Page 102 of Scars and Burns

We came so close. I cannot lose her now but I see no way out. We are literally at the edge of a cliff.

Then I am blinded. I look over at Dinalia. She is fighting the demon. Her white flame hurled towards the creature.

If I wasn’t in awe of her before I am without a doubt in awe ofher now. She has no idea what this creature is. What this demon is capable of. And yet here she stands. Fighting it without a second thought.

The demon dodges her first flame but is quickly struck by the second. And what happens next astonishes me even more.

The demon is wounded. Screeching in pain and terror at the touch of her magic.

Anger barrels through the creature. Unable to get close to her, it comes for me. My magic is useless. That’s already been established.

Lunging towards me. I’m not quick enough, too distracted by Dinalia. It scratches my chest. Ripping threw my skin. Leaving a searing sting and claw marks. I back away. Upset with myself that I can’t do anything.

I’m losing blood. And a lot of it.

I look up at Dinalia. Fear on her face.

She blasts a gigantic amount of magic toward the demon. A wave of white flames and sparks of starlight with no hope of escaping. She runs over to me.

Wrapping my arm over her shoulder as she wraps hers around my waist. Placing her other hand on my stomach to help support me upright. “Do you have the strength to teleport us?” She asks

I look down at her. I forgot that I revealed my teleporting abilities to her.

I’m losing blood but I’m still strong. I summon my magic. Extending it around us in a matter of seconds. We are consumed by a cloud of black smoke. Vanishing and reappearing in her chambers.

45

Dinalia

Ifeel his presence before I hear him.

“Congratulations on your victory.” He says from behind me.

I whip my head around. A little more aggressive than I was intending. Though perhaps it wasn’t aggression. It could have been excitement.

Standing, I brush myself off. “Please don’t patronize me.” I say, not appreciating his tone.

“I’m not. Truly.” he says flatly, face serious, “It’s true no one has been able to beat me in years. You fight with a style I have never seen before. Fluid and stern. Graceful and fierce. It’s remarkable.”

It almost sounds like he means it. I’m aware of his reputation, his fighting ability. He’s a defiler. It truly is no small feat that I was able to beat him. His comment on my fighting style makes sense. Considering that I have developed a lot of skills and movements myself.

I tilt my chin up. “Thank you.” I reply kindly, looking off to the waterfall after. I have no reason to be harsh with him. He has done me no harm. Given me no offense. There is no need for me to be defensive and on guard. Sighing, I say, “For a moment I didn’t think Iwas going to win.” admitting the truth.

He walks over toward me slowly. I’m not sure why but my body is tense. His eyes make me feel like he is peering directly into my soul. Exposing every inch of myself to him.

I see him fiddling with something in his hands but I am too enraptured by his eyes to look to see what it is.

“Why not?”

“You, like most, have superior size and strength over me but you move faster than I was anticipating. Hitting me in the face was a low blow.” I canter, never taking my eyes from his.

He hums, “Hitting you in the face was not my intention. Are you alright? I do hope I did not hurt you.”

Crossing my arms over my chest. I laugh internally. If he thinks I am hindered by a mere bruised lip he knows less about me than I thought. “I am fine. I have endured much worse than a busted lip.”

“I can imagine,”

I whip my head towards him. He says that like he knows something. Is he aware of my killings in the Shadowlands? Is he here to pay the debt? I’ve lost count of how many of their men I have killed. I didn’t know who any of them were. But all were at least soldiers. Vile and unhonorable soldiers but soldiers in their army nonetheless. I only killed those already doing harm. Steeling, reeving, and raping.

---