Page 14 of The Fury She Holds
“We lock ourselves in one of the rooms, and don’t call me princess,” she growled and threw a high elbow behind her.
“A little forward don’t you think? At least tell me your name first.” He side-stepped and let an apparition stumble forward, then thrust his blade behind him, stabbing the attacker in the back.
“You don’t need to know my name.” She ignored his humored comment and searched for a door.
“No?” He guffawed. “I like a woman with a little bit of mystery.”
“I liked you better when you didn’t talk,” Tal shot back, taking a slice to her forearm. “Dammit!” She sheathed one of her daggers and grabbed the man by the arm, ducking under a swinging blade and pulling her companion into the nearest room. They thrust the door closed against an incursion of assailants, stabbing and shoving hands, arms, and legs until it closed.
There weren’t any locks for a room that held burning trash. She searched for something to wedge against the door and found a slim piece of metal nearby. Using her toe, she dragged the metal close enough to grab and jammed it between the door and its frame. It wouldn’t hold, but it helped. She prayed the remaining mage didn’t start creating assailants directly within the room.
“Get that grate down.” She pointed at the center of the ceiling where a flimsy vent covered their escape.
“Flaming hells.” He pulled down his mask. “You won’t be able to hold them back,” he warned. His full lips were set in a line, and his green eyes met her glare with concern.
“Watch me.”
Still leaning against the door, he put his hand to his chest. “Oh dear. I think I’ve just fallen in love with you.”
“Blazing pigs, get on with it!” she yelled, and he jumped into action. The door shook behind her, and the metal wedge slipped the slightest bit. She swore under her breath and placed her hands against the door frame.
No red. No gold. No fire.
Forgive me Syb. It’s the only way,she thought. Sybil’s cryptic message before she left had warned Talwyn not to unleash her elemental magic, but she had to do something to buy them enough time to climb to the roof. She flicked a quick glance to her companion to ensure his attention remained occupied.
His back was to her as he sized up the distance to the grate. The leather suit left little to the imagination. He put his hands on his hips and his back flexed against the material.
Tal blinked to regain focus. With a deep inhale, she turned back to the door. As carefully as she could manage, Talwyn placed the palm of her hand against the latch and focused her element into the steel, welding the door to its frame. The weight of her limbs grew with the effort as if the magic turned the bloodin her veins to stone. She hadn’t had enough time to rebuild her stores since Pochette’s death. A fire hot enough to melt steel sapped too much of her energy, especially one concentrated in such a small area, and she still needed to climb the chimney to the roof. She made quick work of the hinges and rested her back against the door, exhausted. Perhaps the gods would finally send her good fortune and let her sprout wings. She huffed at the thought, which caught the attention of her companion.
“Care to share?” he asked. He removed his belt, and Talwyn’s brows drew together. “I need to loop the grate to pull it down.”
“You ever think of jumping?” Talwyn’s voice was haggard, her exhaustion ready to devour her.
“A good fighterandsmart. I’d ask you to marry me here and now, but I’m afraid we’d have to ask one of those green blokes outside to marry us, and I’m not sure they would be happy if we invited only one of them.”
“Blazes, do you ever stop talking?” If he took much longer, he would have to carry her out, and she could imagine what he would say to that.
“Absolutely!” he said between leaps, reaching for the grate. “When my mouth is otherwise occupied.” He smirked at her.
“You’re terrible at jumping,” she cut at him.
“But I’m an expert atso manyother things… like embroidery,” he retorted playfully.
With an effort, Talwyn pushed herself off the ground and stumbled over to him, putting more weight on her left leg thanks to an exceptionally deep gash on her right thigh. “Lift me up.”
“Oh, this is getting interesting.” He gathered his hands for her to step into and hoisted her up. Talwyn hooked her fingers in the slots and wrenched. The cover came free and crashed to the ground.
“Hells, woman, you’re covered in filth, and you reek of rubbish. Do you bathe in the stuff?” He turned away from her thigh, gagging.
“Welcome to the docks, your highness,” she jabbed, mocking his earlier use of a royal address. “Did you not see the countless apparitions I gutted mere minutes ago?”
He coughed and let his hands drop her, grabbing her around the middle before her feet slammed to the ground. “Did you say apparitions?”
Tal’s hands flew to his chest, and she winced at a sharp pain in her leg. “Yes, they’re created by the mage. Didn’t you see they were faceless?” Her eyes flicked to the arms still wrapped around her and back to his face just in time to see his own eyes leave her mouth.
“I was too busy slicing and dicing,” he responded and Talwyn rolled her eyes. “A mage?”
She pushed away from him and let out an exasperated sigh. Placing her hands on her knees to hide their shaking, she took a moment to muster the energy to climb the chimney. “Lords, did you throw yourself into this mess without a moment of planning? Did you know anything before coming here?”
