Read Online The Labyrinth of Destiny by Callie Kanno - Free Book Online

giving you any answers. You do not deserve anything I have to offer.”
    She spread her hands in a
beseeching gesture, but her eyes were cold and calculating. “Please, Kendan,
calm down. You must listen to reason.”
    He barked a short laugh. “Reason?
Is that your claim?”
    “If you have information that can
help the Shimat order—” Signe began.
    Kendan cut her off with a hard
shake of his head. “You mean, if I have information that can help you to regain
power.”
    The former Sharifal licked her
lips. “A conflict between Shimat factions would be disastrous. No one wants a
fight.”
    “Oh, on the contrary,” Kendan said
in a soft and deadly voice, “that is exactly what I am looking for.”
    Signe’s eyes hardened. “I see there
is nothing that I can say that will convince you.”
    Kendan took a breath to calm
himself. He knew he needed a clear mind. “I am finished listening to lies.”
    “So be it.”
    Moving like lightning, Signe
whipped out a throwing knife and hurled it at Kendan.
    If he hadn’t been expecting an
attack he would not have been able to move in time. He leapt to the side and
rolled as he hit the ground, pulling his meteor hammer out of the pouch on his
belt.
    Signe pulled out her dirk and was
sprinting toward Kendan before he could regain his footing.
    She drove her blade downward,
aiming for his heart.
    Kendan punched upward, striking
Signe’s attacking arm and stopping her potentially fatal blow. He leapt to his
feet and wrapped the steel braid of his meteor hammer around his left arm. One
end of the braid bore a knife, which held in his left hand. He gripped the
other end of the braid with his right hand and turned his wrist, swinging the
metal ball that was attached to the end of the braid in a circle in front of
him.
    Signe showed no signs of pain, but
she shifted her dirk into her other hand. She eyed the spinning meteor hammer
warily for a split second before springing into action once more.
    She pulled out a handful of
throwing stars from her belt pouch and flung them in Kendan’s direction in
rapid succession. Some flew high, others low. Kendan scowled in concentration
as he used his weapon to knock the throwing stars off course. He tried to keep
an eye on Signe, but the throwing stars took all of his focus.
    Kendan knocked the last of the
throwing stars to the side and immediately sent his meteor hammer flying toward
the woman he had once considered family. She had taken advantage of his
preoccupation and moved to a better position—a knoll that had trees on either
side. With the trees gathered around her, Kendan would be unable to use his
weapon in wide sweeps. He would have to use precise attacks to reach her.
    Signe stepped to the side, avoiding
the attack, and hurled a small knife at her opponent.
    Kendan jerked the steel braid to
recall the head of the meteor hammer, but not in enough time to use it as a
defense against the blade. He moved out of the way as quickly as he could, but
the knife still cut deeply into his arm.
    Signe was already sprinting toward
Kendan.
    She jumped into the air and kicked
off of a nearby tree, launching herself toward him. She spun and brought her
foot down on Kendan’s shoulder in a powerful blow.
    Kendan’s breath expelled forcefully
and he dropped to his knees.
    Signe landed with cat-like grace
and immediately lunged forward to strike at him again.
    Kendan rolled forward and closed
the distance before Signe could complete her attack. He braced himself with his
hands and used both legs to side-sweep her. This time, he was fast enough that
he landed the blow.
    Signe grunted and flipped backward,
using the momentum to regain her footing. She moved a safe distance away from
Kendan and stood near a tree to hinder his use of his meteor hammer.
    “I must be getting old,” she said
softly.
    Kendan wasn’t fooled by her words.
He knew the trick—that she was trying to make him feel overconfident by
pretending to be weaker than she really