Till Death Do Us Part

14. A Knife in the Dark

The time seemed to stop. Skylar wasn't thinking. The years of training took over, and her body moved without wasting a moment. She sidestepped behind Gawyn and raised her shield arm to cover his back. 

The problem was, she didn't have a shield, nor any weapon, for that matter.

The knife pierced straight through her raised forearm.

Skylar gasped in pain, and for a second, her eyes met with those of the assailant. The wide blue eyes were glassy and lifeless. Living on the border of the Blighted Lands, she saw it far too many times. The man roared with pure rage and wrenched the knife back. Skylar screamed and almost blackout from the explosion of pain. The world around her erupted with movement. Gawyn was already wrestling with the assassin, blocking the arm that was holding a blade. The guards were running from all sides and pushing the panicking crowd away.

Skylar pressed her injured arm tightly. Her hands were sleek with blood, and her brilliant white dress was turning crimson. She was swaying on her feet, and her mind felt fuzzy, blurring her vision, but she forced herself to keep her consciousness.

"My lady!" Preston appeared at her side, his face pale as a sheet. "You're hurt! Let me take you to safety!"

"No!" She swatted his hands away.

Gawyn managed to pin the assailant to the floor, pressing a knee to his back, but the man was struggling like a wild beast, shrieking with a voice that couldn't possibly belong to any human.

"Bring the chains! Swiftly!" the General shouted. He was struggling to keep the man on the floor. "And help me with restraining him!"

"Preston," gasped Skylar. She had difficulty breathing now, and her whole body started trembling uncontrollably. She gingerly raised a hand she was pressing to the wound. Under the blood, she spotted dark veins spreading up her arms.

"My lady, your arm!" her guard screamed with a high-pitched voice.

"It's poison," she hissed and grabbed his arm to keep herself from falling. "Quickly now. We need to banish this thing. I need you to burn the herbs I gave you this morning."

"But my lady! I can't leave you like this!"

"It's an order!" Skylar bellowed, using most of her remaining strength to push him away. The guard scrambled toward the closest candelabras fumbling with his pocket.

Skylar fell to her knees and clenched her teeth. Just a few more seconds, and it all would be over.

The assassin kept thrashing so violently that even Gawyn, with two other soldiers, struggled to keep him down. The air filled with an intense smell of burning herbs. The creature howled in pain and started to squirm even more fiercely.

"Done, my lady!" Preston trotted back to Skylar, holding a bowl with burning herbs.

"Help me up, quick!" Skylar ordered. She cried from pain when the guard pulled her up but still took the bowl from him in her trembling hand. "We need to get closer."

They staggered together toward the assassin.

Gawyn looked up at them. "Get back! Right now!" he ordered, his voice cold and firm as steel.

"Hold it tight. It will try to escape," Skylar said, ignoring the command. She raised the bowl with her shaking hand. "I can see thy true form, Shadow Shifter! I banish you from this body and this world. Begone!"

The bowl erupted with a blindingly bright flame, and the creature made an ear-splitting shriek. Gawyn and the guards staggered back with swords raised. Darkness shot out from the thrashing body, leaving it lifeless and motionless.