Threshold of Annihilation (The Firebird Chronicles #3) - T.A. White Page 0,162

anyone else wrapped up in this business.

These kinds of decisions were the sort to haunt you later. She hated the idea of sacrificing anyone, yet here she was doing exactly that.

Kira gritted her teeth and reached for more speed.

Elise rounded a shipping container, Kira fast on her heels.

Elise fled through a small gap before leaping onto the top of another pallet. Kira grimly followed.

Abruptly, they burst onto the docks.

To their left, a cavernous opening led into space, the battle being fought outside visible.

A walkway extended as far the eye could see, ramps branching off it leading to the ships nestled on either side.

Kira sprinted after Elise. If Elise made it to her ship, it was game over.

Kira narrowed the gap between them.

Just a little bit more.

Now.

Kira leapt, tackling Elise hard enough that she lost her grip on Jin.

They hit the ground hard and rolled. The walkway disappearing under them.

They fell, coming apart.

Kira hit the deck on her side, the landing knocking the breath out of her. Pain spread through her as she blinked at the ten-foot drop above her.

The belly of a ship blocked her view of the ceiling.

They’d rolled off the walkway and landed in one of the berths.

She lifted her head, seeing the landing gear of the ship.

With a groan, she flipped onto her stomach. From the quickly growing pain, Kira knew the boost Alexander had given her was wearing off.

She needed to finish this before it was entirely gone.

Elise was in the middle of crawling back onto the walkway as Kira forced herself to her feet.

She leapt, snagging the edge of walkway and pulling herself up as Elise stood.

Kira snapped out a kick, sending Elise sprawling.

"You've never beaten me in a foot race," Kira told her. "What made you think that had changed?"

Elise crab-walked away from Kira.

The bittersweet pull of regret mixed with love and guilt was gone. Kira felt dead inside as Elise pulled herself to standing, watching Kira warily.

Kira should have felt hurt with the way the woman she'd once considered a sister was looking at her—like she was a venomous snake.

Instead, she felt nothing but emptiness.

Elise yanked a knife from her boot.

Kira reached out, merciless as she grabbed Elise's hand and twisted. "Don't play with me, Elise. You know I'll win."

There was a crack as Kira broke Elise's wrist.

She watched dispassionately as Elise fell to her knees with a cry. Her head sagged, her hair covering her face as she cradled her wrist.

"That's always been your problem, Nixxy." Elena raised her head and glared at Kira through her hair. "You're sentimental. It makes you do stupid things—like fall into simple traps."

Elise raised her other hand, hitting a button on the palm-sized device that she’d kept concealed until now.

Agony stole the breath in Kira's lungs as she doubled over.

Elise rose. "How stupid of you. Did you really think it was chance you stumbled onto me here?"

Kira was too preoccupied with the pain to respond. White hot, it hollowed out her insides, leaving behind nothing but ash.

A scream ripped from her.

"Poor, poor Kira. You fought so hard only to fail in the end."

Kira moaned as strange runes materialized on the skin of her arms as if an invisible hand wrote them. A pale purple-blue light emanated from them.

She covered one with a hand, fear coating her throat.

Primus.

Her primus was trying to rise.

"I see you understand what is happening." Elise held the device up to admire. "Nifty little toy, isn't it? Something the masters developed. I’m told a forced shift to primus is quite painful."

Kira curled in on herself, trying to force her primus down. There were too many civilians around, and no one to help her contain the damage if she let it out.

Right now, she couldn't sense any rationality in her other half. Just pain and fury.

It would slaughter anything and everything in its rampage. Not just the enemy but allies too.

Elise knelt and petted Kira's head. "Look at you trying so hard."

The primus bashed itself against an invisible barrier. Every failure to escape resulting in further madness.

"I'll let you in on a little secret." Elise reached down to touch the inhibitor Kira still wore. "Repressing the primus leads to insanity followed by an extremely agonizing death. But don't worry, Nixxy. Our masters won't let it get that far."

Elise stood. “My orders were to start a war between any of the three races.”

Kira struggled to think as her very body started rebelling against her.

“Your little stunt during the semifinals may have saved the life of