Page 63 of The Malice of Moons and Mages (The Broken Bonds of Magic #1)

Sixty-Three

Xiang

X iang knocked a mage to the ground, slamming his sword into her chest as he passed.

Thirty feet until the steps. Fifty more and he would cut Lua and Audra open. Bolin might hate him for a time, but eventually he would understand. There was no other way. Xiang had been swayed by Audra’s connection to Bolin at the ruins. Seeing her painted as the Raani now, he regretted letting her live.

Councilor Sharine stalked across the stage, her hands raised in a placating manner. But Xiang knew their orders were the same, either incapacitate or kill Audra. The Oji remained ensnared in the moons’ trance, unconscious, with only his weak anchor for protection. That he’d survived Dain’s death meant Xiang had to ensure he didn’t survive Audra’s.

The dagger in Audra’s hand looked incapable of doing more than peeling fruit, but she stubbornly held her ground, crouching before Lua. Audra’s snarl revealed everything that made her Bolin’s sister: passionate, wholehearted, and unyielding. It was a pity that she had to die .

The room was a blur of violent shadows. No magic called yet, but the air tingled with anticipation. Somewhere in the chaos, Traq yelled Xiang’s name. But as magic flickered in Sharine’s hands, Xiang had no time for distractions.

A blade forced him back as his foot touched the first step. The soldier’s sword swung again, but the general met it. Her next swing was too loose, easily blocked. Xiang’s parry swept under the woman’s blade. He pressed her back, but her footing held sturdy. She grunted and, as his strength overwhelmed her, she spit in his face.

“Traitor,” she hissed.

That voice had offered easy camaraderie to the mages and soldiers regardless of their tribal affiliation. Liasa had even tended to Jayna when she was near death.

He stepped back. “Stand down, Starling.”

Her cheeks were flushed. “I’m from Oxton, remember?” The sword drew up, blocking his path again. “You can’t go up there.”

“Step aside.”

“I have my orders.” Her voice and sword were steady.

“Orders get people killed, Liasa. They’ll never take the Oji south or hold him accountable for the crimes he’s committed.”

Her shoulders squared. “That might be the first true thing you’ve said.”

“Then why are you in my way?”

“Those are my orders. Once we hold you captive, your Oja will let us go.”

“And the Oji?”

“The Septra has a plan for that too.” Liasa stood before the steps. In this light, she appeared older than he’d taken her for on the journey. Where he’d thought her na?ve, he recognized she might just be pathetically optimistic. That somehow life’s traumas hadn’t ruined her.

His blade swung up. “So be it.”

Their metal clashed and sang with determination. Hit upon hit, she parried and blocked. She grunted, cursed, but held him back. Yet her strikes scraped down his armor and left him unscathed.

A spark of silver reflected in her eyes, countered by a blast of gray. Magic lit the surrounding room.

Song was uncovered. Silence grew stronger. The window to kill the Oji was fading. A gray blast struck the floor beside them. Liasa startled, and Xiang knocked her blade aside before his sword gutted her.

She gasped, gripping his shoulders while her sword clattered away. He laid her on the floor and withdrew his blade. Xiang closed her eyes and sighed. In that other life he often dreamed of, he would have enjoyed calling Liasa a comrade. Behind him, Traq darted through the crowd, Wren close on his heels.

He stood and with a resigned heart, started up the stairs.