Grateful her bond with Xiraxus allowed her to interpret his words, she was ready when he made his first move, swinging his sword straight at her neck. Part of her couldn’t believe he was actually following through with his threat. She knew he was desperate—just like the rest of the Meyarins, who didn’t step in to stop him—and while she felt compassion, it wasn’t enough to give up her life.
Summoning A’enara with a single thought, Alex met Gaiel’s blade mid-swing, with blue sparks leaping off her own weapon as the flames trailed harmlessly up the skin of her arm. She knew she presented an unorthodox sight to the surrounding Meyarins; a human who not only had the golden vaeliana bond, but also commanded the Sword of the Stars—a Tia Auran weapon held in great esteem amongst those from Meya. From her peripheral vision she saw wide eyes and heard gasps from the crowd. And not just because of her shining skin or magical blade.
It was also because of her swift reaction.
None of them, least of all Gaiel, had expected her to block his attack. She was only human, after all. And a human shouldn’t be able to match the speed or reflexes of a Meyarin.
His face reddening with anger, Gaiel pulled back before lunging at her again. And again. And again.
In barely a handful of moves, it became clear to Alex that her opponent had never been a member of the Zeltora—Meya’s elite guard—nor did he have much fighting experience. She swept aside his attacks with little effort, grateful for Niyx’s ruthless training that made holding a defence against Gaiel as easy as breathing.
Having no desire to prolong their skirmish, when he came at her again, Alex ducked under his sword and spun behind him using a burst of Meyarin speed, kicking out one of his knees as she did so and circling A’enara around his blade until she had the leverage to force his weapon from his grip and onto the snow. In the blink of an eye she had him unarmed and on his knees, with A’enara pressed against his windpipe as she stood above him from behind.
“Are you done?” she demanded.
When he remained silent, whether in shock or defiance, she leaned down and hissed into his ear the same words, but in Meyarin. “Noran sae rellis, Loro Gaiel?”
He jerked in surprise, enough for A’enara to nick his skin and blue flames to touch his flesh. Alex wasn’t sure which hurt him more, but she presumed it was the fire since she knew the heat was blisteringly painful to anyone not bonded with the weapon. But given that Gaiel had just tried to decapitate her, she couldn’t bring herself to feel much guilt.
“What I would give to throw you off the side of this island right now!” Gaiel seethed in his native language. “No one would stop me—no one!”
“You’re hardly in a position to make such a threat,” Alex responded coolly, reverting to the common tongue. “Are you ready to get up? Or are you going to attack me again?”
Gaiel spat—actually spat—onto the snow in front of him.
“Sae teron mot devarsa!”
“Now, that’s just not very nice,” Alex said. But before she could decide whether or not to let him up despite him saying, ‘You deserve to die!’ another voice interrupted.
“In the name of the light, what is going on out here?”
Alex looked towards the hut and found both Zain and Kyia frozen outside the entrance and staring at the gathered assemblage with incredulity. She opened her mouth to respond, but a searing pain in her leg had her crying out and whipping back around to discover that Gaiel had thrust a concealed dagger deep into the flesh of her thigh.
Shoving the weaselly Meyarin away from her, she banished A’enara and wrapped both hands around the hilt of the dagger to yank it out, remembering afterwards that leaving it in would have helped stem the flow of blood.
“You slimy son of a—”
She didn’t get to finish her curse before Zain had the council member pinned by his neck up against the side of Roka’s tent.
“What is the meaning of this, Gaiel?” Zain roared in Meyarin, as Kyia crouched beside Alex to inspect her wound.
“The human has deceived us!” Gaiel shouted. “And in doing so, she has ruined us all!”
“What are you talking about?” Zain demanded. “Alex is a friend to Meya. You know this.”
“That girl,” Gaiel spat, his eyes glaring daggers at Alex, “is no friend of mine. She might know our language and have fighting skills beyond those of a mortal, but as far as I’m concerned, she has doomed us to a fate worse than death. She returned Aven to our city—everything that has happened since then is her fault. She might as well have killed the king herself!”
It was Kyia who spoke up next, also in Meyarin, still kneeling beside Alex. “Stars, Gaiel! What’s the matter with you?”
“Me?” Gaiel spluttered. “She’s the one who—”
“Enough!” Kyia snapped, standing again and brushing snow from her leathery pants. She gestured to a pair of armed Meyarins who had exited Roka’s tent along with her and Zain and said, “Take him away. We’ll deal with him later.”
Somewhat hazy from the pain in her leg, Alex realised that with Roka out of commission, as his betrothed—and therefore Meya’s future queen—Kyia must be the highest-ranking Meyarin amongst those safe from Aven’s control. Either that, or perhaps Zain, as the leader of the Zeltora. Both options boded well for Alex, especially if Gaiel wasn’t the only one to believe they’d be better off with her dead.
“Let’s get you inside and have a look at the damage,” Kyia said in the common tongue, taking Alex’s arm and helping her limp towards the hut as Gaiel was dragged away.
Zain didn’t follow straight after them, and Alex had a feeling he was interrogating the crowd for details of what had happened. She would have been more apprehensive about her own upcoming answers, but it took all her concentration to keep from using some of Drock’s more colourful expletives as the blood flowed freely down her jeans with every throbbing step.
Finally Kyia had her in the tent and pushed her down onto a wooden chair. Unlike when Alex had last been there, the area in which Roka lay was now curtained off, but she could still see his vague outline through the wispy material. There was no Lady Mystique by his side this time, nor anyone else.
“Is he…?”
“No change,” Kyia said. She wandered around the room, grabbing items as she moved, and continued offering up information. “His condition hasn’t worsened, which was our main concern. The supernatural effects of his stasis appear to be keeping his body in pristine health despite the lack of hydration, nourishment and muscle movement. He’s simply frozen in time.” Kyia swallowed. “If he were to wake up in five minutes or five years, his body and mind would be as perfect as the moment before Grimm Helkin struck him with his gift.”
Grimm Helkin. Alex had never met the gifted human under Aven’s control—the person responsible for Roka’s current state—but she was determined to hunt him down and Release him, and in doing so, awaken Roka.
Or… that was her hope, at least.
“If we were anywhere but here, I would be able to give you something that would heal you in an instant,” Kyia said, sitting beside Alex and prodding her wound.