Completion of the Whisper

Chapter Thirty.

He was holding a dagger against my neck and I immediately buried my nails in his arm, but he didn't even flinch. In the dimly lit room, I saw myself, only wearing a nightgown, and Phylon just behind of me, one arm around my waist, the other one holding the dagger. He glanced at our reflection in the mirror and grinned devilishly. Instantly, my eyes flew to the spot at my neck where I'd usually wore my necklace with the shard. It was missing.

Damnit.
Usually, I put it away for the night because of my nightmares, but not here. Not in Hym Laarn. I wasn't that stupid. The chain must have broken when he'd pulled me out of my bed, or his dagger must have cut the chain.

I wasn't able to call for Nyshard and Phylon had also yanked me out of the reach of the Drakaae next to my bed. But... not out of reach of my own knife, which I still had strapped against my right upper thigh. A precaution of me. I'd sworn to myself to not be unarmed when I knew someone like Phylon was nearby. In silence, I thanked Sladowran that the room was at least so dim, that Phylon wasn't able to see the knife through the fabric of the nightgown. But I would need to get a hold of it myself, which was not that much of an easy task. Cursing at myself, I wished I'd worn something other to sleep in. Normal trousers perhaps, at least something different than a long night gown.

Phylon's arm around my waist tightened and his hand brushed my side, as if he demanded my attention "You better don't make a single move", he threatened.
"Or what? Will you slit my throat? Or do you plan to deliver me to Kalash? Are you a traitor?", I spat, hatred filling my voice.

His arm around my waist shifted and he pulled me closer to his chest and in the mirror, I saw him grin at my grimace. "You know...", he began casually, "your Lord really is not very good in keeping you safe, it seems."
"He placed a shield around the room. You broke it – he will be here soon."

"Oh... no, he won't."

I frowned at his nonchalance.

"Last I saw him, he was occupied... with not just one woman..."- I narrowed my eyes, Phylon chuckled, the blade of his dagger still dangerously close at my throat – "Or have you really thought he was yours? No... he was actually quite eager..."
"I don't believe your lies, so cease them. Why are you here? What do you want?"
My words had been spoken with calmness, but inside, my mind raced. He had to be lying. But that knowledge – no – that thought, didn't help the jealousy that spread in my chest. Jealousy, I didn't have any time for. Phylon knew exactly what he was saying, he was trying to rile me up. I needed to be cleverer than that. For a short moment, I shut my eyes and tried to draw a breath to calm my thoughts. The knife. I needed to get a hand on my damned knife. But I couldn't – not when he still had the dagger so close to my throat.

Think Adriyele...

Talk, Adriyele. Keep him talking, distract him.

"So, why are you here? Do you just want to show that Nyshard's unfit to protect me?"

Phylon grinned and I felt his eyes roam over the reflection of my body in the mirror, a look in his eyes, that would make my stomach roll if I had eaten much.

"Oh... I think I've already proven that fact when I shot him."

Anger fuelled my powers at his words, and for a short moment, they showed themselves as a reddish glow on my hands. Using the opportunity, I rose my right to his hand holding the dagger, and Phylon hissed in pain as my skin met his, but he also seemed to have anticipated it as he used my movement to spin me and push me against the wall next to the mirror.

The back of my head knocked against the wall and for a moment I could've sworn I saw stars. I tried to duck away and tried to push up my nightgown at my leg to get my knife, but he'd already pinned me against the wall, his body pressing against mine, the dagger at my throat again, his own aura thickening the air around us. A sliver of green.