Spin the Dawn(91)

That last part made Edan’s eyes darken with anger. No sane man would dare threaten an enchanter, but the shansen’s men were recklessly confident.

Did they know that Edan’s magic was weakened?

I joined Edan by the river. He took one step to the side, shielding me. But he kept his eyes trained across the river, on our enemies. He raised his bow.

“I thought enchanters didn’t need weapons,” one of the soldiers sneered.

“You do not want to fight against me,” Edan said. “I suggest you be on your way.”

Vachir waved his sword, and his men began to ford the river.

A few of them turned their attention to me, shouting lewd words and making kissing sounds. Edan’s eyes blackened into cinder. He stiffened and raised his bow and fired three rapid shots. The men fell into the river, never to rise again.

Already the soldiers were on our side, rounding on Edan. Edan grabbed my wrist and pushed me away from the river. “Go!” he shouted.

I ran, but two soldiers sprang on me from behind the trees. My dagger was out, but the men surrounded me, laughing.

“Where you going, girl?”

I slashed at the one who’d spoken, but I missed his throat and scored his cheek instead. I made a long, jagged gash—one that wouldn’t be pretty once it healed. The man growled. As he moved to strike me, I raised my dagger again. But the second soldier came from the side, caught my arm, and twisted it until I dropped my weapon.

His teeth were yellow and crooked, and his breath smelled of spoiled meat. Before I could scream, his cold, sweaty hand covered my lips. I saw the dirt and blood in his nails, and my knees buckled. He laughed in my face as he held his knife over my throat.

“Stop fooling around and just kill her,” his friend spat, wiping his bleeding face on his sleeve. “She’s not the one with a price on her head. The enchanter is.”

“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve felt a woman?” My captor yanked my hair back, forcing my neck to crane upward. “Not so feisty now, are you?”

I began to feel afraid. Two men, both larger and stronger than me. No dagger. No Edan. The world swayed.

No, I snapped at myself. You’ve come too far to give up now. Have to fight.

Using both my hands, I grabbed the arm holding the knife at my throat and pulled it away from my neck. I twisted out of my attacker’s grip, jabbing my elbow into his side and quickly grabbing the hilt of his knife, kneeing him in the groin until he let go.

His friend lunged after me, but I swung the knife at his face, scoring yet another cut. As he howled in pain, I dropped the knife, picked up my dagger, and made my escape.

The two men chased me, their footsteps thudding, growing dangerously closer. I ignored their shouts, didn’t look back. Then an arrow zinged past me, followed by a scream from one of the soldiers on my trail.

When I looked up, there Edan was, storming toward me with his bow raised. The soldier I’d cut tried to turn back and run away, but he was the next to fall. His body slumped into the dirt.

I couldn’t have been more than twenty paces from Edan when someone grabbed me from behind. His grip was strong enough to bruise my ribs, and he pressed his sword against my throat. “Put down your weapon, enchanter. You’re outnumbered.”

I recognized the voice. Vachir.

“Let her go,” Edan said, lifting his bow.

Vachir spat at Edan’s feet. “Make me. If you had any powers, you would have used them already.”

Edan gritted his teeth. It was true—he had almost no magic left. There was no way for us to escape.

I clawed my nails into Vachir’s arm, smashed my heel into his foot, but his skin was tough as leather and he only held me tighter.

“Let her go,” Edan repeated. “This is my last warning.”

The other soldiers arrived. Too many to fight. They circled us until we were completely surrounded, and they laughed, their bows and swords raised at Edan’s head.

Edan still wouldn’t lower his weapon.

Vachir’s blade pressed deeper into my skin, and I squeezed my eyes shut. This is not how I die—my throat slit by a Balardan!

My fingers slid slowly toward my sash, clasping my scissors.

Behind me, Vachir’s body tensed. He craned his neck to look at the sky.

A tide of clouds had appeared from nowhere, casting a great shadow upon us. Lightning crackled, and thunder broke. The ground trembled, and several of the soldiers fell to their knees. I raised my scissors and blindly stabbed Vachir in the thigh.

As he hollered in pain, I twisted out of his arms.

A pile of dead soldiers surrounded Edan, but he was running out of arrows. Vachir and his remaining men charged for us. Then the earth bucked beneath us, and the river began to rise.

“Are you doing that?” I shouted, picking up my dagger.

“No.” Edan pulled my hand, urging me to climb the rocks ahead. “They’re coming.”

“Who?” My voice trembled.

Instead of answering, Edan said, “Get to higher ground.”

I followed him, scrambling up the steep slope away from the river. The world spun, and with each step my head felt lighter and lighter, while my skin burned hotter. But I kept my eyes open and glanced below us. I soon wished I hadn’t looked.

Ghosts. I’d thought they were confined to Lake Paduan, but I was wrong.