Page 175

Sabien tilted his head. “Hmm. I suppose we will find her together. That is, if you want to live.”

“Yes, I do. Heal me.”

A crooked smile appeared on his face. “I want you to beg.”

The world was beginning to blur. The stone rumbled as another explosion rang out in the distance. The sound of the pouring rain and the screams of war began to fade away.

Dagmara’s voice was barely audible. “Please save me. I’ll do anything, Sabien, I’m begging you.”

Sabien removed his forearm from her throat and held her by the chin. A smirk creased on his face as he said, “Good girl.”

Then he ripped the magical dagger free, eliciting another shriek.

Dagmara fell against his chest, every inch of her soaked either from the rain or her blood. Sabien knelt as her body collapsed in his embrace. The mud sloshed underneath them, rain continuing to beat down from the midnight sky.

First, Sabien ran his hand through her hair, slick from the rain. “There she is,” he said. The silver tint was washing out in the torrential rain, returning her hair to her natural blonde. Then Sabien’s hand roamed down her body before finding the wound in the center of her stomach. “I’m stronger than you,” he growled. “I won’t hesitate to bring you to the brink of death time and time again just to prove who holds the power.”

A heat began to radiate from the wound, magic seeping through her and sealing her injury. But she was out of energy, and there was too much pain. Thinking of Claude, she wanted to weep, but she had no more strength. Her head fell back, the blackness consuming her.

Before she lost consciousness, she felt Sabien tighten his grip around her, leaning closer to whisper, “You’re mine now, Dagger.”

CHAPTER 56

Magdalena

Ishani chucked one of her axes at the assassin, but the woman dodged easily. She thrust her hand at the ceiling, and dirt broke off, cascading down on Magda and her friends, and momentarily blinding her.

Odie charged at the assassin, leaping for her arm and biting down hard. She let out a scream before summoning roots from the earth, littered in thorns. The roots gripped Odie around his hind legs, piercing his skin and yanking him to the ground. He let out a howl of pain.

“Odie!” Magda screamed, rushing forward. The assassin was already fleeing down another staircase, running deeper into the earth, Ishani hot on her trail.

Ravi withdrew his knife, “Go after her, I’ll save Odie!” he yelled.

Magda trusted him. She turned and raced down the staircase, finding herself in a narrow tunnel. When she reached Ishani’s side, the tunnel began to rumble. Suddenly, both girls were thrown to either wall, landing with a hard thud on the earth.

“Watch out!” yelled Ishani, rolling deeper into the tunnel.

Magda looked up to see small rocks falling down on her. As fast as she could, she rolled out of the way. Large stones collapsed from the ceiling, blocking the entrance to the stairs. The staircase leading above was fixed on the other side of the cave-in, providing no escape for either Ishani or Magda. There were a few gaps between the rocks, but it was clear they would have to find another way out if they wanted to survive.

“Get ready,” Ishani was at Magda’s side, pulling her up to her feet. “She’s here somewhere.”

As Magda regained her footing, she looked around at the space before them. It was a small, enclosed tunnel lined with pipes that wove in and out of each other before disappearing into the ceiling and walls. This had to be a hotspot for the city’s water system. It wasn’t a large area, but some of the pipes were thick, and shadows lined the narrow space.

Ishani gripped her axe, walking forward, her eyes peeled.

Magda tried to summon her Soul magic. She had watched the assassin conjure roots from the ground, surely she could make something happen here? But nothing was coming to mind. Magda had the powers to command both rock and earth, but she couldn’t feel what she could pull from in this space.

The assassin had somehow commanded the earth in this space, for she had caused the cave in, hoping she wouldn’t be followed. Now, all three were trapped on this side together.

A gust of wind was heard behind them.

Ishani and Magda turned around.

The assassin appeared from behind them, summoning the earth toward Magda. Before she could react, roots laced around Magda’s stomach like rope, hoisting her into the air. The thorns dug into her like nails, and she screamed.

Ishani lunged for the assassin, her axe missing and instead made contact with one of the old pipes, causing it to burst. The water sprayed the assassin in the face, causing her to stumble.

Digging deep, Magda found her earth magic. She commanded the roots to release her, and she dropped to the ground with a hard thud. Looking up, she watched as a pile of dirt cascaded from the ceiling, blocking Ishani’s vision. The assassin dislodged a portion of the ground beneath them, and a large rock was thrust up toward Ishani. It collided with her head, and she fell back, her skull banging on one of the pipes before she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Her axe skidded from her grasp, landing in front of the assassin.