Page 89 of Avidian
These men clearly aren’t trained like Malachi. Watching him in action now, I understand why he’s the Solace team leader. Part of me is terrified, but the other part is exhilarated. I don’t know how much of this is his natural ability and how much is the Avidian, but he takes out several men without breaking a sweat, not a single scratch on him. All I manage to do is stab two guys in the arm, and even that feels like sheer luck from the Avidian.
Only one man remains, larger than the others, his broad shoulders cutting a menacing silhouette against the moonlight. He and Malachi circle each other like predators, the man wielding a knife in one hand and some kind of rod in the other.
Everything happens in a blur. A sharp hiss escapes Malachi’s lips, followed by the sickening sound of flesh meeting steel. Red splatters the snow, staining it like spilled ink. Before I can think, my body takes over.
I sprint forward and leap onto the man’s back, digging my nails into his face with one hand and slamming my blade into the side of his neck with the other. He thrashes violently, trying to throw me off, but he roars in agony, staggering, when I push the hilt of my blade in deeper.
That’s when Malachi strikes, stabbing him twice in the chest, two quick blows. The man starts to stagger. A gurgled sound leaves his mouth as he coughs up blood. I rip my knife free from his neck and blood flows down the front of his chest as he collapses face-first into the snow.
Malachi yanks me off him, gripping my arms and hauls me to my feet.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he growls, his eyes blazing.
For some reason, I smile, my adrenaline still pumping. Maybe the Avidian doesn’t only make you stronger—it makes you fearless too. Reckless. I’ll have to ask Bash about that later.
We both scan the surrounding forest, but everything is silent now, eerily still. Malachi moves quickly, kneeling beside the bodies, checking their pockets and patting them down. His movements are efficient, methodical, and his focus is razor-sharp.
“These don’t look like men my father would typically employ. What the fuck were they doing out here?”
“Maybe they were hunting?” I offer weakly.
“Then why attack us?” he counters, frustrated.
I press my lips together, thinking about it for a minute. “People are crazy, and men are cruel. I have no idea why they attacked us, but nothing would surprise me at this point.”
He looks up at me, his eyes softening in a way that makes my chest tighten. There’s something raw in his stare, a kind of empathy I don’t know what to do with. Before I can dwell on it, my gaze drops to the gash across his arm.
“You’re bleeding,” I say, grabbing his arm to get a closer look.
“It’s fine,” he says, brushing me off.
“It’s not fine. Take the healing vial,” I insist.
“This isn’t that bad,” he replies, shaking his head. “I’d rather save it in case we need it later.”
I scowl but don’t argue. He tears a strip from his shirt and hands it to me. I wrap it around his arm as tightly as I can, tying the makeshift bandage with shaky fingers.
“Happy now?” he asks.
“Not even close,” I mutter, stepping back and scanning the darkness again. The cabin looms in the distance among the trees.
“Come on,” he says. “Let’s see what we can find before someone else shows up.” He twists the knob on the side of his mask.
“Is there a limit on how much of that you should do at one time?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Not that I know of.” He shrugs, and I’m sure this is something Bash would have tested. I hope he’s not lying to me so I don’t worry.
The cabin might have seemed closethrough the trees, but it’s deceiving. We’re forced to descend into a gully and then climb back up—twice—before it feels like we’re making any real progress. My lungs are burning by the time we’re halfway there, and Malachi keeps an arm wrapped around me, steadying me when my footing slips or I sink too deep in the snow.
“Did you feel anything from the Avidian?” I ask between gasps, trying to keep my focus on something other than the ache in my legs.
He glances at me. “Yeah. It was like everything I normally do was...amplified. My brain felt faster, my body stronger—more lethal.”
I nod, sucking in air. “I felt it too. It’s like I wasn’t afraid to jump into the fight.”
“You weren’t,” he says, chuckling softly. “You were downright feral. Remind me to stay on your good side.”
I laugh weakly, the sound strained but genuine. “Noted.”
