Page 91 of The Rose in the Shadows

“You’re a liability,” he barked, reaching behind the back of the Dragon’s throne and pulling out a chest of weapons. Did they always store weapons there? Were there weapons hidden in every room of the castle?

Clay started tossing them out to those in need. “I can’t protect you.”

His golden eyes were desperate, pleading, and his voice had lowered to a tenor just meant for me. I understood suddenly that his desire to keep me safe extended past the fact that I was of a royal house. His desire to keep me safe likely came from the same place that made me stop thinking about anything but a cut on his arm.

That was just another reason Clay and I couldn’t allow ourselves to go there, though.

We both had jobs to do and people to protect right now. We needed to focus on them and not on each other.

“I don’t need your protection.”

I ripped a sword from his grasp. It was short and light, perfect for my minimal skill set. I’d gotten quite good at hand-to-hand combat, but had barely begun my weapons training. I would have to make do. Before Clay could stop me, I took off at a sprint and launched myself into the chaos.

The dim lighting made it challenging to understand what was happening fully, but the screams made it clear that people were being hurt. A child cowered in the center of the room, curled into a ball and screaming. My legs were moving before my mind had conceptualized a plan and that well of untouched power in my belly swarmed.

A servant stepped into my path, swinging a blade toward my head at an impossible speed. I ducked quickly, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him into my knee. I stomped down on the back of his thigh and twisted as another servant reached to pull my hair. I gasped at the blinding tug. Perhaps wearing my hair inthe pinned up fashions that were more in style was something I should start considering.

I spun, trying to ignore the sting of chunks of hair being ripped from head. My sword sliced through the air, tearing at the delicate skin of the man’s throat. He fell.

By the Gods, I had just…

I had just killed him.

I’d never killed a man before.

My stomach lurched as I stared down at his body and I swallowed down a retch of disgust and guilt. There was no time for those feelings now.

I reached out to the child, who still sat cowering, and pulled her into my grasp. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and squeezed, crying viciously. I wondered if she recognized me.

“It’s okay,” I told her, smoothing her hair and pulling her hands from my throat. I hoped she recognized me. I hoped she knew enough to trust that I was one of the good guys. “You’re going to be okay, but I need you to be brave and close your eyes right now. Can you do that?”

Her little brown eyes widened initially, but eventually, she gave a small hiccup and nodded. She blinked twice, then closed her eyes, and I didn’t waste another moment. I imagined my power flowing out of me and wrapping around her. I pictured it enfolding her in a stiff cocoon, lifting her through the air, and landing her safely in Clay’s arms across the room. He caught her easily, having noticed her flight. With surprised and remarkably impressed eyes, he nodded at me and tucked her safely behind the throne.

I had only a second to breathe a sigh of relief before a rush of acute pain flooded my senses. One of the servants had sliced their blade down my forearm. I cried out, grasping at it foolishly, and the servant only laughed.

I really hated when people laughed at my pain.

“Such a scary girl, but you cry so easily,” the servant taunted.

She was tall, well over a foot higher than me, with dark hair tied back neatly at the nape of her neck. Her uniform was bloody, stained with her misdeeds. Effortlessly, she twisted a knife through her fingers as she paced around me, with her face contorted in disgust. Silently, she squeezed her fist, and the air was torn from my lungs, leaving me gasping on my knees. Fucking air elemental.

She chuckled again, pulling my head up by the hair so that I could meet her gaze. “Tonight, I’m finally ending this.”

I ripped at her wrist with my right hand, not strong enough to break it, but enough to get it out of my hair. As three more servants ran toward us, I threw out my left hand, blasting them across the room, where they fell unconscious.

“I will gut you, demon.” She roared, stabbing at me.

Dear gods, I scrambled away from her madness, but wasn’t nearly fast enough. Her blade sliced through my hip, a surface wound but deep enough to leave me screaming.

“I’ve waited so long for this.”

“You?” I sputtered as she attempted to suck the air from me once more. “You’re the one behind all of this?”

She rolled her eyes, and her boot connected with my stomach. The pain was blinding as I felt one of my ribs crack under the pressure. My scream only joined as an echo to the chaos around me. The woman lowered to her knees before me, tracing my cheek with her knife.

“I am but one,” she whispered.

She moved to slice my throat and even got a nick in before I wrapped my fingers firmly around her wrist. “You’re no one anymore.”

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