Page 29 of The Curse of Golden Blood
"Mira! Enough!" Pelbie's voice cut through the din. "You'll kill him!"
Slowly, ever so slowly, I released the pressure and released Terys. I got up and walked towards the dining table and picked up a wooden pitcher and glass. I poured myself some water and drank it, calming down.
The cool water slid down my throat like relief made liquid. My hands were still trembling, but I wrapped my fingers tighter around the glass, forcing steadiness. Around me, the hall buzzed again with faint thunder, the murmurs of other Vessels mixing with the hum of the storm-slick walls. I didn’t look at him—Terys. I could feel his humiliation behind me, boiling and twitching under his skin like a parasite.
One sip. Two.
A third never reached my lips.
A sharp glint in my periphery, a whisper of movement too fast for sound. That was all the warning I had before Terys lunged at me, a fork clutched in his hand like a dagger.
"Mira, watch out!"
I turned just as the prongs neared my neck, close enough to feel the air bend around them.
And then—nothing.
Gone.
The fork vanished mid-air like it had never existed.
One moment the dining hall was laden with bowls of black bread, steaming meats, salted blue fruits and ancient stars, plates etched with runes and overflowing with spiced roots—and the next, empty.
Swallowing a curse, Terys leapt forward. His hand fisted in my collar from behind and slammed me face-first into the now-barren table. Stars erupted in my vision, nearly as bright and blinding as those on the wall, and I felt blood pour from my nose, flowing warm and thick into my mouth.
Move, my brain screamed. Now.
But Terys was already dragging me back, muscles like steel cords, breath hot with rage. Faintly, I heard Pelbie screaming at him in the background.
“You think you can humiliate me?” he hissed, voice fraying. “You’re nothing but a—”
Before he could finish the sentence, a flash tore through the space between us. It ripped through the air with deadly precision, burning a straight, thin line of white.
It lifted him clean off his feet and hurled him across the room like he weighed nothing. He landed with a wet thud against the far wall, smoke curling off his uniform.
Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. For a long, terrible moment, no one dared make a single sound. And though I didn't turn to see the looks of horror around me, I knew everyone was staring at a singular point.
Zydar.
Gods and stars, he looked furious. His lips were pressed into a thin, flat line, every part of him taut as a bowstring, ready to snap. If looks could kill, I have no doubt the entire compound would have been reduced to smoldering rubble by the power in his gaze alone.
"Everyone out, save those two who saw fit to bring disorder to my halls. Now."
Falling over themselves, they hurried to comply. Pelbie cast a worried glance at me, looking as if she was determined to stand by my side. I gritted my teeth and waved her out. Reluctantly, she trailed after the others. In moments, the hall was almost entirely devoid of life, save for the three of us: Zydar, Terys, and I.
"War—"
Zydar flashed me a dark look, then raised a hand in Terys' direction.
"Silence."
Though the kid gritted his teeth, he said no more.
Zydar swept his gaze over me and despite myself, I shivered. I told myself it was from the pain but I had a nagging doubt that it was something else I couldn’t name. The silence was almost unbearable as his eyes seemed to catalogue my injuries.
Then, the Warlord of the Thunder Court strode forward until he stood before Terys. Though Terys was large for a mortal, Zydar’s sheer size and presence still dwarfed him, making the boy look almost small in comparison.
"What, by the realms, were you doing?" His voice was dangerously soft, deceptively calm, sending prickles of fear down my spine. "Not even a week into training and you're acting like a petulant infant."
