Page 1 of Artemysia
“It’s kill or be killed.” - Delphine
Atall Syf male slashes at me with his blade, his icy blue eyes wild and murderous. Between vicious thrusts, he shakes the dark hair out of his pale face.
His beautiful face is so…human. The tail lashing behind him is not.
Under different circumstances, his gauzy wings and elf-like ears might be endearing, but his fangs and claws betray the fact that he possesses no humanity at all.
The Syf are lethal killers.
Heart in my throat, I spin away, but he rebalances and switches to a reverse grip of his blade. Even in the copper glow of the first moon at twilight, it’s easy to see that he won’t stop until I’m dead.
It’s kill or be killed.
He cocks his head, most likely deciding which of my limbs to sever. Sweat trickles down his naked torso ontohis belted breeches tucked into high boots.
We rearrange our stances, circling each other behind a row of blue and white village cottages. With the clang of blade on blade, we parry each other’s strikes. Part of me regrets having to destroy such a majestic creature, but I’m not about to abandon my dream of a safer world by giving up, so I force myself to keep going.
It helps to think of each Syf as the one who murdered my mother.
The Syf male shrieks like a hawk before lunging at me. His iridescent wings fan like flames behind his bare shoulders. Normally, their soft, flightless wings drape down their backs like silk capes, but he seems furious that I’ve lasted this long.
Well,I’mfurioushe’slasted this long. It’s my job to defend the people of South Kingdom.
Cursing under my breath, I dodge his incoming strike and tighten my grip on my two short swords. With dual backhand swings, I sever his head. He bleeds like humans do. The thick crimson liquid splatters my face in pulsing spurts as he collapses onto the cobblestone street.
I spit, wiping the hot blood off my chin using the collar of my cloak.
There’s no time to stare at his diaphanous wings, which flutter even as he lies there, headless.
“Delphine, behind you!” a squad member hollers from atop his elk.
The next Syf is upon me.
I whirl around and kill her too.
“Once my dagger is out, it wants blood.” - Delphine
Ghost Elk Tavern, Stargazer City
My pulse races in this cramped, old pub lit by beeswax candles. If I hearCongratulations, Captain Delphine Julianone more time, I might throw up the expensive brandy I’ve been drinking all night with my squad to celebrate my promotion. My body aches from the skirmish earlier today.
Sweat builds in uncomfortable places. I’m overly warm under the low, thatched roof of the Ghost Elk. It stinks of old cheese and spilled ale in here.
I need out.
Captain. I’ve worked my ass off to get here, and now, at twenty-two, I’m the youngest to ever make the rank. It’s exhilarating to defy the higher-ups who branded my style of leadership as “idealistic,” with a few going so far as to say I’m too softfor the role.
But the joke’s on me, because starting tomorrow, I’m responsible for the lives of a hundred men and women under my command, and it’s terrifying. It weighs on my chest like a sack of stones.
Breathe, Delphine.
I swallow down the fear and don’t allow it to show.
Pressing through the loud, drunken crowd, I make my way toward the exit. The swelling on my ribcage feels hot under my cloak—a Syf snapped me in the ribs today with the spine of his saber before I decapitated him. I don’t look forward to examining the bruise there.
At least I didn’t lose a single soul on my squad, and we obliterated the dozen Syf who raided a village just outside Stargazer City.
I hate the killing.
