The Winter Sun

Chapter 46

Another streak of black smoke spurred from Virwan, morphing into a giant shadowy hand looming over Lach. He braced himself, but the hand slowly removed the sword planted in the Commander. The salient and glistening blade pressed to Amaya's bobbing throat.

Lach unsheathed his sword and rushed forward, but as he was about to jump on Virwan, something caught his ankle and yanked him backward. He found the ground, his chin knocking the hard surface with a groan before he was dragged away. A streak of smoke twirled and tightened around his ankle before lifting him in the air with a strength that made Lach gasp. His head hung upside down, and his sword resonated on the marble ground. "Shit," he hissed as he extended his fingers, trying to reach it, but he was too high. His hair hung limp, and his face slowly turned red as blood traveled to his head. He squirmed and rocked his body from side to side, but the grip on his ankle was like iron. He let out a frustrating sound.

Another scream. He jerked his head to the side to see Lily seized between hands of smoke. All the council members were also lifted and detained. Lach balanced his upper body before launching to try to reach the grip.

"Lily! Lach!" Amaya screamed. "Virwan, let go of them! Please. I- I can give you what you want." Lach froze, eyes widening.

Virwan's red eyes flickered to Amaya, glinting like pumping blood. "And what do you think is that I want?" The voice hissed like a cat.

"Don't tell him!" Lach yelled before he groaned as he tried to reach his boot, his fingers grabbing the air before he fell back upside down.

Amaya swallowed thickly as she gazed at Lach. Something bleak, like grief, like something that could have been but that was never meant to be. She smiled through teary eyes and mouthed, "I am sorry." Lach froze, his body catching his breath before Amaya screamed loudly and clearly, "I am the favor!"

"No!" Lach yelled, his hand reaching for her.

Something pumped inside Virwan's red eyes, like blood coursing through his veins, sending his features eerily alive. "Then. You are mine." His somber voice echoed into the smoke as it spread and fogged him and Amaya, hiding them.

Lach balanced his body again and finally reached his boot. He slid a knife before slicing the small. He fell terribly. His body a shaken sack of bones, but he ignored its scream. He caught the handle of his sword, the carved sun printed on his palm before he stumbled back on his feet and raced towards the foggy wall. "Amaya!"

As he was about to pierce through it, the smoke evaporated through a window as if sucked up, leaving the space empty. Lach whirled around himself, peering around for Virwan to resurface at any moment, but there were only Lily, the council members, and soldiers released from the smokey grips.

A groan rose behind Lach, and he spun in time to stop the flashness of silver. A sword clashed against him, and over their crossed rim, a soldier snarled at him, eyes red and scattered like broken rubies. "Stop!" Lach screamed. "Wake up!" But the soldier's face contorted into a grimace, disfiguring him into something inhuman. Lach kicked him. The soldier stumbled away before recovering quickly and charging again.

His blows were like a hammer trying to press a nail. Lach feared his sword would sliced into two. Another blow put him on his knees, and Lach's jaw clenched. The blade was dangerously heading towards his face. His muscles twitched, making his own blade unsteady. The soldier seemed to not know fatigue. "You don't want to do this!" Lach tried again to go through the soldier's cursed mind, but all he did was snarl.

It was no use. Lach's words were probably gibberish to him.

Lach's arms were about to give in when a war-like yell surged, and a point of the blade pierced through the cursed soldier's stomach. His body fell to the side, revealing a sweaty and heaving Ezri.