Keeper of The Lost Cities: Book 9: Showdown

Chapter 47 - Sophie's POV

Keefe is sitting there, right there, in the similar outfit I was in earlier. This should not have been concerning at all, only I saw the glittering, long, jagged knives decorating his arms, legs, and waist.

"Where did those come from?" I ask, my voice going up several pitches while waving my hands around animatedly.

Keefe frowns and runs a finger along the edge of one of the knives - and the rivulet of blood that follows dances around his finger.

I get a little light in the head.

Linh, who also must have appeared while I was changing, squints with concentration and I watch with sick fascination as she exerts her control over the blood - and gasps as she multiplies it. Where there was once one drop, there are now two, then four, then -

Linh slumps onto a chair, and the blood drops to the floor silently. "That's as much as I can do."

Keefe scowls lightly. "That's not enough to get through all the gates."

Linh nods miserable. "I know, but-"

"So no one else is going to express concern over those knives?" I ask. "And what are you two doing?"

Linh gives me the duh-look. "I was practicing."

"On blood?"

Keefe's finger is obviously still bleeding, and it's bleeding very profusely, but he doesn't care. "It's actually pretty interesting. You know she can control blood?"

"Did you know your finger's bleeding?"

Keefe looks at his finger, and his eyes go oh! at the blood there. He grabs a thin plaid overshirt from somewhere and wraps his finger in it. "Seriously. She can duplicate blood!"

Linh gives me a sheepish look, and I realize that she's also dressed similarly - in the cloak and suit finesse. "I thought maybe Keefe won't have to drip blood the whole time, but I can't seem to do enough. Blood is hard."

I sigh, then tap on fingernails that hide my enhancing. I know Oralie taught me how to control it that day, but... I couldn't bring myself to do it. And the nails are comforting.

I stick my hand. "Let's try again. I'll enhance you."

Keefe raises an eyebrow but unwraps his finger. Linh grabs my hand and hauls herself to her feet, and then I watch again as she does what she did before. One drop, then two, then four, then eight, and this time Linh doesn't stop. In fact, she feels stronger as she goes - she glows vibrantly, and I think I see a few faint traces of that blue area I saw at Foxfire all those days ago.

A violent, blinding pain in my hands has me wrenching it away and Linh's concentration breaks. Keefe's blood falls to the floor.

"What hap-" Keefe asks, and then stops short when he looks at Linh's hand, and mine.

My hand, covered in blood.

Linh's hand, covered in my blood.

Shakily, I lift my hand to my face. All of our eyes are widened, and Councilors Bronte, Emery, and Terik take this moment to come back, their eyes widening as well.

My blood drip-drip-drips onto the floor, and it spiders all over my hand. I don't know how many cuts there are, or where they are. They trickle from the tips of my fingers, the pads of my palm, my wrist, everywhere. My blood is also smeared all over Linh's palm, and she holds it slightly away from her. I do not know if she is also injured, but considering her hand isn't repainting itself red, I'm pretty sure it's not.

"Well." Councilor Bronte gives me The Look. "I leave you for just a little bit, and you've gotten yourself injured."

Councilor Terik plasters on a shaky smile. "To the healing center we go!"