Page 154 of The Eye of the Fifth
They didn’t know they had awoken a beast.
The earth was dormant now. But the sun…
It would obliterate them all. The entire city. She should have done it months ago when she had stood on the hangman’s platform, should have let that power rip and fry them all tonothing-
She let the monster climb up and up, let it shine from every pore, fuelled by hate, fury, vengeance, an insatiable need fordeath-
She let her dagger fly.
It embedded in the back of the murdering soldier’s head. He thudded to the ground, dead.
Before she could let her sun magic sing an aria of promised death, two figures landed in front of her and she was ripped into the air in a rush of wings.
Arrows flew toward them, missing them by millimetres. She bucked against the thick arms that held her, furious that her kills had been stolen-
‘Nysari, donotengage!’ the male holding her shouted. ‘Do you want to start a war with Vrethian as well as Zarynth?’
His words were met with a growl of frustration from the female flyer to their left.
Kyra didn’t know them at that moment. She knewnothingbut her own rage, her fury, her grief.
They landed, but the male’s hold on her remained tight. ‘TAKE ME BACK!’ she screamed in a demonic voice that wasn’t hers, writhing in his arms and glowing, glowing so bright-
‘Nys,do something!’the male shouted at his female companion. Fear coated his voice.
Then, quite suddenly, Kyra was violently shoved, and found herself submerged in dark, icy cold water.
When she resurfaced, spluttering on saltwater that had shot up her nose, her skin was no longer alight with the sun.
She blinked stinging eyes up at her abductors in the boat. Nysari and Mankar were staring down at her. The latter muttered, ‘That’ll do it.’
He leaned over with his arm outstretched, and with ease, hauled her back into the boat.
The moment she found a seat, Nysari none too gently clamped iron shackles around her wrists, glowering down at her.
‘Are these really necessary?’ Kyra said weakly.
‘Precautionary,’ was Nysari’s cold reply. ‘You have a lot of explaining to do.’
Softly, Mankar asked her, ‘Where’s the Eye, Kyra?’
‘Gone,’ she croaked.
Nysari let out a hiss.
‘Gone where?’ Mankar pushed.
But Kyra could barely hear him over the ringing in her head. She turned her gaze toward Avaldale’s port, where that ship was now little more than a smoking wreck. Those innocent fishermen… dead. Because of her. Never again to return home.
Raymond, dead. Never again to return to his family.
Because of her.
She started shaking then, as the image of Raymond’s rolling head plastered every corner of her mind, and she couldn’t stop the vomit from rising as she lurched over the side of the boat and spewed into the water.
???
Gallena’s Temple, Phaenon.
