Emblems

Chapter 30: Blind

Chapter 30: Blind

"WE SHOULD’VE STAYED IN THE room," she said. 

"It doesn't matter anymore," Daniel said. "Get up."

She looked up at him. Her head kept on sending her flashes of agony, and she had to struggle not to squeeze her eyes shut again. "When it stops hurting, I will."

His green gaze was ice cold as it bored down at her. "You're not the Amber Starling I knew. She wouldn't have allowed me to carry her here, or curl up like a baby when things get tough. So I'm not going to treat you that way. Get up and fight." He threw her weapons down. 

I am Amber Starling. Just without the Demon. No matter what you think, this is who I was meant to be. She pushed through the pain, rising to her knees, then to her feet, gripping the whip and dagger. "The Delegates won't know where we are when they come to help."

It was Calida, this time, fixing her with an icy glare. "Look at that," she said, pointing at the corridors. Shadows engulfed the way they'd come, and the way forward too, beginning to creep towards them like some kind of black coloured plague. "They're here," Calida said. "That means the Delegates are gone. We're on our own here, so stop acting like a helpless brat."

"I agree." His voice was curt as he clicked his penlight on and held it parallel to his sword with both hands. Calida already had her shield up, foil held in a slanted position. "There's nowhere to run now," Daniel said. "It was a mistake to order us to the back of the Athenaeum. The Delegates were too arrogant. So we either fight our way out, or kill all of the Demons."

This time, she decided not to answer him. She let her whip uncoil and fall to the ground, it's length trailing behind her as she stepped forward, knees bent, shoulders relaxed, dagger held across her body. She'd trained in this position. Sol, with his millennia of knowledge, had made sure that it was engrained in her head, in muscle memory. She'd never sparred with the others in the arena and her head still hurt, but the Delegates had trained her and since it had been them, she was ready. 

The three of them fell into a silence. Calida faced the way they’d come, Daniel the corridor ahead and her in the middle, long whip enough to cover the distance to them both for backup. From the growing darkness came a chittering and chattering, and then silence. A silver gleam reflected the faint light from Daniel’s penlight and the fire burning up the length of Calida’s sword, and something seemed to float into view.

Even in the dim light, her skin looked as smooth and pale as porcelain. Dressed in a white gown, she came towards them, a smile on her lips. The air smelled like flowers, and with every step she took towards them the scent grew stronger, till it felt like she was stuck in a room full of blooms of every kind – sweet and fragant like perfume. Daniel stared, blade almost dropping from his defensive position, seemingly taking in the dishevelled dark hair, bare feet, dress that flattened against her body as she walked, the straps of clothing barely hanging onto her shoulder—

—and cut off her head with one swing of his sword.

Her mouth dropped open. “Daniel! She—”

“Pontianak,” he said. “A Demon. What the hell happened to your battle instincts, Amber?” She blinked at his cold tone, and looked back at where the supposed Demon had been. All she saw was a crumpled sheet of sheer, almost-white metal, and something like a mask, made of the same material. The lips were still stuck in an inviting smile.