Page 68 of The Witch who Trades with Death

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Neta

This isn’t going well, Neta thought, getting to her feet. She could see Yamueto and Khana entangled out of the corner of her eye, but if she ran in without a spear, she would be drained completely.

Athicha – barely glowing – rolled on the ground with a Reguallian soldier, unarmed and gritting their teeth. Neta dashed over to help, burying her axe in the back of the soldier’s head. Athicha rolled the corpse off them and jumped back to their feet.

“Khana!” Sava screamed.

Neta twisted. The emperor had shoved a knife in Khana’s chest and dropped her to her knees.

Neta readied her axe for a throw, only for something cold to pierce through the weak point in her armor, just under the armpit.

The cold turned to agony as the soldier twisted the spear he’d shoved into her chest.

Furious – at herself, at the emperor, at this fucking soldier – Neta grabbed the spear with her other hand and, ignoring the pain, turned so she could drive her axe right into the soldier’s face.

The blade cut through bone and flesh. The handle slipped from her hands as the corpse dropped, and she fell with it.

Athicha caught her, the whole thing happening so fast. Neta wheezed, unable to draw a full breath, the pain fading out into numbness.

Right in the heart, she realized. Not bad, for a grunt.

Athicha shook their head, eyes wet, but Neta couldn’t say or sign anything before she breathed her last.