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“Come and get me, brute,” she taunted.
It smashed through the sill, barely fitting out the gap left in the stonework. It pulled free arm by arm, just like a spider coming out a trapdoor. Then it stood, sightless, though it seemed to be readying its vast array of weapons.
Daemona was grateful it didn’t have a crossbow.
It stepped closer. Not as awkwardly as she would have liked but slow and easy. Soon enough, its whip could reach her. Another step and its arms upraised, ready to strike with the sword and ax too. She would be vulnerable to all of its devastating attacks at once, and she had already used up most of her energy taken from eth groomsman. Why couldn’t he have had more stamina? She cursed to herself, he had looked so big and strapping, but looks can be deceiving.
The rust knight golem stepped closer.
Daemona ported behind it and shoved. It was like trying to move a city. It didn’t budge.
“Oh boy.”
Its legs still faced forward, but the entire six-armed body swung around to face her. Red eyes glared in the shadow of the helm.
Daemona ported away, just as the multitude of blades slammed down into the wood where she had just stood. This time she put herself up on the sloping roof of the tower. She backed up slowly as the rust golem approached. The whip shot out and stung her exposed kneecap. Daemona cried out in pain but gritted her teeth, more determined than ever to triumph. Time to get mean.
She ported onto the thing’s shoulders and battered her twin daggers at its faceplate. These did no damage at all, but did get its attention.
It swung its sword, ax, and mace at her. She ported away, letting the rust knight bash half its own head in. She attacked its legs, doing no damage, but ported away as it slammed its weapons after her again, knocking itself off balance. It slowly started to tip. Daemona ported back to its shoulder, helping it lean over the brink. Too mindless to catch itself, it brought its ax up to strike her and she was gone again. It finished the job of crushing its own helm and then fell, silent, into the night.
Silent, at least until it hit the ground in a clatter of metal and a billowing of rust. That was loud enough to wake the entire city, Daemona thought. She had to be quick to gain the treasure and escape.
She bolted back inside and got to work on the locked door. Since there wasn’t a thousand-pound behemoth attacking her, the door came easy now with her lockpicking skills. It swung open on creaking hinges.
A small lamp barely lit the dark room. Daemona peered through the darkness and sucked in a shocked breath when her eyes focused.
She knew him. He was a big well-muscled man, a fighting man through and through and one she had never had the opportunity to try and tempt. Harlin, the dogged royal huntsman of the king, stood before her. He stared at Daemona, a lopsided grin on his stubbled face. He was enjoying this, the son of a bitch.
“Hello, Daemona. We need to talk.”
Chapter 2:
“I’ve got nothing to say to you,” Daemona snarled.
“Really? How about you just listen then.” Harlin offered her a seat.
“I think I’ll be going. I’m not going to play games with you,” she said, turning to go.
A handful of guardsmen with crossbows crowded into the chamber, blocking her escape.
So many arrows, even with her abilities, she’d still probably get hit by one of them. Never mind she nearly used up all of her energy from the groomsman, but they didn’t need to know that.
His tone changed from friendly to menacing in an instant. “You’ll sit and hear me out. It’s important. No tricks.”
She frowned but remained where she was. “Do you want to gloat about how you’ve wanted to capture me for months? Well, now you’ve done it. Bravo, Harlin, bravo.”
“Thank you. But this was all so we could talk.”
“So, talk.”
“I’m going to offer you the possibility of being pardoned of all past crimes and thefts.”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t play games with me.”
He shook his head. “I’m not joking. Something important has happened and I want you to be part of the solution.”
“Why me?”
