Page 84 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

I stared at my glowing hands, a laugh bubbling out of me although I was aware that dead people surrounded me. The sensation of being strong and invincible was intoxicating. The cut on my shoulder healed in an instant.

It was the first time I’d truly embraced my wili power. Myrtha had told me that gaining energy was incredible, but I hadn’t fully understood her until now.

When the light dimmed and only tiny silver stars remained dancing on my skin, the devastation of my blast became clear.

Not one of the men was alive. The table lay broken on the floor. The chairs had been smashed, and beer pooled on the floor among glass shards. Rothbart was the only one standing.

But then again, I supposed that killing a sorcerer wasn’t an easy feat. But I was up to the challenge.

31

PREY VERSUS PREDATOR

Irene

Icracked my knuckles and smirked at Rothbart. “As you can see, I can do more than a white blast.”

He swept his gaze around and darted off down the tunnel. His escape shocked me for a moment. I’d expected him to fight, not to run. He likely didn’t have enough energy to fight against me, which was just perfect for me.

I chased him.

I hesitated only a moment because Morquen still lay on the ground, but I couldn’t carry him, and he was a wizard; he should be fine.

In a corner of my mind, the thought that I’d just killed five men became loud, but I pushed it aside. I’d meant to kill the first one. The others had been an accident of sorts. But I didn’t regret it. They’d tortured and killed innocent people, and the fact energy had flooded me meant they’d been rotten. If I killed a good man, my power would diminish.

It was funny how I’d run along this tunnel as the prey, and now I was running as the predator.

He took a sharp turn and raced down another tunnel that went away from the entrance where Alex was waiting for me. And I paused. I didn’t want to find myself in another trap. But I had enough energy to produce more blasts, and I didn’t want to let Rothbart go.

As I went after him, trying to search around for danger, I saw Darius and Myrtha coming from a narrow, lateral tunnel. We all cried out in surprise, and my moment of distraction was enough to allow Rothbart to race away. He didn’t slow down and went off with impressive speed.

Darius was bleeding; blood stained his shirt around his middle section. Myrtha’s gown was torn and smeared with blood. Whether it was Darius’s blood or hers, I couldn’t say.

“What happened?” we asked at the same time.

“Are you hurt?” I glanced in the direction where Rothbart had gone.

“Not me,” Myrtha said, breathing hard. “Darius is hurt.”

He waved dismissively. “Rothbart is escaping. Go!”

I sprinted off.

They followed me, but lagged behind. We went through another tunnel and then up a flight of steep stairs.

Darius drew a few symbols in the air, and a golden light radiated from him, warming my skin. He produced a sphere of light that shot towards Rothbart, but the sorcerer defended himself with one of his green glows that shielded him from the attack. Darius never failed unless he was exhausted.

Rothbart pulled a door open and rushed outside into the street. The lampposts illuminated the humid cobbles, and Rothbart’s dark silhouette crept over them.

Darius hobbled forwards, a hand on his stomach.

“Darius.” I skidded to another stop.

He waved me away. “Go. He’s more important.”

Myrtha didn’t know what to do either. Confusion dominated her aura.

“Go!” Darius grimaced.