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Still, it must have taken a whole lot of energy…
Shit—why hadn’t we thought of that before? That might well provide a way of tracking down this bastard…
I shoved the thought aside. That was an avenue I could explore later, when every little thought wasn’t being listened to by the Raziq.
I flicked a sideways glance at Amaya. Almost there. “So why not make more keys? I mean, you all had a finger in the pie of the first lot, didn’t you?”
“If by saying that you mean the Raziq as a whole were involved in their creation, then yes.”
“Then why bother with me or my father at all? Why not just make more keys?”
“Because each key was attuned to a specific portal. Unless they are unmade, more cannot be created.”
So my father hadn’t lied—the keys could be destroyed. If nothing else came out of this little session, at least we had that.
Although destroying them would just allow the Raziq to create more—which meant we were damned if we did and damned if we didn’t. Personally, I’d rather see the stupid things remain as they were, lost to everyone, but it seemed I was the only one who felt that way. Even Azriel thought it was far too dangerous to leave them undiscovered.
“Are you going to cooperate?” the Raziq added.
I took a deep, shuddering breath. Thought about consequences. Knew I had no choice.
“No.”
As I said it, I lunged for Amaya. I never got there.
The pain hit like a sledgehammer, knocking me sideways and damn near senseless in the process. I lay on the dirt in a quivering heap, battling to breathe as their dark energy tore through every part of me and my brain felt like it was on fire.
Because this wasn’t just a psychic attack. It went far deeper than that. It was an attack on my body and soul, and it felt like every fiber of my being screamed in agony. Only I made no noise because the sound seemed to be stuck somewhere inside my throat.
The torture continued, on and on, until I was raw and battered and bruised. My skin ran with rivers of blood that soaked into my clothes and deep into the earth, until the bitter smell of it stung the air and burned my throat. And still it went on, until it felt like they were pulling me apart atom by atom, until there was nothing left of me but a screaming, bloody mass of separated particles.
Eventually—mercifully—I blacked out.
But it was a state that lasted nowhere near long enough. As I climbed backed to consciousness, the dark energy of the Raziq still burned at me. It hurt—god, how it hurt—yet within that energy, something fierce and bright burned, calling to me.
Amaya.
She lay underneath my hand. All I had to do was grasp her… and do what?
I had no idea. I was working on pure instinct now, totally incapable of any actual thought processes.
My fingers twitched; felt metal. Somehow, I found the strength to grasp her.
I expected fury. Expected to be hit once again by the illusionary flames that had burned her from my grip the first time. But nothing happened. The dark energy continued to flow through me, this time rebuilding rather than tearing apart. My body continued to shudder, scream, but Amaya burned brighter in my mind, her energy flowing through me, giving me strength.
The dark energy began to ease, trickling away like water down a drain, leaving me a quivering, broken wreck.
Now, an alien voice whispered through my brain.
I didn’t think. I just obeyed.
I forced my eyes open. Amaya was dark and ghostly, giving no hint of the fierceness that burned within her—and within me. Beyond her, I saw the shimmer that was the energy of the Raziq who’d attacked me.
I drew Amaya back and threw her. It wasn’t a strong throw—it couldn’t be, not after everything I’d just been through.
It didn’t matter. Amaya flew straight and true, flaring to glorious life just as her black blade buried itself in the heart of that dark shimmer. Purple fire exploded as Amaya’s flames wrapped around the Raziq’s energy, capturing it, drawing it back into herself. Feeding on him.
He screamed. Screamed. As I’d screamed—long and hard—until his voice was raw and he could scream no more. If I’d had the energy I would have danced with joy.
