Page 165 of Daughter of No Worlds

The world went red, then white. Suddenly my back was against the wall and my side was on fire. When I opened my eyes, I saw fresh blood dripping from Il’Sahaj’s glittering blade. A blade that she raised, and then —

I ignored the scream of my body as I rolled out of the way.

She lurched again, her movement sloppy and too slow. And there it was again, an opening: I could slash the backs of her calves. It would force her down. Easily repaired, if I was clean about it.

IfI was clean enough. If I wasn’t, she might never walk properly again.

I raised my blade, setting up the movement. But then my eyes met hers for one moment, and my heart lurched, and my hand paused for a moment too long.

And then another figure appeared out of nothing, flickering to life like a shadow emerging from those red butterflies and striking Tisaanah’s back with lethal precision.

I heard only my friend’s voice as she let out a cry of pain. And I knew I should take the opportunity as I saw her fling Ariadnea off of her, as I saw her stumble as blood ran down her back. But my hands were still. Even as she straightened and turned to me with a frenzied glare. Even as she raised her blade again with a shriek.

But then, she froze. Her body twitched, and then lurched. I’d only lived this, never seen it from the outside, but I knew exactly what was happening.

I didn’t need to look to know that Sammerin was beside me, one arm raised, his brow knotted in concentration. He drew his fingers into his palm. Tisaanah’s body let out a sickening series of cracks as it lurched to the floor, her limbs askew.

The butterflies were dripping down the walls like thickened blood.

Her eyes clung to mine. Fury melted into terror. She let out a strangled sound that didn’t sound human. Probably because Sammerin was tying her muscles into knots, forcing her lungs to shrivel until her brain relinquished consciousness.

I dropped to my knees beside her. Rot was still pulsing across the floorboards, softening them beneath our feet. I didn’t notice. I didn’t notice anything but the way her terrified gaze found mine and looked nowhere else.

I’m sorry,I wanted to tell her.I’m so sorry.

Her breathing convulsed, fighting the whole way as her eyelashes fluttered.

Crack!

If I’d been able to look away, I would have seen that the wooden beams of the building were beginning to give beneath the tendrils of decay.

“This is coming down.” I heard Nura’s footfalls land beside me. “Time to go.”

I scooped Tisaanah up in my arms and stood, and I didn’t look at anyone as I carried her out of the building, her limbs suddenly limp as Sammerin released her body from his control.

Chapter Sixty

Tisaanah

To call them nightmares would be like calling a typhoon a “light drizzle.”

I spent hours tangled within the worst of my memories, all mashed together, all attacking me and strangling me at once. They were reality, but worse — my mother saying goodbye to me as her flesh withered and eyeballs fell from her sockets, Esmaris raising his whip as his skin turned to shadow and flames. And no matter how I clawed and fought, I couldn’t get out. They dragged me back every time.

By the time I awoke, it was past sunset. I was in a makeshift bed in a tent, Max at my side before I was even aware enough to recognize him. An encampment, apparently, had been set up relatively quickly. Zeryth, Nura, and Max explained to me what had happened. I listened, numb.

“You werespectacular,” Zeryth said, smiling.

I didn’t feel spectacular. I had been shut out of my own mind.

I looked at Zeryth, but didn’t reply to him. Instead I turned to Max and stood, ignoring the way the ground shook and slid beneath my feet. “Show me.”

He obeyed. Together we walked up to the top of the hill where the Nyzrenese building had stood.Hadstood. Now, it crumbled. Half of it remained upright, barely, while the other side toppled into chunks of stone and wood. One of the remaining columns stood precariously off-kilter. Patches of red crawled over some of the stones, stark and aggressive even beneath the moonlight.

I looked down the other side of the hill, to plumes of black smoke in the distance.

“Bodies,” Max stated, following my gaze.

“Slavers?”

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