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"Keep your hands on that bag of yours. I don't want to see any magic. You’re going to lead me right to the girl."
Well, if he didn't want to see any magic then he was in for abigsurprise. Taking that as her cue, Ace leapt out of the passageway and crashed into the guard. How was that for a little razzle-dazzle? She'd just appeared out of nowhere.
She ducked low and brought her shoulder into the guard’s gut from the side. He grunted as the two of them toppled. Quite honestly, Ace was surprised that he didn't drop his weapon at impact.Dang it, he was good.
Feeling reckless with her heart hammering in her chest and her fingers trembling, she pressed herself against him, digging her elbow into his arm. He pushed at her and though she knew that grown men were much stronger than grown women, in most cases, it still surprised her how much she had to struggle to fight back.
"Now would be your chance to use that magic!" Ace shouted to Shelby. She never pulled her eyes off the guard but she thought in her peripheral vision she could tell that Shelby wasn't moving. Her gut sunk a little, dragging her spirit down with it.
"Magic takes concentration," Shelby stuttered, holding the backpack and stepping a little closer.
"Then concentrate!" Ace used both hands to wrestle the guard’s arm that held the dagger away from her. All her effort went into holding his bodyweight down with her hips and slamming that arm against the stone repeatedly.
His fingers curled tightly around the hilt and she growled through clenched teeth. The guard shifted under her as his fingers interlaced in her hair, pulling her head back. A ragged breath surged from her but she didn’t let go of his arm. There was no way she could let him have control of the dagger, not if she wanted to stay alive.
Come on Shelby… Come on Shelby…she screamed inside her head.
She would scream out loud if she wasn't worried about breaking Shelby’s concentration. Even if her hair was about to rip from her skull, possibly taking her scalp from her body, while she was dragged off of the man.
Water soaked into her clothes, stone scratched her back, and her head bounced off the cave floor. She wanted to shout and she could feel the noise burning its way up her throat as the pain pulsed in her head. She clamped her mouth shut, willing herself to stay quiet. She still had the guard’s arm in her hands, though it was no use, he was just stronger. He knelt over her, hissing as he swung a fist into one of her elbows and tore her hands away from his blade.
Strands of her dark hair were scattered around her and clung to the dampness on her cheeks. The end of the weapon lowered to her jaw sending the pinpricks of fear over her skin. No matter how quickly her heart beat she couldn't bring herself to breathe.
"I knew you were here, demonic bitch."
"Shelby," Ace said, her voice far shakier than she’d have liked.
Death was knocking on her doorstep for possibly the billionth time and it never got easier. All the times that she begged for death and wished they had never brought her through that holy fire to return to the land of the living, felt ridiculous at this moment. Because all Ace could feel was terror at the thought of dying again.
The guard pulled back and light was cast across his face. It was enough for her to be able to make out his features and know that all this was her own fault. She recognized the man who had made the first jump and then proceeded to let her go. Of course, he didn't actually let her go, how stupid could one girl be! He wanted both Ace and Shelby.
She cursed herself. The dagger was pulled back, his arm poised for a swift stab. Ace wanted to relax because she thought maybe it wouldn't hurt as much if she relaxed but no matter how she tried she couldn't unclench her muscles. She pressed her eyes firmly shut, and took a deep breath before she opened them to look death right in the face.
The dagger lowered, its blade reflecting sparking blue light. When it came down though it did so without the hands of the guard. Its metal clattered against the stone. The guard froze above her and gripped his chest. Ace thought that she could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, but after a second she realized it was his. His heart beat so loudly and violently that each beat jerked his chest.
Through thick lashes Shelby glared through the orb of blue in his palms. The guard turned to look at the warlock. "Unsanctioned…magic…" Each syllable was a ragged painful gasp.
Blood drained from the guard’s cheeks. Dragging herself on her elbows, Ace pulled herself out from under the man. She leaned against the wall as she watched. The guard didn’t chase after her or even so much as try to stand. His fingernails dug into his shirt trying to rip it away as his heart thrust his chest forward. There was one final jerk of his body, the largest jerk yet and then his eyes grew to saucers before quickly closing when he fell over limp.
The glow in Shelby's hands faded away and they stood together in the darkness listening to the sound of their slowing breaths as the adrenaline subsided. Ace held her hand to her own chest feeling to make sure that her heart remained where it should be. Her steps echoed in the silence as she walked around the guard's fallen body and nudged him with her boot.
"Well, he looks good and dead," she said under her breath. "That was a close call."
Shelby wiped his palms on his pants and grabbed the backpack again. "Yeah, you're full of close calls."
Ace had to agree because Shelby wasn't wrong. And she had more close calls since meeting him than she did in a month of her living on the streets. This partnership was appearing to be more dangerous by the minute.
"What did you do to him?" She watched his Adam’s apple bob.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Would I have asked if I didn't want to know?"
Shelby shuffled over to the man and hooked his arms under his shoulders in an attempt to drag him toward the mouth of the cave. "Grab his feet and help me toss him into the river. I don't need his dead body sitting here rotting away."
For once, it was Ace’s turn to scowl as she walked up to the man and circled her hands around his ankles. She heaved his body up trying not to look directly at his face. It was one thing for her to witness her own death, entirely another for her to be staring down at a dead body much less holding it. He was lighter than she expected as they gave his body a violent toss into the waterfall where the crashing water immediately swallowed him up.
Shelby turned to face Ace, his expression edged with something she couldn't quite figure out. "I made his heart work harder and forced all of his blood to his chest. Basically, his heart exploded. Inside him."
