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From the corner of her eye, she saw Astrid rush for the door and enjoyed a surge of relief If she could delay the kishion for a fewColvin and Edmon and even the Alderht her foot and buried his elbow against the side of her knee He kept his grip on her ankle and twisted it, spinning her effortlessly onto her stomach Astrid seized the door handle and pulled
Lia did not see the dagger appear in the kishion’s hand She only saw it stick in Astrid’s back and watched his legs gave way Leaving Lia on the ground, he rose and walked to the door, shutting it quietly and then dropping the crossbar in place Astrid twitched on the ground, gasping in pain Ellowyn let out a hiss of fear and shrank against the wall, cowering
By the bathing tub on the stone tile, Lia saw her gladius still in its freshly cleaned sheath The rooe, but it seemed as if a chasm separated her fro she had even the feeble protection of her hunter leathers instead of the thin chemise
The kishion approached her without a word There was no worry in his expression He kneould end, with her dead on the ground and Ellowyn his prisoner – or also killed Lia looked into his eyes, his dead eyes His hair was cropped, not rab at A short beard covered his sour mouth He could be no older than Jon Hunter when he died, though gaunt as a starving man Lia wished she had her bow at hand, but wishes were for fools As he approached her, Liaher true aim She snatched a blanket from the bed top and hurled it him, but the kishion only stopped a ed one corner of his ed hi her hands She was terror-stricken
The kishion ca Lia towards the tub Her cheek throbbed, her knee ached, but she was not afraid Seeing Astrid laying there, a dagger in his back, made her furious The hunter was patient The prey was careless Lia saw the tremor of the bathwater from the corner of her eye and realized her blade was somewhere on the floor near her and knew her back would collide with the wall if she kept retreating She did not look away froled, spas Somewhere deep in her h no more than whispers She knew at once he was dead
Hate, a searing bitter hate, filled Lia’s heart She glanced quickly, saw the weapon and lunged for it as the kishion lunged for her There was no time to draw it from its sheath yet After she closed her hand around the hilt, she swung it, scabbard and all, at the kishion’s head He dodged the blow and sidestepped her Lia sidestepped the other direction to increase the space between theladius fro the ehtly and it sailed past his ear It was the only moment she had left
Lia twirled the blade in front of her, whipping it in large circles and lunged straight at him His eyes watched the blade’s dance as he back stepped in time with her advance If she could drive him into the corner, it would reduce his movement
The thought cost her dearly
Suddenly the kishion wasdown, he stepped in on her and grabbed her wrist It was like trying to touch a puddle of quicksilver – he was iasp A jerk against her wrist and her fingers opened and the blade dropped with a thu Lia knew, the bathwater rushed up to ers cla her head under the water Her ar in pain The waters thudded in her ears and she felt herself dizzy with pain Drowning – she had never thought she would die that way She kicked at the kishion, tried to dislodge hi she could do The air burned in her lungs She knew if she breathed in the water, she would die It would end
She had failed the Aldermaston and Colvin She had failed the Abbey
Muirwood
The thought rushed to herused to summon water With all her mind, with all her will, she suh fire to make it scald The Medium roared inside her as she opened herself to it She felt the Leering seethe awake, responding to her thoughts with outrage and fury A blast of stearip did not loosen, if anything it tightened