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Clanking noises, grunts, and random yells snag my attention. The sounds are becoming sparce, and I glance up.
In the short time I’ve been looking down at myself, Kai has wiped out most of his opponents.
There are only a handful of guards left. Instead of coming at him one by one, they’re taking a different approach by surrounding Kai. I guess they’ve realized joining forces is their best choice.
They don’t really have a chance, though. Not against Kai.
He’s got blades in both hands, and it’s almost like he’s two different people with the way he’s using his weapons.
In quick succession, he cuts off one man’s arm, beheads another, and stabs a third in the gut by jabbing his sword behind him.
I’m most impressed by the ones he doesn’t look at. He doesn’t even have to have eyes on everyone. He just knows how they’re going to attack, and he can defend himself from the front and the back at the same time.
Multitasking at its best.
Two remaining guards join in the effort to take Kai down. One sprints from the tactical office, and the other dashes out from the library.
Kai smoothly spins with his sword and his machete, cutting off the last two heads simultaneously.
Just as the bodies drop, I sense a presence near me. Air moves to my left, and all the hairs on my arm stand up while prickles crawl along the back of my neck.
I’d forgotten about the secret passages in the palace. There are hidden doors everywhere, and I’ve been standing right next to one.
A split second later, arms wrap around me. One encases my waist and the other snakes in front of my chest.
As the hold on me becomes firm and unyielding, I feel the cold metal of a sharp blade at my neck.
I go completely still, keeping my chin raised while I barely breathe.
I don’t have to see my attacker to know who it is. Zarid carries the smell of a campfire wherever he goes, and that smoky scent invades my nostrils.
A gag rises in my throat, but I suppress it because any movement, even a rough swallow, could cause me to get cut.
Unaware of the danger I’m in, Kai quickly peeks into the library to make sure he got everyone.
“It’s safe now, Sun—” Turning my way while making the premature announcement, he goes silent as soon as he sees me.
Anguish enters his eyes because he realizes I could die just as quickly as the guards he killed. One deep slice is all it would take. My arteries and my airway would be severed, and I’d bleed out.
“Well?” Zarid prompts, his hot breath grazing my temple. “Start begging, scum. Aren’t you going to try to convince me to let Rowan go?”
“There isn’t much to say.” Kai feigns defeat, dropping the machete to one of the bloody puddles and lowering his sword.
“What?”
Kai shrugs while slowly pacing toward us, but he’s too far away to get to me. If he wants to rescue me, he’s going to have to be a hell of a lot closer.
Zarid starts walking us forward, eating up the distance even more, but he isn’t foolish. He probably just wants Kai to have a really good view when I’m flayed open.
“You’ve obviously got the power here,” Kai tells Zarid, sounding genuinely humble. “I figure this will go one of two ways. First, I could charge at you, but in the time it takes me to get to Ro, she’ll be dead.”
There’s about ten feet between us now. Still not enough.
“And the second scenario?” Zarid’s taunting tone definitely suggests he’s wearing his signature evil grin.
Kai’s face is serious when his eyes drop briefly to my pocket, reminding me of the dagger in my possession.
Oh, yeah. I have a freaking weapon.
