Black Sapphire | Xaden Riorson | S/H

XII

・・・　・・・　・・・

     Jack doesn't have the time to register the dagger flying at him that strikes him between his neck and left shoulder.  It rips through and I see his left arm drop slightly as the tendons are severed.
     I have never loved seeing Xaden's face more than this moment.  The Riorson's are protectors.  That's both a blessing and a curse right now, because I really hope he doesn't step in and get himself in trouble.  His eyes swing to meet mine and I swear I see his jaw tighten for a moment.
     "It's not me you should be worried about, it seems," Xaden breathes as we both look away toward them.
     "You bitch!" Jack screams.  "She tore through my shoulder!"
     "What the hell?" Tynan spits.  He turns toward me with fury in his eyes and it seems I've ignited something unfortunately fierce.  Jack stumbles as he takes a couple of steps back and releases another gutteral cry.
     "I can't move it!"
     "No shit, asshole," I grumble.
     "Kill her!"  He takes one more step back, wobbly as he does, and then pivots and begins sprinting.  Oren and Tynan don't seem to notice their leader disappearing in the woods.  What a fucking coward.

     They both rush at me together.  I grin as a dagger comes flying from the treeline and into the side of Tynan's hip.  It makes him falter as he turns to see where it came from.  Violet must be stalking around the edge, but I don't look.
     Oren swings his sword at my neck but it's easy to dodge as I drop to my knees.  I throw my torso back and my leg up to slam my heel into his groin before swinging myself forward to a stand.  Tynan is back on me as I pull out a dagger, slamming it's hilt into his chest and shoving him back.
     I look over and bow forward as Oren jabs toward me again.  I yank my hand up and slash the backwards dagger across his right shoulder blade and down his side.  He cries out as I move to uppercut into his armpit with my shoulder and slam him into the floor.
     But when I look back toward Tynan, it's too late, and his sword swings hard into the inside of my left elbow.  I scream, and then scream again at the pain.  I can feel it wedge itself into my bone as it drags my arm down.
     "Meira!" Violet yells, and another dagger flies through and sticks a few inches into Tynan's shoulder.
     "Get back!" I scream.  My voice scratches out with raw rage.  I drop the dagger and reach to grab the sword's blade, not caring about how the slightly dull side cuts a bit into my palm, then yank it out.  I fling it off to the side and step forward, but pause.  "Get the golden."
     Violet rushes to the dragon behind me who backs up as she shoos at it.  I reach for another dagger as he rushes over to pick up his weapon.  I can feel my blood gushing through my heart and into my arm.  My vision begins to blur in and out.  I reach up and run my fingers through my hair to get it out of my face, feeling the hilt of the dagger drag against my skull and the blood mat my hair.

     What would Aetos think of me?  He'd like the pink of my crown.
     I gasp out a breath at the thought as Tynan runs toward me again.  The dagger rolls over once and I pull my hand out, seeing it's now upside down.  I step forward, grimacing at the mistake of giving him access to Violet and the feathertail behind me.  Thankfully, I think I pissed him off enough to still target me.  He yells as he raises the sword above his head, his torso pointed straight at my crouched frame.  My eyes swing over at the movement on my left, and I see Xaden take a step forward, but it's too late for him to save Tynan's life.
     I hardly think, just yank my arm up and duck my head down.  The dagger first strikes into the center of his throat and drags up and up and up through his neck until it gets stuck against the inside of his jaw.
     My eyes widen and shove my hand forward in shock.  Tynan falls against Oren and they both crash to the floor as my jaw hangs open.
     Oren rolls over and pushes Tynan off him before a terrorized shriek races through him.  He falls back onto his hands and scurries back, leaving his sword behind.  His eyes swing up to me and I can see him tracing the blood dripping through my hair.  Tynan's entire throat is ripped through.
     "You fucking monster."  I close my eyes as I focus on the pain throbbing through me.  I can hear him stand and run out of the field.  I listen to my heartbeat as I try desperately to calm it down, listening to the throbbing in the back of my skull and the headache screaming in my head.  My arm is limp and I reach over to hold it so there's less weight on my elbow.