Page 27 of A Touch of Gold and Madness

But reality doused me with ice water at what awaited behind that door. Cotton’s expression returned to its stern intensity, washing the attractive smile from his face.

“I’m leaving. Wish me luck. I appreciate your help more than you know.”

A quick nod was all I got in response.

I met his perceptive eyes. “Let Scar know I said thanks for everything.” Another nod. “And tell the king I forced your help if he suspects anything. Don’t get in trouble on my behalf. Convince him I’m the reason she’s unconscious.”

His furrowed brow deepened with confusion.

“I’m sure, Cotton,” I promised. “He already wants me dead. That won’t change. Having you two on his list doesn’t help matters at all. Just…do it, okay? Swear it.”

Cotton dropped his gaze to the floor, not fond of betraying me to the king after all he’d sacrificed to help me flee, but he conceded with a clenched jaw and an upward tilt of his chin.

“Okay,” I said, blowing out a breath. “Thanks.” I hoisted the black duffel over my shoulder, striding to the door without another glance.

Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, I focused on my freedom. I centered on my magic that kept me anchored. And I imagined returning one day to finish off the king. Not only for his demise and my revenge but to retrieve the few Kinetics I cared about.

I reached for the darkness that was bred to exist within me. As a child, the damaged part of myself formed a mask to hide my weakness. But that mask soon morphed into a cold and vicious being of its own. When called upon, its wrath knew no bounds.

May the gods help anyone who stood in my way.

Chapter 12

Griffin

Bone crunched from another blow to the cheek. I savored the pain, allowing it to fuel the cruelty within me. It was risky to permit myself to be almost pushed to the point of no return, but I knew I could handle it. A twisted part of me was a masochist, craving punishment for my crimes. But mostly, I fed the darkness more with each hit.

Their blades hadn’t been wielded yet, but they were coming. Still, I couldn’t use my magic unless I wanted to alert the entire Warrior Guild of my presence. They had specific Kinetics with the ability to track energetic signatures from distances. Mine would light up like a flash bomb if I removed my bracelet.

A booted blow to my ribs had the air forced from my lungs, and a grunt of pain escaped with it. I laughed.

With my vision blackened and outside noise drowned out, I continued to focus my tactile senses on the air’s movement around me. Years of training blinded and deafened prepared me for moments like these. So, when a wisp of air brushed my cheek, I knew a knife had finally been pulled. I’d be fucking damned before I succumbed to the poison of a Kinetic blade.

Just as I felt the slice about to land across my face, I jerked to the side while pulling out the knife strategically held up my sleeve. My blade carved across the Kinetic’s wrist. He jumped back, and I rolled to the side, still blinded.

The roaring in my head eased as I rose to my knee. And I realized that the screeching in my ears stopped when I cut the Kinetic. As my hearing slowly returned, the cursing of the man I cut registered to my right while I heard boots approach.

Buzzing energy vibrated the air, and I spun again as another blast flew at my head. While keeping my senses open, the fucker’s voice in my head resumed his death chant.

Kill. Kill. Kill.

I snapped.

The savagery that swarmed my chest finally won.

Reaching behind me, I slid my double-edged sword from its sheath on my back. The sigils on both blades glowed orange. The familiarity of my sword grounded me, but not enough to control the murderousness singing in my veins. I lunged at them in blind haste. But I was never truly blind as long as I had my other senses.

As I was mid-leap, the sound of two swords sliding free from their sheathes echoed in the alleyway. I knew my strength and body enough to judge how high I’d jumped. Their feet shuffled, indicating they adjusted their stance as I came down on top of them. I kicked one in the chest while crashing on top of the other.

My knees slammed into the rough concrete, sending a searing pain through my bones. I soaked it up, letting it drive me to the peak of my madness. I held my sword above my head, and with a spin, I arced the blade at a downward angle. The glowing weapon sliced through muscle, and cartilage until they no longer resisted my effort, freeing his head from his neck.

In that moment, I hated more than anything that I couldn’t witness the crimson pooling on the ground beneath me. Fortunately, the combinationof the metallic scent of blood and its warm wetness dripping down my face was enough to appease the beast within for only a fraction of a breath.

A large, solid force struck my body and tackled me to the ground. With my vision still blacked out, I assumed this Kinetic was the culprit. I struggled to free my arms from his hold yet still maintained my grip on my sword.

My right leg was pinned beneath his body weight, but with my left one free, I jabbed him in the side with my knee. The move was enough to loosen his grasp on my arms, allowing me to roll to where we switched positions. I dropped my sword. Its size was ineffective in this position, and I needed at least one hand unburdened to fight the skilled warrior beneath me—especially without my sight.

I punched in the general direction of where I knew his face would be. A sickening crunch brought a savage smirk to my face as I snatched a dagger from my pants leg. The action opened me up for the Kinetic knife sinking into my side.

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