Thohfsa growled at the back of her throat, then raced forward, her blade high in the air. I raised my tree branch to meet it, praying the wood was fat enough, or Thohfsa’s blade was dull enough, that it wouldn’t cut it in half. As Thohfsa brought the blade down, Noor shouted my name, but I couldn’t afford to break concentration. Thohfsa’s sword struck my weapon, landed squarely in the middle.
And got stuck.
I wanted to scream in triumph. Instead, I slid my hand down the blade, grasped the hilt of her sword, and slammed it backward into her cheek.
Thohfsa stumbled back into Noor’s bed, losing her balance, and I wrenched the sword from her, spinning it around with the tip of the blade aimed directly at her.
Thohfsa let out a frustrated cry as she stared down the sharp end of her own weapon. A glimmer of panic fluttered behind the harsh grooves of her face, and I tasted success on my tongue.
“You didn’t do your research, Thohfsa,” I said as I gave her the same slow smile she always bestowed on me. “You decided to engage in a sword fight with the daughter of the emperor’s sword maker. I can best you even without a blade.”
“You don’t want to kill me,” she stuttered back. “I can set you free. Let me go and I’ll ensure your release.”
“Are you trying to bargain with me? After everything you’ve done?” I looked her up and down, my expression grim. “I’m not in a negotiating mood.” I advanced on her, the memory of every beatingshe’d given me fresh on my skin, the sound of every snap of the whip as it cracked against the back of my thighs echoing in my head.
“Dania.” Noor’s quiet voice cut through my fog of rage. Noor had shuffled to the edge of the bed and tentatively placed a toe on the floor. She braced herself against the mattress as she stood on her feet, and I released a slow breath as she walked toward me.
“Knock her out, you don’t need to kill her.”
“Are you joking?” I scowled, nearly baring my teeth. “I don’t need to kill her? She’s tortured us both foryears.”
“Listen to her!” Thohfsa’s eager voice cut between us like a rough axe. “You’ll have a better chance at freedom if I’m alive, I’ll help you!”
I gave her a flat smile. “Noor doesn’t know you like I do, warden. We won’t live while you live.”
Thohfsa licked the front of her teeth, that calculating gleam returning to her face. I angled my head, but before I could react, she opened her mouth and let out a loud scream.
I didn’t second-guess it, not even when Noor grabbed my arm, nor when she called my name again.
I charged forward and plunged my sword into Thohfsa’s stomach with a sick lurch.
A gasp escaped me—I had forgotten what it was to pierce a body with a blade, to feel the resistance of skin against steel and the rush of nausea in my throat when it finally gave way.
My sword cut her off mid-scream and we both stood staring at each other for a moment, slack-jawed.
Thick streams of crimson gushed down my blade. I closed my eyes briefly and all that rage and hatred was silent.
For a moment, it was peaceful.
Thohfsa had met her end, and it had been everything I had promised every time she’d laid a hand on me. I wrenched my sword free, the blood pooling as Thohfsa’s body slumped to the ground.
I glanced over my shoulder at Noor. “You don’t get to decide my retribution.”
She nodded tightly, her eyes wide.
Wiping the blade clean on Noor’s bedsheet, I tried to steady my erratic breathing.
It had been a long while since I’d killed someone with a blade, but dwelling on it now could cost us our lives. A mask of focused composure dropped over me, and I instinctively rolled the short sword in my hand, testing its weight, introducing myself to the new weapon. I exhaled a steadying breath.
“We have to move now. Thohsfa made enough noise to have the guards running over here. If we don’t get out now, we never will.”
Noor’s unreadable gaze slid to Thohfsa’s still-twitching body. She chewed on her bottom lip, looking as if she wanted to scold me but thought better of it. Instead she said, “Do you have a plan?”
I smiled at her, an echo of Thohfsa’s earlier one. “No, but I have a sword.”
Eight
Up until now I’d been missing the one thing I needed to get out of here. From memory I adjusted my gait to accommodate my sword, the heavy weight different from what I was used to with my talwar, but it would do the job.
