew his own set of knives, and the two men launched themselves into a violent dance accompanied by the sound of clanking metal and softgrunts.
They moved almost too fast for me to keep up with, and I knew if a human happened along, we were all going to be in a world of trouble for it. The only glamour left was the magic that held our human disguise in place. But reflexes, strength, speed, magic—it was all out there. And it was only a matter of time before the police or Elsmed or someone came along andnoticed.
The longer they fought, the more I realized what an even match they were. Leaps, stabs, and parries—they moved like carbon copies of one another. Probably because they were. My anxiety left my palms clammy and Ethan practically wringing his wings inhelplessness.
I had to end this.Now.
The first specks of magic on my arm sprang to life at my coaxing. Translucent images of knives and bindings, more rope like the coil I’d already unleashed and even zip ties. I kept concentrating, my impatience threatening to weaken the whole thing. But Rhys needed me, and I finally understood—and gave myself permission to use—what was really available to me. For so long, I’d held back on this part of myself, because I’d been terrified it would be used to hurt others, but I couldn’t hold back anymore. It was time to use all ofit.
I kept calling on the magic that was laced into the ink I wore. The weapons materialized in my hands, but it wasn’t enough. Notnearly.
Before my eyes, Fake Rhys began to change form. First, his skin tone darkened until his hands and face were a darker brown than they’d beenbefore.
While they fought, the rest of the dark fae’s features changed until he no longer looked like Rhys at all. His big eyes glowed that same strange yellow as I’d seen before. His nose grew longer, and his lips thinned. His cheeks sank in, revealing a much leaner form than he’d had as Fake Rhys. His ears elongated until they came to a point, and he rose in height until he towered over the realRhys.
I gasped as the rest of the dark fae’s glamour dropped and his magic filled the air around me. It felt like invisible hands grabbing at my throat and choking me until I couldn’t breathe. I coughed, then dropped to my knees as the invisible hands tightened to cut off my air completely. Dark spots danced in front of my eyes, but no matter how hard I pried, I couldn’t pull the pressure away. I couldn’t even get a hold on the invisibleforce.
Rhys heard my wheezing and turned, but the dark fae used the distraction to his advantage, and I watched in silent horror as the dark fae’s knife sliced a gash in Rhys’s cheek. Blood rose to the surface and then began to drip down Rhys’sface.
I tried to scream but no soundcame.
Rhys stumbled back, wincing and trying to regain his focus as he pressed his free hand to his cheek. The dark fae didn’t chase him, and instead, he stared intently at where I knelt on the snow. His forehead creased in concentration, and I knew he was putting all his effort into attacking menow.
Desperate, I fought harder against the invisible hands at my throat, but it was no use. I waited for the moment the hands would tighten and I’d suffocate completely, but the pressure remained thesame.
Slowly, my energy began to drain and my body sagged as if something or someone were siphoning my strength. One by one, the magic in the tattoos I wore began to blink out. I could feel the moment they left my body, and more than that, I could feel my own well of untapped magic growing smaller and smaller. I tried calling out to Ethan, but there was only silence where our bond had beenbefore.
More tattoos began to appear on the dark fae, until his skin was just as covered with them as I was. Some of them glowed and some pulsed, and his eyes gleamed brighter as if the tattoos themselves were energizing himnow.
Rhys roared and ran at the dark fae with his knives raised, but the dark fae parried easily and swiped the knives away. It was clear that whatever magic the dark fae was taking from me now was fueling him. If we wanted to beat him, I had to break free of his attempt to rob me of mymagic
I had to take hisinstead.
The invisible hands around my throat remained, and the pressure was just enough to let me take small sips of air. He wanted me conscious, for now anyway. I didn’t have much time, but I was determined not to let this assholewin.
My mother had said in her letter that someday they would hide from me. Today was going to be thatday.
