Two.
And then she struck.
The guard who shot at her didn’t even cry out as the water-bladed dagger buried itself into the center of his chest, sending him crumpling silently to the ground. The second man let out a scream as he watched his comrade fall. He turned to flee, but Esmyra reached for him. She grabbed his wrist and twisted, his weapon clattering to the stone as he yelped in pain and fell to his knees.
The second conjured dagger extended, its blade elongating into the shape of a sword as it hovered beside her. “Give me your ring,” she demanded.
Panting heavily, he spat at her feet. “Go crawl back to the hellish depths you came from, bitch.”
Esmyra merely lifted a brow and tsked. “No manners here, I see.”
The water-blade swung, slicing through armor, flesh, and bone as it cleaved through the man’s arm, removing it from his body. A scream of agony tore through the air as blood splattered and dripped.
Esmyra stared down at the man through narrowed eyes as she held his severed arm in her grasp. She glanced from the man holding the nub of his limb and to the ring on his bloody hand she held. She bent down to be at his level, and he shoved away from her, his armor scraping against the stone as he slid across the ground.
“Look at me,” she cooed, her voice holding the slightest hymn as she waved his own hand at him in greeting.
The man reluctantly obeyed as he slowly lifted his stare to hers.
Esmyra wasted no time as her eyes shifted. “You will remain silent for the evening. You will not call for more guards. You will stay and remain at your post as you are. Understood?”
“Ye-yes,” he stuttered out, his mind barely fighting her magic as he bled out beneath her. She knew he’d be dead by morning regardless.
The man rose to his feet, his back straight as he stood beside theside entrance to the castle. The faint drip of his blood echoed as it fell to the ground beneath his feet.
Esmyra stripped the ring from his finger and wrapped it in a cloth before sliding it into her pocket. She tossed the severed limb over her shoulder, and it landed with a fleshy smack a few feet behind her.
Might need this later,she thought grimly.
She moved past the man at his post, barely giving him another glance as she pushed the heavy door open just enough to slip inside. The castle’s grand halls were eerily silent as they stretched before her, lit with golden chandeliers and lined with extravagant paintings. The only sound was the distant crackle of torchlight flickering along the walls and the quiet dragging of her cloak as it trailed behind her.
It was quiet near the side entrance she chose. Entirely too quiet, but she assumed the castle was all near the throne room as their celebration came to an end. Perhaps if she could find her way to Elowynne’s personal chambers…
Her silver hair caught glints of moonlight filtering through the stained glass above. She ducked beneath an archway, slipping through a servants’ corridor before trailing up the staircase for several floors. Passing a few doors, she occasionally paused to press her ear to the wood.
Still nothing.
The castle corridor stretched ahead, and somewhere distant, a door slammed, followed by the stomping of boots. She rounded one more corner when someone screamed, “Hold!” The voice cracked through the hall like a whip.
Esmyra froze as two armored guards rounded the corner, the metal in their hands gleaming as they lifted their blades. The helmet for their armor hid their faces, but she could feel their eyes locked on to her.
“Well,” one of them said, voice smug beneath the helm. “Looks like the sea witch found her way?—”
Blue light flickered across Esmyra’s eyes, and she never gave him the chance to finish his sentence.
Lightning burst from her palms in a blinding crack, striking hissword and racing down the metal. The guard screamed as the current consumed him, armor rattling, body locking, knees slamming into the floor before he collapsed in a smoking heap.
“Moron,” Kaelypso spat in her mind.
“Indeed,” Esmyra agreed, grinning.
The second guard recoiled, lifting his sword a little higher as his cheeks flushed a violent shade of pink.
Esmyra cocked her head to the side. “Are you scared, soldier?”
“N-no,” he stuttered as his grip tightened on his weapon. “You’ll pay for that!” he bellowed as he charged.
“Huh,” Esmyra whispered as she watched him move to attack. “Well, you will be.”
