do my bidding. The blood of a guild master. It swirled and formed a hardened blade much stronger than the shadows, hovering at the edge of my fingers.
“Noc.” Ozias gripped my shoulder, his worried gaze darting to my weapon.
The tip turned serrated. Dangerous weapons to enemies, but to my brethren… If my blade met Calem’s skin, the call of his leader would shock him into submission. He’d have to follow my command until the remnants of my blood cycled out of his system. To be stripped of free will… I’d only seen Talmage use the power once, and the horrid screams of the affected assassin still haunted me. To do that to Calem…
Bile gathered in the back of my throat. He’d never forgive me, not really, but if he wouldn’t listen, I’d have to compel him to follow my orders. I needed that beast.
I needed Leena alive. For now, I forced myself to add.
In the meadow, Calem fled from Kinana and Kapro. They chased after him, spiraling around each other and spewing water and frozen air. Each shot missed, just barely kissing the soles of his shoes rather than ensnaring his foot. Winking out of existence, he snuck through the shadows to appear behind Leena. Forceful hands drove a blade into the barrier all the way to the hilt. A sharp crack flooded the meadow, and Leena’s knees hit the ground. Unperturbed, the monster closed another eye, and the knife in Calem’s hand skittered across the grass.
He raced toward it, and the blade hovering above my palm rose inches higher. “If he breaks through…” I couldn’t explain the rising need to protect her. I wanted to run out into the clearing and restrain Calem myself. Use the damn blood blade if I had to. I couldn’t let him hurt her.
“Calem!” Ozias shouted. Kost went rigid beside me. He’d seen a blood blade in action before, too.
I took a few steps forward. Crouched low in my heels. Prepared to lunge.
Calem didn’t respond. Eyes focused on the glittering blade before him, he even ignored the serpents in the grass. They didn’t forget about him. Kinana had flooded the space with water. As Calem bent low to snatch the weapon, Kapro unleashed fury. Ice formed in the span of a breath, immobilizing Calem’s left leg and bringing him to a complete standstill.
Pulling more knives from the shadows, he sank blade after blade into the column of ice encasing his leg, but with every crack that appeared, Kinana and Kapro were there. “For fuck’s sake!”
The breath I didn’t know I’d been holding left me in a ragged exhale. Safe. She was safe. I straightened and called the shadows to me. Let their cool touch douse the anger and fear in my veins. I’d nearly lost it. Lost control. For her.
Leena walked toward him, an unmistakable shake to her steps. The cow beast followed, one milky eye trained on Calem. “What do you say? Should we call it?”
His wild red gaze threatened to rip her to shreds, and he gnashed his teeth as she inched closer. Muscles popped along his neck and shoulders. “I’m not done yet.”
She rested her hands on her hips, frowned. “Can you get out?”
He hissed and called forth more blades, smashing them against his cage. Crack after crack snaked through the ice, but her beasts were there. Poised and ready. He had no chance of escaping, but the fury in his glare only burned brighter. Forfeiting wasn’t an option.
I whispered his name, and his stare found me before spying the suspended blade floating above my right hand.
All the fight died in his eyes. He took a breath. “You win, Leena. Let me out.”
She raised her brows. “Not trying to trick me, right?”
Puzzled, Leena turned to us. The blood blade dissolved and my wound resealed before her eyes found mine. “You heard him. It’s over.”
With a quivering hand, she extended her palm outward and called back her beasts. They disappeared in a rosewood glow, and the ink along her right side retreated. Calem leaped into action, carving away at the ice with an unending supply of blades until he broke free.
“C’mere.” Ozias patted a space beside the fire. “You need to thaw out.”
“Say one word, and I’ll end you.” Calem dropped to the ground, muted eyes trained on the flickering flames.
“You were foolish.” Kost sank onto a tree stump and braided his fingers together. “You should have listened.”