🔥 The Path of Fire (Path of Light and Fire Book #1)(Completed) 🔥

Chapter 16: Gain

Turrent skulked along the trees, careful to keep out of sight. A small band of mercenaries, clad in all black stood there, hands at their sides like a military parade.

Odd.

He snaked behind the crowd, he and Leena forming an ambush for the ambush. He had no doubt the woman would be in place before him. She'd shown him her talents in Seris.

Leena stuck her bronze-skinned hand from behind a tree. With her water powers, he didn't worry about her surviving the fray. He had a trump card of his own if things got too crazy.

He drew a pair of throwing knives, mindful of the hiss of steel leaving leather. Before he could give her confirmation to attack the men marched in the direction of the others.

Flipping his knives into an underhanded grip, he trailed them. He was close enough to act if necessary, but still too far away.

Leena's form flashed in his periphery, well ahead of him.

The black-clad men parted and a hobbling figure came through the back.

"Give the Hidenka his prize."

The men rushed forward. Turrent flung his knives, catching two of them in the back of the neck.

The crippled man's eyes darted in his direction. Then he straightened his gait and sprinted.

Turrent darted after him, all thoughts of stealth forgotten. He pulled another pair of knives, but the ground shook as he threw. They flew wide of the mark and thumped into a tree.

A stream of water came from the man's left and he jumped, flipped in the air and tossed something in the water's direction.

Turrent tossed another blade where the man landed. The cloaked man grunted and took off again.

But they were gaining.

The green cloaked twirled in the air as the man turned to face them. He slung a leather satchel behind his back and smoke leaked from his fingers.

"Incomplete!" Turrent yelled, his Tsuchinan training kicking in.

Leena appeared just across from Turrent, Smoke Fingers trapped in the center. Water swirled in her left palm.

Smoke streaked at Turrent and he dived to his right. Where the smoke touched, the brown bark of the tree turned gray and rotten.

It reminded him of Hebi, his former best friend at the Blackhall. He had a similar power, with toxic gas that leaked from his fingers. Yet each burst left him drained and exhausted. It's why the man fought hand to hand now. Enough bursts left him vulnerable.

We need to wear him out.

"Leena! Keep moving!"

Smoke Finger's eyes darted back and forth. "Move all you want. I can smoke out this whole forest if I want."

That's all bravado. I'm not impressed.

Turrent tossed another knife at the man, ducking behind the tree at the smoke streamed past. The whiz of Leena's water filled his ears and dove in the clearing, pulling another knife from his sheath. He only had two after this.

But the man's back was to him.

He reached back to throw.

"Turrent! Don't kill him!"

He hesitated. "Why not?"

That was enough for the man to recover and fling a smoke ball at Turrent's head. He flopped to the ground, the gas streaked overhead.