Page 64 of Into the Abyss
The jinni’s eyes held a murderous gleam whenthey met mine as he stood. His sodden black hair trailed down hisback in a thick braid. I would not leave here until this bastardwas dead.
“Bring it, fucker,” I growled at him as hesprinted toward us.
“No! Magnus, Nalki, this isn’t necessary!”Amalia cried.
I pushed her behind me, using my body toshield her as the jinni leapt into the air. With his feet extendedand his hands hook into claws, Nalki pounced like a cat as he cametoward me. I clutched one of his feet as the other one rammed intomy chest and his hands clasped my horns.
He yanked my head to the side at the sametime as I twisted his foot over. The jinni grunted, but when hisankle gave way with a sound like a breaking branch, he showed nosign of the bone piercing his skin hurting him.
And I gave no indication his twisting motionon my horns was pushing my neck to a snapping point. Releasing hisfoot, I swung up and smashed my fist into his chest. Flesh and bonebroke and gave way as I dug into his body.
“Both of you,stop!” Amalia shouted,but I didn’t ease up; to do so would be certain death.
The jinni released my horns and clutched mywrist. Using his good foot, still planted against my chest, hetried to shove himself off me, but I refused to release him.
“Stop!” Amalia cried.
The jinni released my wrist, clasped hishands together, and hammered them into my cheek. My cheekbone gaveway with an audible crack; I spit out the teeth knocked free by theblow, and pulling my head back, I drove my forehead into his nose.Blood sprayed me and the jinni, Nalki, I recalled.
Twisting my arm to the side, I dug my handdeeper into the jinni’s chest as his joined hands battered my face.I flung up my free hand, knocking aside his next blow. When myfingers scraped his heart, the organ gave an unsteady beat.Stretching further into his chest cavity, I clutched the beatingheart in my hand. Yanking backward, I tore it from Nalki’s chestand flung it aside.
Blood oozed from the hole I left in hischest; more spurted from his mouth as he choked it out. It wasn’tenough to kill him, I’d have to decapitate him for that, but theremoval of his heart would take most of the fight from him.
When I shoved him off me, he landedawkwardly on his uninjured foot and hobbled back. Gurgled soundstrailed behind him as he clutched at the jagged hole I’d left inhis chest while I stalked after him. I’d rip this jinni to piecesfor causing any hurt to Amalia.
I was so focused on Nalki that I didn’t seeAmalia until she gripped my arm and jerked me toward her. Angerradiated from her, but her eyes were an ochre hue when they landedon me.
“Oh,” she breathed and stretched a tremuloushand toward my face. “What did he do to you?”
I turned my head away before she could touchmy battered flesh and broken bones. “It will heal soon, and theteeth will grow back,” I said, my voice slurred from my swollencheek and missing teeth.
Her hand fell away, and her head turned towhere Nalki had collapsed against the wall. Her eyes turned redderas she gazed at him while resting her hand on my arm.
“You can’t kill him,” she stated.
I blinked at her, sure I’d heard her wrong.“The fuck I can’t.”
“No,” she said. “I won’t allow it.”
“Allow it?Hetried to killme.”
When she bowed her head, her wet hair fellforward to shield her pretty features. “Yes, I know, but he didn’t.I can’t let you kill a jinni, not when I brought you here. If youkilled him while you were fighting, that would be one thing, butyou didn’t. I won’t let you destroy him if he can’t fight.”
I didn’t know how to respond to thisinsanity.
“He’s weakened,” she said. “He won’t followus. To kill him now is cold-blooded murder.”
“It’s self-preservation and defense.”
“No,” she said again. “I will take you fromthe Abyss if you kill him.”
“Amalia….” My words trailed off when shelifted her head, and I saw the despair in her ochre-gray eyes.
“It will be my fault if he dies, and I can’tbear that.”
“No, it won’t.” I turned my attention backto Nalki as he watched us with hooded eyes. He’d stopped bleeding,but his breath was so shallow his chest barely moved. “With as oldas he is, he’ll heal fast.”
“We’ll be far from here and maybe out of theAbyss by the time he does.”
