My blade was in his throat immediately, cutting off the rest of his diatribe.
I shoved him off the bridge, already thrusting for the next soldier. The backward slash of my blade cut his throat open, and blood arced through the air. Something had snapped in me, like a darkness unfurling in my veins, filling me with rage.
Two soldiers left. The first swung for me, and I leapt back, my heart skipping a beat as I did. I was nearly at the edge of the crumbling bridge now. But before he could bring his sword back for a second swing, I leapt forward, moving up from a low angle. I brought the dagger up hard under his chin, piercing his jaw. Then I ripped it out again.
Losing his balance, he tried to grab on to me as he started to teeter off the broken edge of the bridge, fingers digging into my sides, but I brought my elbow down hard into his eye socket, stunning him.
He let go, plummeting, and his shrieks carved through the sky. Whirling, I turned to face the last one. I felt like the night was cloaking me with power, and a cold and repressed anger made me glad they’d come for me. Because I wanted to kill them. What if I liked the screams of my enemies?
Four down, one to go.
But the sound of my name being screamed from below turned my head, because it was a voice I recognized, and he sounded panicked.
“Lila!”
“Finn?”
That was all it took for me to lose focus. I'd dropped my gaze from the soldier and now the tip of his sword was pointed at my throat.
I’d lost.
From the other end of the sword, I stared into the blue eyes of the Clovian.
“Little bird, you are a traitor," he snapped. "You are a double-dealing whore.”
He jabbed the edge of his sword at my throat, the tip nearly breaking the skin. I was shaking with fury now, and I wanted to stab him in the eye.
God damn it, Finn. I knew he was just worried about me, but he’d chosen the worst possible time to express it.
Focus, Lila.
I took a step back, trying to consider my options. But he only stepped closer, driving the blade in more, pushing me toward that crumbling edge. The blade pierced the skin on my throat.
The cold wind rushed over me, whipping at my hair. If I took another step, I’d end up shattered to pieces in the river.
“Lila!” Finn screamed again.
Shut the fuck up, Finn.
I couldn't move an inch without the soldier pushing the blade in further, without him slitting my throat right there.
“What do you want?” I asked.
His lip curled. “Your death.”
“Why?”
“Because you are filth. For what you did. For what you are. For your betrayal.”
My heart was thundering in my chest, my nerves crackling with fear. Moments ago, I'd felt so strong, like I was dominating. But losing focus in a fight was lethal.
"You killed my compatriots," he said. “I want to hear you scream as you die." He jabbed again, and I found myself taking another step back, my heel now dipping off the edge of the bridge. I held out my arms, steadying myself.
I had to take my chance with throwing the knife. I reared back my arm—but just then he thrust the sword, digging in deeper.
I lost my balance, and slipped backward over the ledge. As I fell, I just barely managed to grab on to the edge, fingers desperately gripping the stone.
Dangling, I dropped the dagger. I looked down, watching as it spun through the air until I could no longer see it. It disappeared into the darkness, and my stomach plummeted with it. The idea of falling into that river filled me with such wild terror that I could hardly think clearly.
Pure panic was now roiling in my mind, and Samael’s true face flashed in the depths of my skull. Death was coming for me. I’d known it as soon as I’d seen his true face.
I realized now the Clovian soldier had been talking to me, a grin on his face, but I hadn’t been listening.
He smiled down at me. “This will be a better death than you deserve.”
He lifted his foot, and stomped hard on my fingers. Pain shot through them, and I lost my grip. The wind tore at me as I fell.
And now there was nothing in my mind but the face of death itself. The icy air rushed over me. I waited to