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Lia glanced at the nearest brazier, re that it was fire that had destroyed her previous enes in the tower, no stone sculptures, but there was fire and she had the Gift of Firetaht, keeping as much of the room between them as she could The ere all blocked by heavy curtains The idea bloomed in her mind Force the ene to theirs She was not fully healed and feared the kishion’s skill at knife-fighting eclipsed hers If she focused on her strengths, it would give her a better chance

The kishion studied her, weaving closer, watching her feet as she rit her teeth, trying to keep fro her abilities

"I offer terotiate?" She e lures old Drop the dirk and I will kill you quickly You murdered a Dochte Mandar They ant you dead for that and it will not be a pleasant death"

Lia darted as he spoke She had hoped he would respond to her, to distract hiscoals and the black iron hite with ash Flaht fro it up and Lia gripped the bars and shoved it over, spilling the flaainst her hand, but it did not burn her The curtain erupted into a sheath of flames

She tried to use the Medium to control the fire, but there was not even the spark of it in the tower any longer It could never be forced by a maston, only pleaded with or persuaded She was on her own yet still Black s fire up to the wooden rafters

The kishion lunged at her

He was faster than she thought he would be, but there was so new in his eyes – a little hint of fear at the crackling flaed the balance of the duel He had experience with fire He kne fast it would devastate the roo to react to them, to be distracted He suddenly dropped low and tried to sweep her bad leg with his boot, but she moved aside and sliced towards his ear He deflected it with a dagger and she whirled around behind hi to draw him after her It worked He had seen how lethal she could be with a dirk and slashed at her with his other hand Lia ju away from the kishion, towards another curtain

"Get to the door!" Lia told her, stabbing carefully at the kishion, trying to push hiet close enough, she could shove hinized her plan and went after Marciana

Lia intervened, slashing at his ar, her movements and his Suddenly the kishion’s blade lashed out at her, the dagger at her ribs He stabbed just above the leather girdle she wore, beneath her breast She felt the point of the blade rip against her shirt, tear it, and then glance away

There should have been pain There should have been a cut She realized to her surprise that the dagger had not penetrated The shirt was torn but the blade stopped against the chaen beneath

There was another look in the kishion’s eyes It was a blow that should have impaled her and instead, had not even harmed her

"Maston," he ers She felt his skin tear as her fingernails bit into his flesh With her other hand, she stabbed and ed to land the blade into his arm as he deflected it from his throat He snarled once and backed away, his eyes burning from the smoke Red tears tracked down the side of his face with the scar Blood

The door opened and Marciana fled the rooer and threw it after the fleeing girl Lia watched helplessly as it whistled and spun, end over end In hercut down by such a stroke, the blade burying itself in his lower back She willed the blade to stop, she willed it to htthe doorith his size as he strode into the rooether," Kieran said

The kishion looked back and forth at theladius in Kieran’s other hand

Lia stoainst his head, but he responded quickly and deflected the second blow, though her foot had ed to meet his