Violet Shadows

10

A burst of wind followed it so quickly it nearly ripped her from her chair. She grabbed onto the table to refrain from falling, jumping too late in shock. Maze steadied her when she nearly fell into him. People ducked from objects that went flying, some crawling underneath their tables, grabbing whatever was closest. Snapping towards the source, a crowd had parted in fear.

Where Nicol stood at the center.

That was all it took to sink her eyes into him after thanking Maze for his help and parting away awkwardly. When had he gotten a sword? The way he was leering at the guards around him left her with an unsettling feeling made her certain that something sinister was afoot. That wasn't the look of a man who knew peace.

Christine whipped her head at Henri. "What's going on?" She demanded. Surely the genius character would know something of this chaos and if not, then he'd think of it.

She'd been too absorbed in her own horror to notice that Nicol had advanced on the guards, big men with short and fat swords of their own. There had to be around twenty, maybe more with those who ran at him. However, he was in order. Every action was delicate, swift, trained. The men weren't near but Nicol didn't seem to mind. Christine's breath hitched. Was he playing with them? He was almost too relaxed as he lifted his sword and swung it as if cutting through the air.

And the world beyond split in two.

Splinters went flying, stairwells buckled underneath and toppled one over the other until pounding into the ground. People ran from the building, some cried, some screamed. She wanted to join them, but she also didn't want to move. Too afraid to do anything at all.

When she finally found her voice, she couldn't comprehend what had occurred. He—

"Did he just destroy that building?" The words were rooted in shock mixed with horror.

Henri clucked his tongue, unfazed. "I'm guessing so."

"Why?" She nearly squawked, before the words were taken from her and broken into a rasp.The wind was ripped from her throat, not from shock or the way her body tensed, but because Nicol had stolen it and hurled another whirlwind towards the guards.

The impact shook her harder than before, and she actually lost her balance falling to her knees. The table to her right toppled over, hitting the floorboards with a loud thunk that vibrated through her clammy hands. The receiving end of the building had cascaded down into a sinkhole, barely standing from all the rubble. Near the edge of it, stood Nicol with as much vigor as a panther on the hunt.

And he was heading towards them.

That vigor lessened, though remained as sharp as a knife. Nicol rolled up his sleeves, forearms flexing, but the gloves stayed on. "We are beginning the operation now." The territorial war, he meant.

"What happened to a week?" She said, shrill. And still on the floor. She shot up, a sudden rage spreading across her stomach. She had no idea how to use her holy power. God. What did—what was going to happen now? Did he expect her to do that?

The blade of Nicol's sword still remained untouched, clean of blood. He turned to Henri, and it's reflection caught a stream of sunlight. "You will round the perimeter and make sure no other businesses interfere. If they do you may deal with them yourself. Alive or not, it doesn't matter. Maze will trap us in from the west point to the northern bridge. Make sure you're within the square once he's finished. Eric will assist me dealing with those who try to defend themselves within the halls." Then a jarring glance at her. "Lady Ducal will shift into a bird large enough to toss them aside onto the pavement below. Preferably high enough to break a bone."