Page 129 of Oathborn
Fine,she thought,I accept the deal.Drums pounded in her ears, and salt water filled her mouth. Was that it? Surely, making some sort of agreement with a talking sword merited something dramatic. Even Tivre’s deal had filled the cathedral with dancing green lights.
Was the sword’s voice just an end-of-life delusion?
Javen kicked the Crescent Blade into his hand. He held it aloft as silver light streamed from it, wrapping down his arms, illuminating his eyes so they glowed like molten metal. He stepped forward, arm outstretched.
This was it. He would kill her now, she was sure of it.
With a scream, he dropped the blade.
Someone—orsomething—laughed.
A strange, terrifyingly supernatural noise, a cacophony of multiple feminine voices, all laughing in different tones, different pitches. The sound echoed off the walls of the cave and seemed to even make the water ripple in time with its rhythm.
Cursing, Javen flexed his blistering hand. Angry red welts crisscrossed his palm. The sword had burned him. The largest red line blistered, and he hissed in pain.
What had the sword done to him?
Zari gritted her teeth. No time to wonder. He was currently unarmed, and the blade was close, so close. Zari lunged forward to grab the sword.
Javen snarled at her. “What a fool you are, Miss Ankmetta.”
The title rankled her more than ever. He spoke so properly, as if they were not locked in combat. “Stop calling me that! You’re no gentleman.”
“And you are no fae.”
The radio crackled again, Tobias’s voice coming through clearly. Had he heard her? Would it do any good at all? “Lockwood says to return.”
Javen replied, his gaze still locked on Zari, with calm detachment. “Tell him to practice patience for once.” The idea of Javen commanding Lockwoodwould have been humorous, if the situation was different. Her head buzzed with a droning roar, and her muscles screamed in agony.
“Just… kill me,” she muttered, “and be done with it.” She wanted to curse at him with every foul-mouthed word she’d ever heard but all she managed was a moan.
“You’ve claimed the Blade, I cannot kill you myself.” Javen brushed off his shirt as if this were only a minor altercation, a bit of a tussle in a schoolyard. “At least it will do my work for me. With no magic or destiny to offer it, you’ll be dead by moonrise.”
Was the fight over as swiftly as it had begun? He stalked away, fury radiating behind him like a cloak. Where he headed, she had no idea.
Nor did it matter now.
The statues blurred above her as the lights of the cave dimmed. The mark on her neck throbbed in time with the ghostly music still rattling her skull. So much magic, so much unknown.
Still. She was a nurse, first and foremost. If nothing else, she would rely on her training. Triage first, as best as she could. Her right wrist was probably broken, as was a rib. A concussion seemed probable.
Unable to even flex a finger of her right hand, she used her left to fumble for the dried silverbane she’d pocketed. Humming an old lullaby, she tried to stay awake. “Silver flower, blue flower, crimson flower bloom. If you were my only flower then—
“I’d be true.” A familiar, gentle voice finished the song, summoning a strange, heady mix of hope and confusion.
“Yansin?”
“As sure as the sun rises.” Yansin said. He wore the same faded clothes, his auburn hair half-hidden under a cap, except for a cloak, draped over his shoulders. Her heart leapt at his familiar voice, his smile, everything about him. “But you’re looking a little worse than when the tide left you.”
Despite herself, she couldn’t help smiling at the Karsic phrase.
Yansin shrugged out of his faded white shirt, leaving himself in just a tight-fitting undershirt. After he ripped the shirt into bandages, he doused one with water and dabbed at the crusting blood on her forehead.
Zari knew a wet rag did little for medical healing, but Yansin’s gentle touch made her sigh in relief. “How… how did you find me here?”
“I was close by,” he replied, turning his attention to bandaging her wounds. “Saw a huge flare of magic, and came to investigate.”
“How did you get here?”
