Chapter 14 Talon #2
One eitrborn leapt for my throat. Jenson’s warning gave me just enough time for me to duck low, grab the creature mid-air, and slam it into the shelving unit.
My wolf roared for the kill, but I held it just barely back.
I struck out with a knife-hand, landing a blow to its sternum.
As it reeled, Candra slid in, sword blindingly fast. She severed its arm at the elbow, then beheaded it in the same motion.
Maze moved at my shoulder, throwing another pulse of magic. Three more eitrborn tried to dog pile her, but she glared at them. When she spoke, her voice was cold and calm as she poured every ounce of her authority into the command. “Stop.”
They did. Their bodies locked, suspended in unnatural stillness.
Candra and Jenson took them apart. Jenson’s precision was almost surgical as he called out the moves before they happened, weaving between attacks with inhuman grace. His sword whirled, cutting through limbs and bone with zero wasted motion.
Glass and drywall exploded along the ceiling.
Eitrborn rained down from above, landing on the display cases.
One reached for Maze, claws inches from her face.
I hit it with everything I had, my Grounding Pulse slamming into its chest, magic pulling it down.
It seized, spasmed, and then Jenson’s blade finished it.
Black, slick blood, reeking of rot, splattered the walls and pooled across the floor. Maze’s breaths came quick, but her gaze never wavered. Each command forced the monsters to slow, then freeze. But with every use, she went paler, sweat blooming down her temples.
My chest tightened. Maze was using too much power, draining herself to keep everyone else safe. I needed to get her out of here. Fast.
Another wave hit. These were bigger, stronger.
Their eyes flickered green, veins bulging under skin that barely passed for human.
One went straight to Candra. She didn’t dodge.
She met it head-on and buried her sword to the hilt in its guts.
Another eitrborn tried to flank, its magic strobing, but Jenson blocked it, using his power to anticipate every feint and counter.
Together, they moved as a unit, never more than a step away from each other, blades rhythmically tearing through the enemy line.
I shielded Maze’s back as she dropped two more with a double command, forcing them to fight each other instead of us. They tore into each other, making a mess of limbs and claws.
More drywall fell from the ceiling as the eitrborn started deploying their own magics.
One held a sigil-bomb in its hand, aiming straight at Maze.
I stepped in and absorbed the blast, grounding the poison into the earth under my feet.
My body flared with electric pain, but I didn’t let it show.
Instead, I slammed the eitrborn into the counter, splintering wood.
I ripped its head free with my bare hands.
Maze gasped for air, the strain of her magic showing. Her knees buckled, but she caught herself at the last second. I kept her upright, steadying her with one hand as I continued the onslaught.
Candra fought with lethal precision, never letting the monsters surround her.
She picked her targets, dispatching them with clean, efficient strikes.
When one tried to bear hug her from behind, she snapped its wrist, spun, and drove her blade through its eye.
The thing dropped, twitching. She kicked its body away without a second thought.
Through the haze, I heard Jenson calling more warnings. “Maze, down! Candra, three right, one above.” He moved like a shadow, always ahead, always prepared for the next kill.
Two eitrborn forced their way through a toppled shelf, closing the gap on Maze. This time, her power didn’t come as easily. Her voice was hoarse, but she managed, “Attack each other.”
The monsters obeyed instantly. They tore at each other, ripping flesh and bone.
The violence escalated with every breath. More monsters smashed through the windows, glass showering the fight. The floor was slick with black blood and splinters. The shop’s wards sizzled, then died out completely.
Maze’s aura flared blindingly bright. Her eyes glowed with an ancient electric blue. She forced a single word through clenched teeth, raw and guttural. “Obey.”
Every eitrborn in the room wavered. Their bodies convulsed, twitching as the Command of Will overtook whatever programming held them together.
One by one, they turned on each other, savaging the nearest synthetic body.
Claws ripped through faces, jaws dislocated, teeth and fingers and knees battering every enemy in reach.
The carnage was wild, gruesome, and totally without mercy.
Maze’s body trembled. Sweat soaked her shirt. I watched every ounce of strength drain from her. She sagged as her legs gave out. I caught her before she hit the ground. She was too pale, her breath shallow, and her skin was cold to the touch. Fuck!
Before I panicked, I closed my eyes and searched through our bond. Feeling the steady beat of her heart. Her magic was depleted, but she’d recover with some rest.
Candra surveyed the carnage, then conjured a controlled inferno. Blue-white flames devoured the eitrborn bodies, incinerating everything in a matter of seconds. The stink of burning eitr clung to the air.
Jenson double-checked every corner, sword at the ready. “Clear.”
Candra pressed her palm to her earpiece, voice low and urgent. “Winter. Emergency extraction. Now.”
Maze’s body curled into me, shivering, as I cradled her against my chest, careful not to jostle her. She tried to speak but couldn’t manage more than my name. Her skin was ice. I kissed her temple and whispered, “Shh. I got you.”
A portal shimmered into existence at the mouth of the wrecked shop. Blue light curled along the seams, unfurling a gap just wide enough for us to slip through. Jenson led the way, with Candra right behind. I carried Maze, refusing to let anyone else touch her.
I stepped through into the penthouse of the VPA building.
The portal snapped shut behind us as I carried Maze to her bedroom.
I laid her down gently on her bed, then covered her with a blanket.
Her lips were blue, breath shallow. Sweat clung to her brow, and she trembled with exhaustion.
I pressed my hand to her cheek, grounding her.
Her eyes fluttered open, searching for me. Relief hit hard.
Candra sat on the edge of the bed on the other side from where I sat. She touched Maze’s forehead and pushed healing magic into Maze. Winter entered a moment later, pushing past the rest of the Valen sisters who gathered in the doorway.
Candra’s focus never wavered. “Maze burned herself near dry. She needs food and rest. No sign of eitr poison.”
The main risk of fighting with eitrborns was that their blood was poisonous. Jenson had been working on a potion that would counteract the effects, but he hadn’t perfected it yet.
Winter went to work instantly, grabbing a blanket, a glass of water, and a bottle of high-calorie potion of some sort. She pressed the glass to Maze’s lips, coaxing her to drink.
Maze drank the potion. After a few moments, her trembling slowed, and some color returned to her cheeks.
The world felt quiet now. The violence that had flooded the pawnshop felt impossibly far away.
Maze locked eyes with me. Even wrung out, she kept her pride intact. “I didn’t want to leave you behind, Talon.”
“You never could,” I told her, voice rawer than I wanted.
Winter fussed over Maze, loading her with blankets and potions until she sagged back, finally at rest. Candra checked the wards and perimeter one last time.
Jenson turned to me. “It’s done. No one tracked us through the portal.”
The relief of that statement didn’t ease the tension I was feeling. In fact, I hadn’t even considered that they would try to follow through the portal. If there were any, we left them alive.
I kicked off my shoes and stayed at Maze’s side, refusing to let go of her hand. Quil and Winter hovered nearby, ready for anything.
“We’ll need to move fast,” Jenson said, voice tight. “If the eitrborn were that coordinated, Balder’s closer than we thought.”
I agreed.
But for now, my only job was to hold Maze until she was safe. “We rest and come up with a plan to find the severing stone.”