A/N

Apologies for the new chapter taking so long to be published. I've recently gained the motivation to continue so expect more updates!

  "Clane!" I shouted. I might as well have been screaming into a void.

The soldier that had been going for Clane had vanished as well. As had the others.

I hissed in pain as something suddenly sliced my leg, but not too deep. A sword.

The female's senatorial-purple cloak whipped in the wind. She laughed lightly but wickedly. "I put a glamour on them. My orders still stands to deliver you alive. But for now, let's see if you can fight invisible enemies to save your friend in time!"

"WHERE IS CLANE?" I roared.

"Find him, you foolish girl!"

I will, don't you worry. I don't care if Renithyn or Menius is testing me. If her orders were to deliver me alive then I would use that to my advantage.

I snarled up at her and pressed a hand to the wet cobblestones, listening for vibrations in the ground just as Kanin could with my sharpened hearing. I amplified that with my powers listening for heartbeats.

Waves of vibrations resonated back to me, the thud thud of hearts rapidly beating echoing around me. But there—one of the hearts beat differently, almost as if it were thumping with an inner fire inside of it. Clane. I checked the vibrations just to be sure. Yes, it was him. He moved lighter than the soldiers despite his build because he wore no armour.

I allowed the slight curling of my mouth to form before I spun on my knees and slashed out in front of me. I felt a solid weight hitting the ground before I plunged my twin blades down through their chest.

I couldn't hear the scream but I felt it from my powers when the soldiers' heart stopped pumping blood. My blades slid out with a wet rasp of metal on bone as I stood and smiled slyly at the senatorial-purple cloaked female. A flicker of a muscle at the side of her mouth was the only tell she gave away.

I became death incarnate after that. Reaching out not with my powers, but with my blades. Because I needed to feel their hearts stopping beneath my swords. I still had so much anger inside me to vent out, and these soldiers were trying to kill Clane. They would do nicely.

I felt another body hit the floor, killed by Clane. And then another. Now both soldiers without powers were dead. I had killed one with powers. That left one more with powers and the higher-ranking female.

I guessed Clane was still able to see me because I felt a reassuring presence at my side. Hand still on the street, I felt the surviving powered soldier begin to cautiously circle us.

The air became hard to breathe in as the stones under our feet suddenly transformed into sand and rose menacingly around us. At least I could see that. A flick of the soldiers wrist refined the sand into thin blades all aimed at us.

"Clane," I growled. I knew he was barely able to walk now, but if his flames were just strong enough—

Apparently he knew what I was thinking. I couldn't see him, but three moons, I definitely felt it.

He sent a wave of boiling heat more than flame at the soldier but it was enough. The sand spearing towards us turned into globular, still-cooling glass midair and shattered on the ground.

Clane sent a fireball at the soldier, but with a grunt he summoned a wave of sand in front of him. We hurriedly scrambled back as the stone between us and the soldier turned to sand and crashed towards us. Clane was using up all his power now. Soon there wouldn't even be enough to light a candle.

I tried reaching out with my powers for the heart of the soldier but I couldn't pinpoint even his general location. Damn glamour.

Guess that left the old fashioned way. I drew a dagger from my hip and angled it to throw.

I looked forward and calculated the distance between where the sand rose to block the soldier and the distance I would have to throw my dagger. Just as I was about to hurl it with enough force to embed it deep into a tree, a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I shouted in surprise but it was just Clane since it didn't emit danger.

I couldn't see him but I think I knew what he wanted. A weak wall of flames sprung up between us for just a mere second, but it was all I needed.

I grabbed Clane's hand from my shoulder and poured enough power into him to light a building on fire, stoking the flames within him. His hands were surprisingly gentle.

The soldier was about to send another volley of deadly sand at us when he backed up in utter surprise as a tornado of red and blue and gold flames abruptly roared towards him. He definitely hadn't expected such a drastic comeback. No amount of sand could shield him from that behemoth.

The impact shook the Earth itself. When the dust settled, I gaped at the wall of gleaming dark blue glass puncturing everywhere. Some points even struck through a nearby brick wall.

I lowered my hand that had been blocking the sand from my face and stared at the soldier now pinned against the building with multiple glass shards spearing through him. I winced slightly at the gruesome sight.

A deep growl whipped my head towards the female who was now the only survivor. I summoned enough courage and grinned, all teeth. I knew what she saw. So be it. One monster to another.

I levelled my swords at her, blood from the soldiers formerly under her command dripping down. "You're next."

She gave the sort of malevolent smile that made me question whether she was fully sane. I didn't have time to ponder it before she placed a glamour over herself, disappearing from sight. I growled in annoyance, now I couldn't see her or Clane.

I heard the sound of a whip cracking in the air before Clane suddenly shoved me aside as I tried to put my hand to the ground to feel her footsteps. The ringing of metal grazing armour told me where her and Clane were. I thought Clane was able to see her until I realized he was trying to push her back with wide strokes instead of attacking her head on.

"Don't you dare leave me out," I growled. With Clane miraculously keeping her at bay, it gave me the few precious seconds I needed to determine her exact location.

And just as I felt the female take a step back to find a way around Clane's onslaught, my dagger found itself a new home in the narrow gap between her poleyne and greave, cutting deep. She let out a roar of pain as her leg gave out under her, sinking the dagger in deeper and through muscle. Her glamour fell away on both her and Clane with a blast of power. Clane did not waste time severing her head from the rest of her, kicking her body over and letting the senatorial-purple cloak soak with her blood.

I wrinkled my nose. "Gross."

Clane lowered his sword and gave me a once-over to make sure I was unharmed. "This is war."

"I realize that."

Clane's gaze softened slightly. "You get used to it."

I gave a grim nod in reply and led the way up the stairs. I made quick work of the door with my lockpicks and slid it open soundlessly. We walked through the dark empty halls silently and on high alert, part of me knowing Menius would be here. I didn't bother admiring the impressive architecture and domed ceiling.

My suspicions were confirmed too soon.

Voices echoed from a nearby room to our right—and then I felt it. The surge of barely leashed power emanating from behind those walls.

I shook my head to clear the building headache Menius' power was creating. Clane shot me a worried look as I pressed my ear and hand to the wall.

I was right, Menius was here.

But my blood ran cold at who spoke next. "I hope there is a reason for you calling me here on such short notice, Menius."

Renithyn.