Page 21 of Marked

On the third day in town, Blair awoke with the soft rustling of the wind outside her window, mingling with the faint chirp of birds. She moved to her back, taking a moment to feel the stillness of the early morning seep into her bones.

"Damien..." she murmured, turning and glancing over the untouched fort where he lay. The blankets were tangled around his body.

He grumbled in his sleep before rolling over, his tousled auburn hair pushing out in every direction.

Blair sat up slowly, the sheets falling from her shoulders as she glanced out the window. The town was still wrapped in the early hours of the morning. She gave Damien another glance, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest before moving the pillows and gently nudging him.

"Damien," she said softly, her hand brushing his shoulder. "Today is the third day. Do you think the runners' guild might have news!"

He groaned but slowly sat up his face crinkling in sleepy confusion. "Runners’ guild?"

Blair smiled, amused by his groggy state. "Finley could have sent word back! "

Damien rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching his long limbs. "Okay, so you’re a morning person. Got it.”

Blair pulled a pillow over, hitting him on the back with it.

“Alright, alright. You don't have to smother me. I'll -” he yawned the next word, ..”check but I can’t promise anything."

Blair nodded. "Okay! I'll keep myself busy."

She watched him slowly stand and walk to the bathroom. There was a brief sound of water running and then he came back in a new set of clothes. His movements were still sluggish as he made his way to the door. "I'll be back soon. Make good decisions."

As the door clicked shut behind him, Blair sighed.

She hoped there was some type of word, but she let her body settle as the quiet of the room wrapped around her.

She moved to her side, her gaze finding the small bundle of wildflowers she had taken out of her braids the previous day.

An arrangement lay on the table of daisies, lavender, and buttercups, all mixed in a loose bouquet.

She knew the little girls in the town had grown fond of making braids with them, and she thought about surprising them with more.

Their excited faces played out in front of her, and she knew what she wanted to do.

Blair stood up, finding a simple top and matching pant set.

She brushed her hair with her fingers before pulling it into a ponytail.

Moving to her boots, she pulled them up, tying the laces loosely as she grabbed her sheathed dagger and a small basket.

The town outside her window was still waking up.

The light morning fog was lifting, and it revealed the beauty around her.

Light began to reflect off the stones of the Hot Springs.

As she watched through the glass, it moved to the stone houses surrounding it, and the patches of green that lay between.

It reminded her of SilverDawn and she smiled softly.

She thought about where she'd find the best flowers as the colors continued to build.

Remembering a clearing that they passed when they entered town, she turned to grab her things.

Stepping out of the room, she made her way through the courtyard and out into the empty street. She wandered toward the edge of town, finding the clearing she remembered seeing when she first arrived.

Blair crouched down, her fingers brushing against the petals as she carefully picked the most beautiful flowers.

With each bouquet she gathered, her mind drifted to the girls, their eager faces as they braided ribbons and flowers into their hair.

It made her smile, the thought of something so simple bringing so much joy.

As she worked, the sound of footsteps approached, and Blair turned, expecting Damien. Standing within ten feet were three men in dark cloaks trimmed with silver.

Their single figures seemed simple at first, but within moments, two were wreathed in shifting shadows.

Inky tendrils curling around their arms and shoulders like living extensions of themselves.

The darkness around them seemed rough and sporadic.

She blinked as she looked over the men. There was a noticeable difference in energy between them.

Although all three were menacing, the two who bore shadows seemed to pulse with a distinct life force.

They wore longer cloaks than the other, not just silver and black but inscribed with an unknown symbol.

The taller one, with brown hair tied on the top of his head, wore a large pendant around his neck and had a scar above his right eyebrow.

The other shorter one had thick black hair that was carved into a mohawk.

His face was more mature, with lines of aging.

He too had gaudy jewelry, but his was in the form of a thick bracelet shaped into black chain links.

Their eyes were dim. A cold, unnatural murkiness that showed no light, devoid of humanity.

The longer she stared at them, the more their shadows snarled in impatience.

The one with a scar took a step forward, his voice low and laced with annoyance. "We've been looking for you." he sneered, looking Blair up and down.

Although nervous, Blair refused to act frightened.

She set down her basket, sliding out her dagger as she straightened.

The shadowless hunter took notice and lunged toward her.

She twisted quickly, narrowly avoiding his grasp, and swung at his side.

She missed, his reflexes being too sharp.

In that opening, he turned his fist, making contact with her jaw.

The sound of her teeth snapping together rang in her head, and she swiveled, twisting her wrist and sending her arm out backward.

The moment the steel of her dagger pierced his flesh, a hiss-like burning air escaped him.

His amber eyes flickered with anger as he pulled away to protect the now-injured shoulder that was sliced by the dagger's tip.

Remembering how Damien had positioned her during practice, she eyed the man who was backing away slowly.

Without thinking, she threw the weapon, aiming at his neck.

The silver blade glinted for a split second before making contact, his eyes growing wide in surprise.

Blood gushed from the wound from where her dagger was protruding, and for a brief second, she held a victorious smile before realizing the shadows of the other two men had grown furious.

Moving quickly to grab her dagger, she faced them, her knuckles white.

For a brief second, she held confidence, but as the men moved in, she could feel the dark weight of the shadows pressing in on her, constricting her movements.

She wasn't just fighting them at that moment; it was like she was fighting the very air itself, thick with gray smoke-like tendrils.

The second man who was shorter and stockier had an unrelenting smirk on his face as he chuckled. "You think you can win?" He asked, transforming the smirk into a cold smile devoid of emotion. Blair tried not to focus on his abrasive nature but instead sought the best method of attack.

Blair's muscles screamed as she moved, the invisible weight pushing down around her.

Taking a steadying breath, she lunged forward, her dagger aimed at the gaunt man's chest. Just as they did with Damien, shadows appeared defensively, grabbing her arms and blocking the attack.

As Blair's mind raced, she couldn't help but notice the differences between these shadows and Damien’s. They were lacking the deep darkness, and appeared gray, almost a watered-down version of Damien’s.

Even the sense of power was dimmed in comparison.

With a flick of his wrist, more shadows materialized and surged toward her faster than she could react.

The first tendril struck with the speed of a viper, wrapping around her wrist and yanking her arm downward.

A loud, popping sound filled the air. The pressure was immediate and agonizing, like a vice gripping her bones.

She screamed as she tried to pull away from the tendril, but another one shot from the ground, lashing across her ribs with a brutal crack.

Pain flared across her side, but she didn't have time to focus on it.

She had to keep fighting. She swung her dagger again, but the shadows danced around her.

A third tendril snapped out, aiming for her other arm but missing and striking across her cheek.

The darkness burned like acid, tearing through her skin, and a bloodcurdling scream escaped her as the cuts deepened.

The world blurred as the wound pulsed with pain, blood seeping down her face.

Blair's body became a battlefield, each slash of shadow carving new wounds into her flesh.

The dark tendrils whipped around her faster than she could react, leaving deep, jagged cuts along her arms, legs, and torso.

She could feel the cold sting of each wound as the shadows scraped across her skin, the pressure building with every movement, like the darkness itself was trying to slowly suffocate her.

Her dagger was heavy in her hand but useless against the twisting, slashing shadows that seemed to come from every direction.

Each time she tried to step forward or defend herself, another cut would appear across her cheek, her side, and her back, blood trickling out, mixing with the darkness that clung to her like a second skin.

The pain was unbearable, and her body was growing weaker with every passing moment.

"You're already losing," the gaunt man said, his voice gleaming with dark amusement. "Can you feel it, sweetheart? The darkness cutting you apart. "

Blair tried to stay on her feet, but the shadows were closing in faster now.

She could feel them moving like cold, wet fingers around her, coiling around her limbs, dragging her to the ground.

Her heart raced, each beat echoing in her ears as she tried to push herself up to regain her balance.

Her eyes grew heavy as the pain overloaded the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

She fell to her knees as another shadow struck out.

A shadow that felt like ice, cold and merciless.

It struck across her eyes, searing into her vision.

She cried out, falling backward as the sharp tendrils blinded her.

The world twisted, the darkness blurring.

Her vision faltered the sharp burn of the shadows like fire in her skull.

The unrelenting shadows didn't stop. They continued to cut through her skin, attacking her. A black blanket now enrobing her vision and consuming her to the world around her.

"I know you have power; why are you not using it?" he snarled. "I can sense it on you. So fight back, make this fun for me."

"NO!" she screamed, but the word was a strangled sound in her throat.

The world had gone dark, and every movement she made felt sluggish as if her limbs were no longer her own.

Her dagger slipped from her fingers, falling to the grass below her as the shadows continued to slice through her skin, each strike worse than the last.

The men's laughter rang in her ears, cruel and triumphant, stopping a moment later.

She sensed the second man stepping forward, closing in on the space between them.

" Was all that power coming from this?" he sneered, bending over to pick up the dagger.

With her last bit of strength, she tried to reach out, grabbing for her dagger back.

Another shadow struck, this time across her chest, cutting through the thin fabric of her clothes and into her flesh.

The pain was unbearable. It was everywhere. It was everything.

"So, it wasn't you at all. You were just a distraction, hiding what we were searching for all along." Bending down closer to her face, his tone flooded with rage. "Where did you get this?!"

Blair rolled to her side, pulling her knees up to her chest as the darkness crushed in around her. It wrapped itself around her body like a suffocating, cold shroud. Her breath hitched, and she tried to focus on everything besides the agony she felt in every part of her body.

Then, the world shook.

A surge of power split the air, thick as thunder, humming with something ancient and deadly. The shadows that swarmed around her paused and started to recoil back to their owners.

A familiar voice rang through the clearing, cold and sharp as a blade.

"Let. Her. Go."