Page 120 of Of Blood & Stone

Rubbing her thumb along the compass, she closed her eyes.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Gold light erupted from her palm, wrapping around her wrists and her shoulders, the sharp sting along her back opening and blood dripping. She gritted her teeth, placing all her focus into the roots writhing underneath the ground.

But what if she was stealing a life from somewhere in Druenia?

She silenced the thought as quickly as it came. There wasn’t time to consider how she might be stealing a village’s only source of fresh water. She couldn’t linger on the sickness she might be sowing into a piece of soil in Druenia.

How far I’ve fallen.

But she was human, not a hero. Choices stood before her: to save the one or to save the many. Even if a part of her was disgusted by her decision, she chose the former. She chose to be selfish.

Eyes steady on the Dynameis, she clenched her fist.

Roots illuminated with yellow sparks sprung from the ground.

The Dynameis jumped up, but they weren’t fast enough, not even with their glowing orodytes. Power surged through her veins as she grappled all of them, slamming them back onto the log.

Elnok would make it to Aretta’s Willow.

She’d make sure of it.

She approached the men. Tilting her head, the roots tightened around their arms and legs, their eyes widening as they found her. But then she stopped. The Dynami with blonde hair looked nothing like Kharis. In fact, Kharis wasn’t here.

Cold steel bit into the back of her neck.

“Impressive work, but I think you missed one.” Kharis’ voice said from behind, his sword pinching the skin.

Sylzenya’s mind was lost to exhaustion and desperation, so she smiled wide.

“I can fix that,” she replied, the roots writhing underneath her feet.

Clenching her fist, the roots shot up.

Kharis successfully dodged, landing on a branch a single story up from the ground. The orodyte on his chest plate—a larger stone than most—glowed bright.

Power against power.

He dropped to the earth, swinging two glowing swords. “Where’s our prince, Sylzenya? He can’t have gone far, not with how injured he seems to be and how protective you’ve become of him.”

“Kharis,” Sylzenya started, holding her hands at eye-level, “I only want to help you.”

“Interesting, because that’s what I was going to tell you.”

He charged for her. Quickly, she erected a wall of roots. He slammed into them, cursing as he used his glowing sword to cut through them. Stumbling back, Sylzenya gripped her sword and orodyte serum vial, commanding the vines to capture Kharis as he walked through them.

He swung his two swords in consecutive arcs, like a waterwheel of power, slicing the roots down until they were nubs. Sylzenya summoned more roots, but his speed outmatched hers.

Shit.

There was a reason Kharis was considered the best Dynami in Estean history. Why did she think she could beat him?

Elnok.

---