Page 103 of The Anointed's Paladin

I struggled, but it was useless as the spell took effect. I felt like my head was splitting in two. The pain was excruciating, but I couldn’t even cry out. My eyes watered and my body shook. She was draining me, sapping every cell in my body of energy to fuel her own magic.

My hands went numb, and a prickling sensation started in my feet. My head was pounding, my heart beating out of my chest, my breaths coming sharp and fast. My vision swam, and still, she didn’t stop; I was forced to draw upon my healing to stay conscious.

I held there as long as I could, sustaining myself on magic as she continued to draw more and more. I wondered if she planned to kill me right there. Finally, she released her spell, and the golems dropped me to the ground.

She wasn’t even looking at me, and my mind was racing. Would Kaine know I’d lost when he came? He might see my sword outside on the ground. Perhaps that would be enough.

Cassandra turned her head back to me. “Get up, dog,” she said, her voice laced with compulsion. Under normal circumstances, I could have resisted such magic, but I barely had anything left in me.

My muscles were shaking as I struggled to rise to my knees. She kicked me, hard enough to send me to the ground again. I gasped, the wind knocked out of me. She let out a cruel laugh.

“Up,” she insisted again, and this time, she allowed the golems to help.

They grabbed me roughly, half dragging me along.

“Let’s go,” she said, turning to the winding stairs that led up to the top of the tower. “You have a quest to finish.”

49

That’s illegal

Kaine

There was no sign of Talon as we approached the tower. Nidori even used her root system thing to scan the ground, but she said she couldn’t feel him. Perhaps he had done it; he had reached the tower ahead of Cassandra and freed the relic.

My hope in that outcome died as we saw the base of the tower. Direwolves guarded the entrance. Cassandra’s favorite toys.

I scanned the ground. There were scorch marks on the floor and walls, and in the middle of the courtyard was a familiar silver sword. I swallowed as I saw drag marks in blood that led right to the door.

She’d taken him inside. Shit.

We’d guessed wrong. Of course, it was Talon she wanted. His victory would guarantee my loss.

The wolves settled, eyes fixed on our every move as they sat before the entrance. I tried to approach, but they growled, hackles raised. I stopped. We couldn’t take them; there were too many, and Nidori was exhausted.

This was it.

I’d lost.

“Talon!” called Nidori, eyes wide. She tried to take a shaky step towards the door.

“Rest,” I said. “We can’t do anything until you’ve got a bit of strength back.”

We couldn’t really do anything at all, but I wasn’t going to tell Nidori that.

Nidori sat down, arms wrapped around her legs, tears in her eyes.

Soon, Cassandra would use Talon to summon Lydes and complete his task.

Cirae’s protection would vanish.

I stood, resting my hand on one of my daggers.

“What’s the plan?” she asked me, eyes wide.

I wanted to laugh. Thelogicalplan for me right now was to slit my own throat.

Quick. Clean. Peaceful.

---