“Less flirting, more fighting,” Danu snapped as another Mage stepped forward, walking right through her. I noticed Ryder reaching out for me and flicking his fingers at the Mage, who disintegrated into ashes, clothes and all. I was beginning to see why no one fucked with the Horde King. He’d simply flicked his wrist and ended the Mage’s life. It shouldn’t be that simple to end anyone, but I wasn’t going to bring that up anytime soon, not to him.
I sifted to stand in front of the next Mage, and smiled coldly. “You have no idea what you messed with, and now you die,” I said, and extended the fangs inside of my mouth and watched as he stood helpless to move from my magic as it froze him in place. I brought my tongue out to lick one of the extended incisors.
I wanted him to become mute—and he was. I imagined all of the blood inside of him, isolating every one of his blood cells, and redirected it away from where it kept his heart beating in one fast push—and it did. It exploded from his body from his mouth, eyes, ears, and nose. I stepped back as it began to pool around his feet, and headed for the next Mage as he collapsed.
“You guys like shields? Let’s see if you like one of mine.” I cast a bubble around him. He turned, trying to get away from me, and ran into the barrier on the other side. I brought my hand out and pulled with the power surging through me. Unwillingly, he came sliding across the floor back toward me.
As he got closer, he spun around and sliced out with his sword. I dodged it as if he had attacked in slow motion. I sifted in close and my hand had shot out before I could have thought better of it, and gripped something hot and wet. A sickening noise filled my ears as I pulled my arm out of his chest—with his heart in my hand. He fell to the floor lifelessly.
I looked up to see Faolán watching me. His eyes were wide with fear as he started chanting a spell in Latin that sounded an awful lot like one of the ones that the Guild used to make shields like the one Ristan and I had been trapped in. I threw the heart at him as hard as I could and watched as he caught it and tossed it to the ground.
I wasn’t stupid; he had more magic than I could deal with right now. Maybe in this form I could kill him, but I was draining from using too much, too soon. Ryder was on me before I could decide what to do, and Faolán sifted out as the remaining Blood Fae sifted out after him. I glanced around and couldn’t see any more Mage aural signatures in the hall.
“What the hell, Synthia!?” Ryder asked as he took me in slowly, with a carefully guarded look in his eyes.
“Ryder,” I whispered as the power vibrated inside of me, wanting to come out. It was the same feeling I’d felt by touching Ryder, only this was my own, and it was coming from me.
“Impossible,” Ryder argued with a note that was more disbelief than anything else. He looked me over and touched his fingers along the multitude of colors from the brands.
“Ristan,” I said and pushed my way through the crowd to where the Demon was lying on his back, covered in blood.
“Bring him back,” I begged of Danu, and watched as she narrowed her eyes on him, as if she was considering what to do. I sank to the floor and pulled the huge Demon onto my lap. “Please!” I screamed it in my mind, knowing she would hear it loud and clear.
“Synthia, he’s a Demon, and one I really like, but I still can’t interfere. It’s against the rules,” she said sadly. I saw Eliran push through the crowd to kneel beside Ristan, as well as the little Demoness, Alannah.
Eliran glamoured off the jerkin from Ristan’s body armor and bent to examine the multitude of ugly stab wounds all over his chest, arms, and throat as Alannah gently stroked Ristan’s hair. His lifeless eyes stared blankly, and my heart broke for her. I couldn’t bear it and reached down and closed his eyes.
“I hate these types of spells,” Eliran muttered. “Nasty things—once it acquires its victim, it keeps slashing until they bleed out. He can’t generate as long as it is in place.” Eliran chanted for a few minutes as I held my breath. His eyes met with Alannah’s and nodded gently. Both of them shot power into the Demon, and his wounds began to close at a rapid rate. His chest rose as he took a deep breath, and I almost cried out with relief from it. He coughed and choked for a few moments before his eyes opened and his lips parted to release a vivid curse.
“Fuck!” Ristan shouted as he tried to sit up but fell back down. His eyes landed on me, and he closed them with noted relief.
“Demon,” I cried as tears ran down my face. My heart gave a happy lurch and I smiled at him and tilted my head in a way which wasn’t human at all. I’d seen Ryder do it a million times before.
“I was given a vision of you dying…” Ristan growled, covering his face with his hands. “Fuck,” he said again as he scrubbed his face and looked back at me. He looked at my new brands and smiled sardonically as he shook his head slightly. “That bitch,” he said softly. “I told you, she gets her way, fucks with my head, and still she abides by the rules.” He turned his head and looked at Eliran, and then Alannah.