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Shaw dodged the next snap of the chain, deciding the angle was toolow. Deliberately jumping higher than she needed to in order to avoid it. Curlslashed out again, aiming to tangle Shaw’s legs whilst she was in the air. ButShaw was too quick, slamming hard down on the ground, spinning like a top,hurling herself towards the clone. Lifting her arms out of the way, allowingthe chain to wrap around her armoured waist unhindered.
The clone yanked hard on the chain, figuring she’d hooked herprize. Still spinning, Shaw leapt into the air again, the chain wrapping aroundher tighter still, but at the same time her knife pleated skirt flared up andoutwards. The razor sharp edges of the skirt raking across the clone’s face.Aiming for those eyes of hers, perhaps the only visible bit of the clone thatcouldn’t be made of stone.
The clone flinched, gasped in pain and began to pinwheelbackwards. Forgetting she was still holding the chain wrapped around Shaw’swaist. Accidentally pulling the Valkyrie ever closer. Shaw planting her feet onthe clone’s chest as they fell, riding her down to the dirt. Two bladesappearing in her hands, lifted from handy sheaths. No Valkyrie went anywherewithout at least ten or more sharp objects hidden about their body at any onetime.
They hit the dirt, hard. The clone’s gasp probably more out ofhabit than if Shaw’s weight actually affected her. But it was a moment ofhesitation. All Shaw needed as she thrust her arms out straight and thenbrought them together like she was clapping, the tips of each blade burrowinginto the ear canals of the clone. Meeting no resistance the sharp metal kept onsliding, into the clone’s brain. Curls made a guttural sound that haltedabruptly as Shaw twisted each blade sharply to the left and then back again.Ensuring everything inside that stone like cranium was good and shish kabobbed.
Unwrapping the barbed chain from around her waist inflicted moredamage upon Shaw’s hands which she chose to ignore for the moment. She’d nosooner hauled herself to her feet when she sensed movement behind her. Turningto watch Kaleb walk out of the fog. He was limping slightly but other than thatshe couldn’t see any apparent damage except for a few more tears to his dirtybloodied shirt and a hole in his navy trousers just above the knee.
“You okay?” Fighting the urge haul him in closer, with a view topersonally inspecting him. Instead, Shaw settled for thumping her bloodiedhands down on the reassuringly solid warmth of his chest and wiping them on hisshirt yet again.
“I’m fine, just a couple of freezer burns. Damn, you sliced upyour hands again?” Kaleb grabbing Shaw’s left hand, turning it over to studythe puncture wounds on her palm, a scowl settling over his features.
“Nail studded chain. Freezer burns?”
“The redhead? She was part Ice Demon.”
“You didn’t have any problems dealing with her?”
“I’d like to claim mad ninja skills but you’d done a lot of theprep work for me. She was the one I stabbed in the gut earlier and you took abig chunk out of her with your halberd. She got in an ice hoof or two beforeshe met her maker. I managed to pick up a present for you.”
“A present?”
Holding up the frosted ice horn he’d ripped off his opponent’shead. “For your burns. Here. Turn.”
Shaw was flooded with a whole series of unfamiliar emotions as sheautomatically turned, allowing Kaleb to gently press the frozen horn againsther shoulder. Ouch, that thing was sub-arctic cold. Though it gifted Shaw withalmost instantaneous relief as the burning tiny droplets of venom that hadslowly been eating their way through her flesh and bone froze and dissipated.
Freyja, was there something wrong with her eyes? No, blinkingrapidly to clear them of the moisture that had for some reason gathered therefor a split second. No doubt it was the fog’s fault. No way was she gettingoverly just because Kaleb had given her such a thoughtful present. That gooeywarm squishy feeling in her stomach? That was just because she was hungry.Though she should say something, shouldn’t she? Or do something, to express hergratitude.
“Thanks.” The word sounded like it had been dragged across agravel pit.
The accompanying light punch Kaleb received on the shoulder rockedhim only slightly sideways and would barely leave a bruise he was sure,rotating his arm to make sure everything was okay. “You’re very welcome.” Hewinked. Gleeful. A punch and a verbal response of gratitude? Why, he’ddefinitely be stealing the Valkyrie’s heart in less than a decade the waythings were progressing. No small feat.
Ignoring the sexy wink, Shaw determinedly turned her thoughts tothe problem at hand. “If you dealt with the red head, then there’s only oneclone left standing.”
Kaleb’s attention shifted to the clone Shaw had dispatched. “Theone Bartius personally was putting forward to be Consort. The raven haired one.I sensed a certain May-December thing going on there, what’s the bet we’ll findthem together?”
May-December? No, she wasn’t going to get side-tracked. “Can youget us back to the house?”
Kaleb looked in both directions, and then down at the dead clone afew feet away. “Thankfully we did leave kind of a unique trail of breadcrumbs.This way.”
It took them fifteen minutes and several backtracks before theyfinally emerged from the maze. The house, no, mansion was a more apt term,loomed majestically out of the purple fog. Every window on the ground flooremitting blazing yellow light. As they climbed the stone steps, Shaw didn’tbother to mask the sound her boots made. She was pissed and she wanted theworld to know it.
It was beyond galling but she’d lost not one but both halberds inthat bloody maze. Her weapons to call; Elf made and thenimproveduponby Zuri. Crap, she was never going to hear the end of this from Monroe andZuri. Worse, the expense to replace them was going to hurt her hip pocket morethan a splatter of flesh eating venom.
Banging open the double doors they marched in, coming to an abruptstop. Bartius was still seated on the sofa, where they’d last seen him, whilstthe raven haired clone was curled up next to him. Laughing up at him. Touchinghis shoulder.
“Oh. May-December. I get it now. Ick.”
Bartius paled before quickly flicking a hand up in the air andmuttering four quick words. The cascasdian circle snapping into being aroundthem.
“Stodgy-ass. You’re such a one-trick donkey.”
“Why won’t you just die already?”
“My father said from the cradle I was contrary as fuck. Plusfailing to meet your very low expectations of me has always brought the happy.”
“My current expectations are that you and that bitch Valkyrie willdie of thirst in four, maybe five days max. It’s going to ruin the carpets ofcourse. But once I’m King, I’ll just claim the repairs under an entertainmentexpense.”
