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CHAPTER SIX

Ryker

Thunder gathered beneath my feet until I slammed my hand off the earth. The motion sent the vibrations deeper into the ground, fracturing it apart in a zigzagging chasm that raced toward the guard swinging his sword at me.

When the earth lurched beneath the guard’s feet, he staggered back, and his arms flew up as he sought to regain his balance while stumbling away from the pit I’d created. Rising, I charged at the guard as he righted himself, lifted the sword, and plunged it down.

I was so close that, when I threw up my arm to stop the descending arc, it connected with the hilt. Keeping the sword over my head, I drove my other fist into the guard’s stomach.

His breath exploded in my face, blowing my hair back and infusing me with its stale scent. The guard gritted his teeth and started to lift the sword again.

Grasping the hilt, I sent a bolt of electricity through it. The guard yelped as his hands flew away from the blade, his eyes rolled back in his head, and smoke coiled from his burnt boots.

With two fingers, I ripped the sword away from him and shoved him into the chasm slicing toward the stage. Amsirah screamed and threw themselves out of the way of the fracturing earth while those on the stage scrambled toward the stairs.

Built on numerous poles, the loss of one wouldn’t knock the stage down, but when a pole vanished into the earth, the wood sagged, and the men who weren’t fast enough to escape, slid toward the edge.

I unleashed another wave of lightning on the stage. Most of it crashed into the rods before exploding in a shower of sparks and blinding light.

Before the remaining amsirah on the stage could recover on the sagging platform, I released another wave of thunder. It boomed across the earth as it splintered the ground and zigzagged toward the remaining poles on the end.

As the earth tore asunder, my eyes met Gaius’s, and I bared my teeth at him in a semblance of a smile that conveyed I’d gladly tear his throat out with those teeth.

When his eyes widened, I glanced at his crotch to see if he’d pissed himself; much to my disappointment, he hadn’t, but I’d bet he’d come pretty damn close.

He hadn’t seen me with Ellery yet, so he had no idea why I loathed him so much, but he’d learn soon enough. And once he saw the truth, he’d be more determined to get his hands on her.

He wasn’t the type of man to take being deceived lightly. Like my father, he’d take it to the darkest recesses of himself and allow it to fuel his worst desires. Ellery was one of those desires; he could never get his hands on her.

I wanted Gaius dead as badly as my father, but he wouldn’t die today, or at least not on that stage. He was too slimy for that.

Before Gaius could jump off the platform or flee toward the stairs, I blew him a kiss. When his mouth parted a little, I knew he understood what it meant… I’d blown him a kiss of death.

I didn’t watch to see how he got off the stage before it fell. With the guard’s sword in hand, I turned and ran through the crowd, pushing away from the stage.

I would have liked to watch it fall, but I had to keep moving. Ellery was out there, the guards were coming, and the whistle of more arrows pierced the air.

I ignored the arrow digging into my flesh and shifting with every footstep as I weaved back and forth to avoid this new volley.

It was still difficult to move through the crowd, but many continued to aid me the best they could while others fled from me like I was a ball of fire streaking toward them.

A ball of fire would probably be safer than me and the giant bull’s-eye on my back. When the arrows started falling and women screamed, guilt tugged at me as I threw my arms over my head to protect myself from taking a bolt to the skull.

While I cared that the prisoners were taking blows meant for me, the guards didn’t as they unleashed another barrage of arrows. The field of unsuspecting innocents hadn’t done anything to deserve what was happening, yet many were falling beneath the arrows.

On my right side, two guards ran through the crowd with their swords drawn. Blood dripped from the blades they used to hack through the prisoners who weren’t fast enough to get out of their way.

When they were close enough to be a threat, I spun to face them. I braced my feet apart as something smashed into my back.

Staggered forward by the unexpected impact, I twisted to confront whatever hit me as a sharp pain cleaved through my side. Before I could see whoever was behind me, the tip of a blade burst out of my stomach.