Page 153 of Rogue Elves of Ardani

Both of them fell to the snow and became a jumble of flailing limbs that Crow could hardly make sense of. She watched from a few feet away, afraid to join the fight. She’d be as likely to hit Vaara as Alexei. She glanced around for her knife, but it had fallen deep into the snow somewhere out of sight.

There was a flash of sudden movement, and then a pained cry. Both figures went motionless on the ground. Crow stared, not breathing. The sudden silence was oppressive, grating against her ears.

Then, slowly, Alexei climbed to his feet. Crow’s heart clenched as she looked down and saw blood staining the snow. Vaara was on his back, his face pinched in pain. Blood seeped from a wound in the center of his body, just below his ribs.

“You’re fortunate to have this weather,” Alexei said. “The cold numbs the pain, doesn’t it?”

Vaara groaned softly. Perhaps he was unable to even speak. Unnervingly, he had stopped shivering, as if his body was too exhausted for even that.

“You’re weak,” Alexei said, looking down at Vaara. “You’ve always been a weak, pathetic thing. I want you to think about that before you die.” He took a step closer, letting the tip of his sword rest atop Vaara’s wound, then digging in a little deeper. Vaara grimaced.

“I want you to think about what a waste this all was,” Alexei said, gesturing around them. “Look at everything you’ve done—all for nothing. But you knew you’d never really escape, didn’t you? You always knew you’d end up at the end of my blade again. Did you think this would make you forget how easy it was to break you? Did you think you could ever make yourself forget what you really are?”

He twisted the blade again. Vaara’s entire body jerked. He choked, and blood leaked from his mouth.

Crow clasped Alexei’s arm, pulling at him ineffectually. “Don’t—” she gasped, choking on a sob. “Don’t do this. Please.” Maybe there was some yet-unseen pity buried deep inside him. Maybe she could try to seduce him again. Maybe…

His lips curled with distaste. Suddenly, real anger flashed in his eyes. He grabbed her by the collar.

“What is it you see in him?” he said. “What is it that brings you to tears over him?”

“Please,” Crow begged, shaking her head. Tears clouded her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

Alexei glared at her. “Things would have gone differently for you had you not chosen him over me. You chose the wrong side, and now you face the consequences. You’ve brought your misery on yourself with your own foolish decisions.”

“Please!” Crow cried.

Finally at the end of his patience, Alexei raised his sword high above Vaara’s chest. Crow screamed and clasped her hands around Alexei’s neck. The world disappeared as she entered his mind.

In the space of their minds, they floated on an ocean of darkness at the meeting of two currents: her anguish, and his cold hatred.

Crow had never tried to use empathy while she was in such an emotional state. She could already tell it was hopeless. She could not gather the strength to influence someone else’s mind when she had not even mastered her own. Her thoughts were desperate, wild, and unfocused.

This again?Alexei thought to her. His voice was icy and crisp in her mind. She mentally shrank away from it.

It didn’t work last time,he thought to her.

Disgust began to creep through his mind, just on the edge of her awareness. She listened to the thoughts swimming in the back of his head.

How had he ever thought her worthy? This pathetic, whimpering creature? She was repulsive. Mindless. Devoid of intelligence or morals. Little more than a rat plaguing society.

It disgusted him to see her mind laid bare, to feel what she was feeling as their minds linked. Her emotions were grotesque. Her pain was vulgar and ugly.

He tried to look away from it. Tried not to share in it. Tried not to feel it with her.

Do you turn away now?Crow thought to him.After all the pain you’ve caused? Now you try to hide from what you’ve done?

I’ve done nothing to anyone that they didn’t deserve.

Outrage coursed through her. She thought of Vaara, when she’d first met him. She remembered the hollow void of despair and hopelessness she’d seen in his mind. She remembered exactly how it had felt. She could still feel the pressing terror of it.

She let those memories expand in the space around them. She let Alexei see them. Shemadehim see them. He recoiled.

Stop,he said, with the same tone he might shoo a fly with. As if he expected her to obey.

Infuriated, Crow conjured more memories. She would force him to see what he’d done, whether he wanted it or not.

She thought of all the horrible things she’d felt in Vaara’s mind. It wasn’t hard. There were many to choose from. The emotions came back to her easily, as if they were her own.

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