Page 101 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
He felt the sting as blood welled.
But she did not yield. Her stance shifted into offence. And then, Drue attacked.
She was a blur of steel and fire, a dancer on her feet, quick as lightning.
‘Talemir —’ Wilder called from somewhere, but Talemir focused on Drue, her blade swinging for him.
He blocked it, the impact singing up his arm.
She was not holding back.
She meant to hurt him.
Meant to kill him.
Their blades clashed, rattling the stalactites above. Talemir prayed to the Furies that his barrier of shadow blocked out the ringing and that the reapers beyond the antechamber were oblivious to the chaos unfolding in their midst.
Drue thrust her blade upward, just as he and Wilder had taught her.
Talemir blocked, his heart aching fiercely.
This could only end one way —
Drue took a long step to the outside, adding momentum to the twist of her hips as she brought her blade back around on him —
‘You will not have them,’ she snarled, bracing her sword against his, her breath kissing his face.
Talemir threw her off, sending her sprawling across the ground and lunging for one of the wraiths.
Adrienne’s voice echoed over their battlefield. ‘Please, we have to work together —’ she was saying.
But Drue scrambled to her feet and lunged for him again. There was no fear in her eyes, only fury as she carved her sword through the air in a deadly slash.
Talemir stared at her, his muscle memory kicking in through the shock as he realised Drue was using his own moves against him, the manoeuvres he had taught her.
In a furious frenzy, they parried back and forth across the antechamber. Each time he tried to deliver a merciful blow against one of the wraiths, Drue blocked him, only to break away and attack him anew.
Their blades clashed again, each of them leaning close in a battle of strength.
Gods, he didn’t want to hurt her. She was everything, the reason why, above duty and honour, he had to see this through. There had to exist a world in which darkness did not prevail, a world where she could live free from the shadows.
‘I have told you since the beginning,’ he pleaded, his heart fracturing as their swords pulled them close. ‘I am not your enemy.’
Drue’s lip curled as she forced his blade back. ‘You are now.’
She whirled on her toes, looping her weapon around and bringing it down in a powerful, two-handed blow.
He deflected it, just. Withdrawing, he took a few steps back, but Drue only advanced, her eyes savage with rage.
‘Stop this madness,’ Adrienne called.
Wilder jumped in between them, but Talemir threw him aside, his strength somehow amplified.
‘Drue.’ He tried to reason with her again, defending himself against a series of slices, jabs and thrusts that rained down upon him.
‘I trusted you,’ she spat, feinting right and delivering a solid kick to his liver.
He grunted in surprise. Another move he’d taught her.
