Page 88 of To Kill a King
The assassin jumped over the obstacle, stabbing downward.
The blade impacted bare dirt as Lindir somersaulted away. He leaped to his feet, dropping his bow and drawing two daggers Aliya hadn’t noticed before. Parrying the invader’s next lunge, he forced the sword up and away with his left hand while slicing at his opponent’s gut with his right.
Another ball of Cressida’s magic shook the ground as it blasted the assassins backward.
A familiar voice echoed across the clearing. “Spread out! Surround them.”
Aliya blinked. The Arcane Inquisitor—Brooks was here!
The humans obeyed, flanking them. One of them caught Aliya’s attention. He smirked and gave her a mocking wave as recognition slammed through her body.
Stephen—the fake bard.
Lady Brightleaf cursed under her breath and adjusted her stance so she stood back-to-back with Aliya. “Remember what I told you about not using too much power?”
She nodded. If her abilities acted up now, the consequences would be deadly.
“The shield will permit your magic to pass. Do what you need to.” She glanced around the clearing. “Where are those reinforcements?”
She hadn’t perfected her control and Cress wanted her to fight? The burden of her mentor’s trust weighed on Aliya’s shoulders.
Two of the intruders stepped back, sheathing their swords. Dropping to the ground, they pulled out what looked like a long black tube. Pulling a flint and steel, they sparked a string on the end of the stick and pointed it at Cressida.
Lady Brightleaf’s voice cut through Aliya’s thoughts. “Lindir! No!”
Aliya whirled around. The archer had both hands over his stomach. Red seeped from between his fingers as he collapsed to his knees and tumbled face-first into the dirt.
Above him, his opponent raised his sword, preparing a death blow.
“No!” Aliya grabbed a fistful of the kernel of light in her core and hurled it at the man standing over the fallen elf.
Her magic exploded against Cressida’s shield, ripping it to shreds. The barrier flickered once and died.
From across the clearing, a bright flash and boom reminiscent of when she’d been struck by lightning threw Aliya to the ground.
“Augh!” Lady Brightleaf slammed her hands over her ears and turned her face away.
Thunder erupted from the cloudless sky, and a sulfurous-smelling cloud filled the area.
Aliya cried out as a small projectile buried itself in Cressida’s chest.
With a grunt, the older woman staggered backward. A red stain spread over the left side of her torso.
Aliya’s knees went weak. Oh, gods. She’d just shattered Cressida’s shield, and now their best hope of survival was laying on the ground, bleeding out.
One of the humans stepped up to Cressida, readying his sword.
“No!” Aliya yanked on her magic, throwing it at him. A huge fireball exploded between them.
The attackers stumbled back.
“You,” Brooks growled as his jewel flashed, leaving a crimson after-image burned into her vision. “You’ll pay for that.”
Two of them advanced on her.
Cressida groaned, and a flickering bubble of blue-tinted power enveloped her. “Aliya, defend yourself!”
Pulling a few more strands from the kernel of light within her, Aliya formed a round disc as she had in practice the other day. She blinked as her racing thoughts stuttered to a halt. If she could make a shield, she should be able to create a weapon, as well.
