Page 117 of The Dagger and the Flame
She blinked, watching the skulls on the ceiling swim into focus. They were laughing at her.
You’re delirious.
She sucked in air, trying to fill her aching lungs. Her back throbbed, and her leg was twisted underneath her body. The fall had cut her arm open, and there was blood everywhere.
She groaned, trying to sit up, but that figure came again, swinging through the air on a rope of shadow. At first, Sera thought it was a monster but then it landed above her, and shesaw it was a man, not much older than her. Silver eyes flashing, pearlescent teeth bared in a savage smile. He was as tall and broad as Ransom, and for a delirious heartbeat, she thought she knew him. But she blinked, taking in his auburn hair and fair skin, and blamed the confusion on her concussion.
He straddled her torso, pinning her to the table. ‘Try not to squirm.’
She spat in his face. ‘Get off me, you prick.’
‘Actually, it’s Lark.’ His shadows slithered over her. ‘And if you could stay still while I’m killing you, I’d appreciate it.’
Seraphine crushed the pearls in her fist, willing the Lightfire to save her. A flash of heat, then a flare, and the shadows fell away.
Lark frowned. ‘What the—?’
She swung her fist, slamming it into his cheek. He reeled backwards. She bucked, knocking him sideways. He rallied, lunging at her again. This time, he used both hands on her throat. ‘Let’s do this the old-fashioned way, shall we?’
Her eyes bulged as her throat closed.Saint Oriel, help me.He was strangling her with expert ease, the sides of her vision spotting as she tried to fight for a sip of breath. There was none. His thumbs pressed against her windpipe, crushing it, and for all Albert had taught her, Seraphine could not now think of a single move to free herself.
Lark brought his face close to hers, and she thought she glimpsed a flash of regret in his now-green eyes. ‘I have to do it,’ he said, quietly. ‘He’ll never be able to. And if he doesn’t, Dufort will kill him. And he’s like my brother. My only brother.’
Amid the sludge of her thoughts, Sera realized he was talking about Ransom. Lark was killing her to save Ransom. If she wasn’t breathless, she might have laughed. But the thread of her life was fraying and her thoughts were slipping away.
In the end, it had all been for nothing. Lucille’s life. Mama’s life. Seraphine’s life. The Versini legacy had smothered them all in a shadow so dark, not even Lightfire could fracture it.
Tears pooled in her eyes, the world growing quieter until there was only the slow thud of her heartbeat echoing in her head.
There was a ragged shout. Through a haze, Seraphine saw Ransom’s fist connect with Lark’s jaw with such force, his head spun around. Lark’s grip on her slackened and her windpipe expanded. She gulped down air as both Daggers tumbled to the floor, swinging at each other.
A dark-haired girl rushed into the fray, trying to drag them apart.
Sera sat up just in time to see a monster charging at her. It was twice her size and three times as wide, its shadows lashing like whips. She rolled off the table, landing on top of Lark. ‘Ooof.’
He shoved her off and swung for Ransom again. Missed by an inch. ‘Have you lost your mind?’ Lark seethed.
‘Keep your fucking hands off her!’ said Ransom, dodging the next blow before landing one of his own with a sickening crack.
Lark roared in anger as the girl hooked her arm around his chest and dragged him away from Ransom. ‘Cut it out, you idiots,’ she snarled. ‘We have bigger problems right now!’
Seraphine left them to their argument and made for the door, slipping into the north passage on the hunt for Dufort. The tunnel was deserted, save for several dead Daggers strewn across the ground. Sera winced as she stepped over them, making her way down the main passage.
Thanks to the night she had followed Ransom down here, she knew exactly where Dufort’s chamber was. With any luck, she’d find him cowering inside it.
As she set foot in the smaller east passage, a frigid wind swept over her, extinguishing the oil lamps on the walls. There was a monster here. By the time she turned around, it was already leaping. It landed on her in a crushing heap, slamming her into the wall.
She slid to the ground, her teeth singing from the impact, the gash on her forearm ripped further open. Streams of blood were pouring out of her, making a puddle at her feet. She groaned as she lifted her head. The beast blurred as it rounded on her. It swept closer, the darkness around it rising like a wave. Sera whimpered, desperately flinging the pearls.
There was a snap of blinding light, magic swallowing the monster in a crackling gulp. The tunnel shimmered and for a moment it looked like a thousand fireflies were flitting around her. The scent of Lightfire hung heavy in the air, like lemon blossoms in the spring.
In the afterglow, Sera saw that the monster had become a young woman. She lay curled on her side, the skirts of her fine pink dress fanned out around her like fallen rose petals.
Sera struggled to her feet, and saw that she was drenched in her own blood. Her arm was bleeding badly and her headwas starting to spin. She tipped it back, steadying herself against the rough stone. She had to make a tourniquet before she passed out from blood loss. Out here like this, she was monster-fodder. As good as dead.
But to turn back… A chorus of howls rang out, warning her off.
She clamped her fingers around her arm above the wound and shuffled towards the entrance, following the flickering oil lamps. Every step was like wading through quicksand. She slumped against the wall, fingers catching at the rough stone for balance. She shoved herself along, one small step and then another, but her head was impossibly heavy and her vision was narrowing. She stumbled over a fallen body, her knees stinging as she hit the ground.
