The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2)(120)

“Vanor,” Mykaela said softly.

He placed the heartsglass in her hands and, with a sigh, crumbled into ashes and dust, leaving only the aeshma and the spike behind. Furious at being deprived of a victim, the daeva lunged forward again.

Runes burst forth and surrounded the aeshma. The beast abandoned all attempts at assault and retreated, shrieking, as currents danced through its flesh. Mykaela stood in the center of that glowing storm, her heartsglass a beautiful display of unrepentant magic and light, scorching the walls of the tomb around her with her fury. For a few moments, the aeshma lay under her thrall, enough for it to retreat. But soon, her strength left her, and Mykaela sank down, breathing hard.

“Welcome back,” Zoya said, grabbing Mykaela. “Now let’s get out of here before we literally have no more ground to stand on!”

We made it out of the tombs just in time—before the aeshma breached the catacombs’ roof to take a swipe at the azi. The latter sent flames through the broken ceiling.

The aeshma hollered in response, a ball of spikes tumbling toward the daeva. I grabbed at the azi’s mind, registering its shock and pain as the two creatures collided. I tasted metal in my mouth as the aeshma’s spikes dug in. The azi breathed fire directly at the other beast; it detached from our hide and rolled away, its barbs black and charred.

“Assassins!” I heard King Telemaine scream at the soldiers. “Kill them!” I could hear the sounds of battle in the distance and realized that Alsron and Shadi were also attacking the city.

Althy extracted the moisture from the air, channeled Water and thick Mud into the soil surrounding the aeshma. The aeshma grunted when its spiked talons sank into the newly created quagmire. It struggled to raise itself but only managed to submerge itself deeper.

“The face is its most vulnerable,” she called out. “Concentrate your attacks there!”

The azi swung its tail spike, striking hard across the beast’s snout and tearing through flesh. The aeshma wailed in agony.

Polaire threw cutting Wind and Fire in Aenah’s direction. Earth, Air, and Water runes sprung up around Zoya, twisting themselves into a complicated knot to spew jets of acid. The Faceless called up walls of the dead even as Polaire’s corrosive magic hissed and fizzled against the corpses. Althy sent more Earth runes burrowing deep, but Aenah avoided the sinkhole, her cadavers carrying her to safer ground. “Is that all you have?” she said mockingly.

Even trapped, the aeshma was still a deadly opponent. Its spikes lengthened to twice its size, and we all had to dance out of the way when it began attacking indiscriminately. A lone spike came whizzing in my direction, but a Shield rune from Kalen kept it from slicing into me.

Very few of the soldiers had taken up Telemaine’s order, not wanting to get in between the two battling daeva. The half dozen who were courageous enough to do so were easily dispatched by Fox.

Mykaela ignored the danger, walking toward the aeshma, her face intent.

“Mykkie!” Polaire cried out. “Keep away!”

The aeshma hissed, turning its terrible gaze on the lone asha approaching it. Mykaela was close enough for the beast to swipe at her with an outstretched limb.

“Stop.” The asha raised her hand. The claw stopped in midair, as if hitting an invisible barrier. The aeshma reared back, and a quick brush against its thoughts told me it was confused, though still under Aenah’s control.

“What are you doing?” the Faceless hissed. Her willpower was extraordinary to retain her influence on the aeshma while fending off attacks by Polaire and Zoya.

I soon understood. Aenah was too firmly ingrained in the aeshma. To wrest control would take too much effort, too much time. But she was using minor spells to confuse and intimidate the daeva, which I had never thought to do before.

The aeshma hissed, runes of doubt and confusion coloring its mind. It stopped.

“Fight!” Aenah screamed.

Mykaela threw fear into its mind. It scrambled back, but the sand retained its hold. When the aeshma threw its head up and howled, exposing the fragile flesh of its underbelly, I called to the azi and we jumped.

Three rows of teeth tore into the daeva’s face and neck, the aeshma’s screams cutting off when we found its jugular. The blood flowed more earnestly, and the aeshma struggled and twitched. I fought off the urge to throw up at the thick clotting texture of it in my mouth and held on grimly until the jerking stilled and the daeva grew slack in our grip. Its limbs, no longer fighting, slid out of the quicksand with a horrific sucking sound.

Panting, pleased, I turned to smile weakly at Mykaela. I drew my knife—and drove it toward her chest.

“Tea!” Fox shoved my mentor out of the way, taking my attack through his arm. Stunned, I opened my mouth and found that I couldn’t speak. No sound came from my throat, even as my mind screamed.

“It’s quite easy to slay a beast.” Though she lost her daeva, Aenah was triumphant, having nailed a better prize. She clutched my protection stone in one hand. It glowed. “Can you do the same with your precious bone witch, Mykaela?”

“Let her go, Aenah.”

I set my own knife against my throat, feeling the sharpness against my skin.

“Not quite yet,” the Faceless purred, and the pressure against my neck increased. “Attempt to get inside my head, Mykaela, and I shall slit your precious ward’s throat.”