Two-Thirds Blue

Chapter Sixteen: Victory

After grabbing some leftovers from Syk's plate, Onyx led the others to the abandoned town. Dusk noted the changes that had been made since his departure, but did his best not to look at the extinguished bonfire. On the outskirts of the town, he saw a hulking rozkod standing upright against a tree, bound with thick rope, its head hanging down in front of its chest.

"So that's Dax," Syk said. "How did you find him?"

"He came to me," Onyx said. "He was in disguise."

"Who was he?" Dusk asked.

Onyx just looked at him. Her expression told him all he needed to know. Dusk felt nauseated on her behalf. That was a cruel trick.

Dax lifted his head as they approached. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and blood dripped from his teeth. Dusk noticed that the ends of his fingers were torn and bleeding.

"What did you do to his hands?" he asked, brow knit in distaste.

Onyx was expressionless. "He tried to claw through the rope."

Dax glowered up at them, then settled on Gozack. "What the hell are you doing?" he spat. "Kill them and get me out of here!"

Gozack silently crossed his arms and tilted his head, stonefaced.

Onyx approached Dax. "We've got some questions for you," she said. "Why don't you start by telling us about this?" She held up a small black talisman not unlike the one Dax had used to signal the rozkod army.

"What's that?" Syk asked.

"It fell off his forehead when I hit him. I think it's how he transforms. Am I right?"

Dax only glared at her, teeth bared.

"Well?" Onyx drew her sword and prodded Dax in the chest. "You may be out of claws, but there's always your teeth."

Rade grimaced. "Onyx, that's a little–"

She ignored him and began to apply pressure. "Tell us."

Dax gritted his teeth. "Go to hell."

"You should be so lucky." Onyx flicked her sword down, opening a long red streak along Dax's breastbone.

"Don't torture him," Dusk said sharply. "Don't. That's not right."

"Not right?" Onyx suddenly rounded on him, eyes blazing. "Not right? This bastard came at me with a knife, wearing my dead sister's face. He had your entire Resistance slaughtered."

"That's not–"

"Tell me!" Onyx cracked Dax in the jaw with the pommel of her sword. Dusk saw a tooth fly out.

Dax spat out a mouthful of blood. "It's rather simple," he grunted. "It takes a sample of a person through contact, then affects their image."

"What do you mean, a sample?"

"Anything. Skin. Hair." He flashed her a grin. "A bloody sword, say. How did it feel, pulling that thing out of her chest?"

Onyx hit him again, cracking off a shard from the bone ridge on his jaw. "Why were you looking for us?"

"I was only looking for you. Not your sister. She was disposable."

"Why me?" She seized him by the throat and rested the tip of her sword under his swollen eye. "Tell me!"

Rade made eye contact with Dusk, features twisted in disgust, and took a step backward. Dusk looked over at Syk and found him equally disturbed.

Onyx began to slide her sword forward. Blood ran from under the edge as it neared Dax's eye. He jerked his head back to avoid it, but she grabbed his horn and held him still.