Page 74 of Blood Weaver
Without hesitation, all six charged toward me at full speed. I could turn and run, but I couldn’t outrun all of them. And even if I did, where would I run to? Back to the pleasure house? Madam Rose would gladly have me arrested to collect the bounty on my head.
When the first three soldiers reached me, I blasted them back with a burst of my power and then ran toward them, scooping a fallen sword to fight the other three who were closing in fast. Steel clashed against steel as I ducked and wove through the cadre of Keldaran soldiers. One swiped his sword in a killing arc toward my head, which I narrowly avoided by leaning back. As the blade sliced through the air where I’d stood, I ducked another sword thrust and slashed my borrowed sword through the man’s back.
One down.
One of the soldiers grabbed my throat and squeezed my wrist hard enough to crack bone, then twisted it. My sword dropped from my useless wrist, but I caught it lightning fast with my other hand and stabbed him in the gut.
Two down.
The men didn’t offer me a moment’s respite. Chains snaked out from the shadows to wrap around my wrists and ankles. One soldier tugged on the chains and my wrist slackened. My sword clattered to the street.
Slowly, Mykal strolled up to me wearing a smug grin. “You’re a good fighter … just not as good as we are,” he said, gloating. “Also, we came prepared. You see, once I knew you were a mage, I realized you need the use of your hands to wield your magic. Which, as you can see, we’ve taken care of. But that’s not all. Do you feel it?”
With a frown, I slowed my galloping heartbeat and felt the chains around me. With a start, I felt my power leaching from my skin. “What is this?” I tugged against the chains even more frantically.
Mykal laughed. “To fight Valoria, we discovered ways to conquer their mages. We learned that harsh lesson ten years ago, which was why we failed. But now … we’ve found Aetherite. This material weakens mages as effectively as iron diminishes the fae.”
My eyes widened. “Where did you get this?”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. Aren’t you concerned with your life? It’s completely in my hands.”
I scoffed. “Kill me and do it quickly. I’m losing patience.”
He stepped closer and tightly gripped my chin, pushing my face to look up at him. “Kill you?” He tilted his head and shook it. “No. Now that I can see you clearly, I realize you’re too pretty to kill,” he said with a knowing smirk.
Before I had a chance to muster a snarky remark, someone clubbed the back of my head and knocked me out cold.
My eyes wereheavy and gritty, but that discomfort was nothing compared to the throbbing pain in my skull that beat a rhythm with my heart. I slowly regained consciousness and my eyes fluttered open. I quickly noticed my hands were tied behind me, though thankfully with rope instead of the chains those goons had used earlier. My feet were unbound. Another stroke of good fortune.
I was in a tent, probably somewhere in the mountains or vast wilderness of the Central Plains wherever the Keldaran army was hiding. I sat up and leaned against the tree that acted as the tent’s center pole, then glanced around for anything I could use to slice the ropes that bound my wrists.
I slowly rubbed the ropes back and forth against the rough tree bark with enough friction to hopefully shear the woven threads. This would take a while, which meant I had to employ patience that wore thin with each passing moment. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I’d been captured, but it meant I had experience in a situation such as this. Time was my greatest weapon.
The repetitive, sawing motion of my arms and shoulders was tiring, and I had to take several breaks. I was half-convinced I would pop my shoulder out of its socket before the ropes would fray, but eventually, I felt the rope tearing. Soon, I would be free. Then, I heard movement outside. I stopped and strained my ears.
“Is the Crimson whore inside?” someone with a gruff voice asked.
There was a grunt before someone else answered, “She’s inside.”
Heavy footfalls sounded before the tent flaps opened and two Keldaran soldiers walked inside. They were big, likescarybig. I shrank inward as they took up most of the space within the tent.
One of the men scratched his bald head. “Well, look what we have here! The Crimson whore.”
His companion laughed. “I’m sure after she made the rounds in their camp, they threw her out once they were done with her.”
I narrowed my gaze. Their words didn’t bother me. They could think whatever they wanted. What worried me was their intent.
The two soldiers circled me and slowly began to untuck their shirts and unbutton their trousers.
“She might as well be of use to us while she’s here. Isn’t that right?” the bald headed one asked me.
I kept quiet and steeled myself for the impending attack.
He knelt in front of me, grabbed my legs, and attempted to spread them wide. I tightened my knees together and tried to kick at him.
“Don’t touch me!” I yelled. “I swear I’ll kill you!”
He laughed. “You? Kill me? Well, isn’t that funny. Right, Sam?”
