ELRED VALKALIN IS ON THE RUN. After narrowly escaping the Synketros prison, she finds herself in the scent trail of two notorious communities miles below the island's surface. When she stumbles upon a hidden gathering of fairies from different races...
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She swept her hand in a wide arc, melding the glass to her will. Her magic raged in her veins, coming out as spikes meant to wound but never kill. The renegades scrambled out of the path of her shards. Some brave ones jumped from the hedge and started drawing their weapons. If there was still doubt over her charges a few minutes ago, now she had gone and confirmed it. Not that she wished harm on these little band of pixie rebels. Just that if they wanted to hurt her, she wouldn't hesitate to hurt them back.
The first line of renegades made a hazy line. She clicked her tongue. Get out of the way! They didn't. Instead, they lunged at her.
Her magic swirled to action, going along the familiar motions. A glass sword materialized in her hands, bearing the weight she never thought she'd miss. She roared, meeting the first blow. Spun, swept her leg underneath the foolish renegade who dared cross blades with her. She honed her sword to a fine point and slashed. It bit flesh. Her leg followed suit, her heel slamming into a stomach or two. The way to freedom was closer now. Just a few steps left.
A shadow whizzed in her periphery. She whirled to block a spear tip aimed at the back of her head. "Why are you doing this?" Yarli snarled as he gritted against Elred's force. "We could have petitioned for a lighter sentence."
Elred grinned. It was nowhere near a reflection of amusement. "You are as mad as your Elder if you believe that," her muscles screamed as she drove Yarli back, the butt of her hilt finding his shoulder next. His spear dropped to the ground. As she moved to take him out of commission, she said, "Take care of my family for me. I will find them again."
A harsh blow to the neck before he could utter his agreement, and he crumpled to the ground, next to the broken shards from her own crumbling magic. She withdrew her synnavaim, the glass melting back to her skin in a swirl of warmth. The renegades pressed from all sides, shouting in defiance at how she wrecked their home. She leveled her sword and splayed a hand towards them. Why would she care? She didn't even have a home.
Glass and a different kind of magic burst out from her hands, solidifying into walls upon walls of nothing but mirrors. If this city had any light, she could make it work. With nothing but her mind's eye, she raised walls of glass around her, trapping the renegades in a maze of her doing without them knowing. She backed away, her feet scraping against the rough floor in a hurry. The wounds already present there could only send stinging aches up her legs.
The fastest renegades made it out of the maze before she could seal it. A curse flew out of her lips. She swept a hand up, summoning one last glass wall. With a grunt, she sent it flying towards the renegades, brushing them back until most of them were back in the maze. She melded the walls together with a final click. The maze was complete.
A mass of crimson and green flashed towards her. By instinct, her magic formed small triangular blades and her hands sent it towards the moving targets. One sank into a shoulder, one into a leg. Both figures collapsed to the ground, nursing their wounds and gasping for breath. Elred stood over them, chest heaving. Go for the kill—her next step would have been.
