a fight before it really started. Her miscalculation with the Wangorian dagger had given the fat man a second chance and his rage made her feel weak. He was dragging the club as he stalked toward her. She glanced around the dark street. She could see people peering furtively from their windows and doorways. She knew she had to make a decision—fight or run. She wanted to get someplace safe, to nurse the cut on her cheek. She could feel the hot blood running down her face, her eye was already swelling shut, and as she touched it with her hand, her resolve hardened.
“I’m going to smash in your pretty little face!” the fat man bellowed.
Lexi clenched her teeth and charged the man. He slowly raised his club over his head again. Lexi jumped into the air, kicking both feet hard into the man’s chest. She fell to the ground hard on her hip, pain lancing up her back and down her leg, but she was scrambling to get back to her feet before the fat man dropped on her and killed her.
The fat man staggered back from Lexi’s blow, struggling to stay upright, but losing the battle. He toppled back hard, landing on his back. Lexi got to her feet and moved toward the man cautiously. He lay in the mud, panting for breath, his club several feet away and out of reach. She dropped both knees on the man’s wounded leg and tugged on the dagger with both hands. The fat man screamed, writhing to get away from Lexi, but she freed the dagger and for a moment lost all control. She stabbed the fat man over and over, her own scream of rage louder even than the fat man’s cries of pain. She worked her way up his rotund body, plunging the blade in to its hilt, then jerking it free. Blood flew around her like a swarm of angry bees, spattering her face, hair, and clothes. When she plunged the dagger into the man’s chest, he shuddered, his bowels releasing in death and a horrid stench rising up around his bloody corpse.
Lexi stood up, her legs shaky as her berserker rage faded. The fat man lay at her feet in a puddle of black blood, his body cut to ribbons. Against the wall of a nearby building the skinny man sat, his head flopped onto his chest which had stopped moving moments before as his life’s blood ran from the severed vein in his groin.
Lexi took in the scene, knowing that she wasn’t the only person seeing it or seeing that she had slain two men in the savage fight. Then she turned and ran into the night.
Chapter 9
Tiberius
Each day Tiberius felt himself growing stronger. After four nights of long practice, Tiberius still had to chant the spells, but he could feel the movement of magic almost immediately. Sometimes it was as if he stoked the magic around him into action and at other times, it was as if he awoke to the movement of magic already in motion.
He could sense the magic more easily, and as he spent his days around the city searching for Lexi, he felt it stronger in some places and almost nonexistent in others, but always it seemed to call to him. His studies at the temple complex seemed more useless and more laborious than ever before, even though he felt magic moving strongly in parts of the temple. All he wanted to do was study and practice magic, but even with his days so busy, he often found himself thinking about Lexi. She was always on his mind, usually hiding behind whatever problem he was occupied with, and he found himself wondering what she would think about the effect of a certain spell, or an idea he had for getting away from his family. The more he dreamed of the future, the more he realized he wanted her to be part of it.
He spent his evenings with his family, although it was easy for him to stay quiet and hardly be noticed. Still, he felt as if he was on the verge of giving himself away at any moment. His brother Leonosis frightened him most of all. His father was tired, and happy just to drink his wine until he was oblivious to anything else. His mother and sisters were busy with court gossip and his
“I’m going to smash in your pretty little face!” the fat man bellowed.
Lexi clenched her teeth and charged the man. He slowly raised his club over his head again. Lexi jumped into the air, kicking both feet hard into the man’s chest. She fell to the ground hard on her hip, pain lancing up her back and down her leg, but she was scrambling to get back to her feet before the fat man dropped on her and killed her.
The fat man staggered back from Lexi’s blow, struggling to stay upright, but losing the battle. He toppled back hard, landing on his back. Lexi got to her feet and moved toward the man cautiously. He lay in the mud, panting for breath, his club several feet away and out of reach. She dropped both knees on the man’s wounded leg and tugged on the dagger with both hands. The fat man screamed, writhing to get away from Lexi, but she freed the dagger and for a moment lost all control. She stabbed the fat man over and over, her own scream of rage louder even than the fat man’s cries of pain. She worked her way up his rotund body, plunging the blade in to its hilt, then jerking it free. Blood flew around her like a swarm of angry bees, spattering her face, hair, and clothes. When she plunged the dagger into the man’s chest, he shuddered, his bowels releasing in death and a horrid stench rising up around his bloody corpse.
Lexi stood up, her legs shaky as her berserker rage faded. The fat man lay at her feet in a puddle of black blood, his body cut to ribbons. Against the wall of a nearby building the skinny man sat, his head flopped onto his chest which had stopped moving moments before as his life’s blood ran from the severed vein in his groin.
Lexi took in the scene, knowing that she wasn’t the only person seeing it or seeing that she had slain two men in the savage fight. Then she turned and ran into the night.
Chapter 9
Tiberius
Each day Tiberius felt himself growing stronger. After four nights of long practice, Tiberius still had to chant the spells, but he could feel the movement of magic almost immediately. Sometimes it was as if he stoked the magic around him into action and at other times, it was as if he awoke to the movement of magic already in motion.
He could sense the magic more easily, and as he spent his days around the city searching for Lexi, he felt it stronger in some places and almost nonexistent in others, but always it seemed to call to him. His studies at the temple complex seemed more useless and more laborious than ever before, even though he felt magic moving strongly in parts of the temple. All he wanted to do was study and practice magic, but even with his days so busy, he often found himself thinking about Lexi. She was always on his mind, usually hiding behind whatever problem he was occupied with, and he found himself wondering what she would think about the effect of a certain spell, or an idea he had for getting away from his family. The more he dreamed of the future, the more he realized he wanted her to be part of it.
He spent his evenings with his family, although it was easy for him to stay quiet and hardly be noticed. Still, he felt as if he was on the verge of giving himself away at any moment. His brother Leonosis frightened him most of all. His father was tired, and happy just to drink his wine until he was oblivious to anything else. His mother and sisters were busy with court gossip and his
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