Page 7 of The Salted Sceptre
Eventually he seemed to tire of my snail-like steps, muttered something under his breath and extinguished the fire with a flick of his wrist. He held out his hand to me. Gladys growled at my side but she needn’t have worried; I’d be damned before I’d accept his help.
Athair clicked his tongue as if I were nothing more than a wilful child and withdrew his hand when it became clear I wouldn’t take it. ‘I could have killed half the city – let alone dispatch all your friends down there – in the time it’s taken you to get here,.’
I clambered onto the flat section of roof, came to a shaky halt a few feet in front of him and lifted my chin. ‘Then why haven’t you?’
‘I’m not interested in them. I’m only here for you.’ His face loomed towards me. ‘But I can end their miserable lives now, if you like.’
It was an obvious taunt. I refused to rise to the bait but I did fix him with a hard glare: if looks could kill, I was on a winner. If only. ‘Why are you doing this, Athair? What do you want?’
‘Well, for starters you could call me Dad.’
My scowl deepened.
‘Daddy?’ He tipped his head to one side, his golden skin glittering in the moonlight. ‘Papa? Pop?’
My patience was growing thin. I took another step towards him in order to move away from the sloping edge. It was fortunate there wasn’t much of a breeze because I had enough to deal with without battling the elements as well as my father. The moment I was sure of my footing, I reached across my body and slid Gladys free. She hummed in delight.
Unfortunately, Athair’s red eyes lit with pleasure. ‘So, daughter,’ he drawled, ‘you want to dance.’
I didn’t waste my breath answering him as I hefted Gladys in my hands. I’d come a long way with my sword training; practising with Gladys had helped to empty my mind and focus on something other than my desperate craving for spider’s silk.
I pushed away the tiny voice of doubt deep in my mind that told me that I’d never be strong enough to beat Athair no matter how skilled I became, and I adjusted my stance. He appeared to be weaponless, which was a big tick in my favour, and I knew I could use his confidence against him. I doubted that Athair had ever faced an opponent who could actually kill him but I could – on paper, at least. Whether I could translate that to reality would soon become clear.
My first strike was important. I swung Gladys towards Athair’s chest, pushing as much power behind the movement as I could and yelling loudly, using my voice to add weight to my attack,
Instead of his body, my blade met air. ‘You’re strong,’ Athair said. He’d moved with lightning speed and was now standing a few metres to the side of me. ‘But you’re very slow.’ He reached for his top hat and started to remove it.
Brandishing Gladys again, I roared and ran at him. Before I could get close he threw the hat at me, spinning it through the air like a frisbee. It smacked into my face with such force that I reeled, but I didn’t stop moving forward. Blinking hard, I kept going, slicing the sword forward with fast, jabby movements. If it was speed he wanted, it was speed I’d give him. I slashed left then right.
Athair avoided my blows easily. I feinted to my right before attacking to my left but he was prepared for that. He used a surge of water magic to yank Gladys’s tip away from his body. ‘Careful, daughter,’ he murmured. ‘I like this suit. I’d hate to see it ruined.’
I responded with a blast of my own water magic, conjuring it with enough force to drench him and make him stagger, then took advantage of his momentary vulnerability to leap at him again. But before Gladys could slice into the exposed golden skin of his throat, he launched a kick at me. The heel of his shoe caught my stomach and I doubled over in pain.
‘You snared me with water magic once before,’ Athair said. ‘You won’t manage it again.’ He paused. ‘Speaking of which, how was your trip back to the past? I’d love to know more about how you managed that.’
I pulled myself upright and jerked Gladys’s blade upwards. I intended to slash at his legs but my thrust wasn’t strong enough. Athair kicked again, this time aiming his foot at Gladys and knocking her away before she could cut into his flesh. Despite my best efforts, she was wrenched from my grasp and she clattered as she hit the roof.
Athair rolled his eyes and flicked out a burst of air magic that smacked me in the chest and sent me sprawling inches from the roof’s angled slope. ‘I grow bored with these antics,’ I heard him say.
He appeared over me, raised his foot for a third time and pressed it against my chest, forcing the air from my lungs. ‘We do not have to fight, Daisy. I didn’t come here to provoke an argument, I came to extend an invitation. I can see that you might need a little enticement to listen to me.’
I clenched my jaw and conjured a bolt of electricity that arced upwards and hit him. He barely even blinked; instead, he increased the pressure on my chest, winked and, with a casual smirk, clicked his fingers.
The air sparked and a small fireball appeared. It was less than an inch wide but then it started to grow. While I gasped for air and tried to jerk free from his foot, the fireball became larger and larger. I heard shouts of alarm from below.
The heat was intense. ‘How many of your friends do you think I can take out with this?’ Athair asked, his casual tone making his threat even more chilling. ‘Several at least. I can still see dozens of people down there – they should have run when they had the chance. And I can destroy the surrounding buildings. I wonder if they’ve all been evacuated. To be honest, I’d quite like to destroy that statue of Prince Albert in the middle of the square, too. That man always annoyed me.’
The fireball rose up until it was hovering above his head and it continued to grow. The fucking thing was immense – and so was its destructive power.
Athair grinned nastily. ‘How pretty will that annoying boyfriend of yours be when he has third-degree burns all over his body?’
The fireball started to drop towards the square, growing in size and speed with every inch it travelled. I heard high-pitched screams: people were still down there, though I couldn’t tell who was in danger. I couldn’t see anything beyond the ball of flames, the night sky and Athair’s smug, hateful features. But I could imagine.
‘Stop,’ I croaked.
Athair continued as if hadn’t heard me. ‘I’m told that burning to death is one of the most painful ways to go, so at these temperatures it will be agonising. First your skin blisters, then your flesh starts to melt, your own body fat sizzling as you’re?—’
The fireball dipped out of view. I raised my voice and repeated, ‘Stop!’
