Page 76 of The Tribes of Magic
The mercenary’s crooked smile was all the confirmation I needed. They planned to silence me—for good. Unless I stopped them.
Keeping my eyes on my assailant, I reached back until my fingers found a stick. Thankfully, the ground here was littered with them. The man bent over, grabbing me roughly. My fist closed firmly around my stick, and I swung out, whacking him in the head. He stumbled back a step, grunting, but he didn’t let go of me. I wound up for another strike.
This time, he was ready for me. He caught my stick mid-swing. Stubbled spikes, the remains of branches that had broken off, sliced into my palm when he ripped the stick from my grasp. I cried out, cradling my bleeding hand.
“It serves you right.”
Anger consumed me, so hot and potent, it overpowered the pain. I started humming again, and this time my song wasn’t soft and melodic. It wasn’t peaceful and harmonious, as the Nymphs taught us to be. It was pure fire. Literally. Branches rose from the ground, flames dancing across them.
The man released me. He stepped back, his hands in the air, his eyes fixed on the swarm of floating, flaming branches. “Now, now, young lady. There’s no need for violence.”
Laughter burst out of my lips, which felt wet. I brushed my hand across them, and it came back tinged with crimson. I must have bitten my lip when he threw me down.
“No need for violence?” I laughed again. “You attacked me. You kidnapped an innocent man.”
“He’s not innocent.”
The flames on my branches flashed hotter, crackled louder.
The mercenary retreated another step. “I’m sure we can come to some kind of arrangement.”
His eyes were firmly fixed to my arsenal of fire sticks. I didn’t think he’d try anything else, and I was right. He didn’t make a move against me.
His colleague did. I felt a solid whack to the back of my head—and then my body hitting the ground. The world went black.
CHAPTER 4
A MAGICAL COMBINATION
When I came to, Kato was leaning over me. At first, I thought I was hallucinating, but as my vision cleared and the feeling returned to my limbs, I came to the conclusion that no hallucination could hurt this much.
“Seven? Are you all right?” Kato’s hand touched down on my forehead, skin to skin. He’d removed his glove.
“No. Not really,” I groaned.
I sat up slowly. As soon as he saw what I was doing, he placed his arm around my back for support. And it was a good thing he did. I was feeling so woozy, I nearly tipped over.
“What happened?” I asked him.
“One of the Crows came up behind you and knocked you out. I arrived on the scene right about then, and the Crows scattered. I would have taken chase, but I had to make sure you were all right. You were semi-conscious but not altogether aware, and you were coughing up blood.”
I touched my lips.
“I gave you a potion, and that stopped the coughing. And the bleeding. But the Crows got away.”
“Crows?”
“The Black Crows, a band of human mercenaries. They’re supposed to have a secret base hidden somewhere inside the Fortress, but no one has ever found it. The General has me tracking their movements. He got word they’ve been hired to move mysterious Government supplies.”
“Yes, Brett told me an extra secret shipment of Government supplies arrives in the Park every night, after the district gates close for the day. By morning, the supplies are gone. The mercenaries bring them to a Government warehouse. This can’t be legit. If it were, why all the cloak-and-dagger games? Why hire mercenaries to move them? Why move them secretly at night? It’s weird, right?”
“It’s weird,” Kato agreed. “Have you learnt anything else?”
“Yes. A few days ago, Brett saw the mercenaries loading the supplies into a truck. The mercenaries took chase, and Brett had to go into hiding in the woods. Again, why chase him if this is all above board?”
“Who’s Brett?”
“A Fixer who works in the Park. I was talking to him right before the mercenaries arrived and dragged him off. Oh, no!” I scrambled to my feet, perhaps a little too fast. A sudden wave of dizziness hit me when the blood rushed straight to my head.
