mid-kick was impossible—and his foot quickly found a home on the side of the fourth attacker’s head.
The man’s eyes rolled back up into his head, and he flopped forward toward me. I caught him and shoved him toward Robert, who darted aside and let his friend crash to the ground.
I didn’t wait around to give Robert a chance to recover, and rushed him, throwing an uppercut to his jaw, which he avoided, stepping right into the path of a punch to his gut. He stepped away, but not fast enough to avoid a swift kick to the side of his knee, which caused him to shout out in pain as he dropped to his one good leg.
Robert threw a punch, which I pushed aside and clasped my hands around the back of his neck, bringing my knee up as I pulled his face down. He managed to block the first two knee strikes, so I released my hands and kicked out, catching him on the chest and sending him sprawling to the ground.
I walked over to him, and he kicked out with both legs, but I managed to grab one ankle, and a quick kick to the side of his knee dislocated the joint. He yelled in pain as I applied more pressure to the injured limb.
“Now, what are you doing here?” I asked, managing to remain calm, despite his howls of protest.
“P-paid—paid to,” he eventually managed.
I released the pressure a little. “By whom?”
Robert shook his head, and I was about to say something when someone smashed into the side of me, taking me from my feet and driving me to the side. I twisted in his grip, to discover that Smoker had found his feet and wanted some payback.
I slammed my palm into his broken nose. He immediately released me and yelled in pain.
I drove my forearm into his face once more. This time there was no lack of energy on my part, and his head snapped to one side as if hit by a truck. He spun once and then fell to the ground, probably with a broken jaw in addition to his nose.
“Right,” I said with a slight cough. Smoker had managed to hurt my already bruised ribs. “Where were we, Robert?” I took a step toward him as Sarah appeared at the end of the car park.
“You are done here,” she raged.
“Girl, if you test me, you won’t find me in the mood to play nicely.”
She brandished a dagger in one hand, which she drew across the palm of the other before dropping it to the ground. A second later, she pressed her palms together and closed her eyes as I began to run toward her, determined to stop whatever she was about to cast. Unfortunately, I was too slow, and as she exhaled, she pushed her hands out, palms toward me, and snapped one word: “Effete.”
The effect was instantaneous. I crashed to my knees as if the weight of the world were suddenly pressing down on me. I couldn’t move, could barely breathe as my body just stopped working. Every ounce of energy I had left me in a moment, and a second later I was lying on the cold car park trying to make my brain work enough so that I could figure out what was happening to me. Unfortunately, my brain had gone the same way as the rest of my body, and a deep fog had settled in my head, clouding any rational thoughts and ideas.
I watched in silent horror as Sarah picked up the dagger and stalked toward me, a set purpose on her face. She crouched beside me. “I tried to help you, but you just couldn’t stop, c ould you?”
I glanced up at her and saw blood trickle from her nose. She’d used a lot of magic, and her body was violently protesting.
She noticed my gaze and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and nose, noticing the blood for the first time. She stood, full of urgency and panic. “You can die here,” she said to me and then went to each of her five friends, placing a hand on their bodies and healing them slightly before helping her dazed and aching comrades into one of the trucks and speeding out of the car park.
I shook my head and tried to clear the mental cobwebs that Sarah’s magic had placed there. Effete —the word was familiar . I
The man’s eyes rolled back up into his head, and he flopped forward toward me. I caught him and shoved him toward Robert, who darted aside and let his friend crash to the ground.
I didn’t wait around to give Robert a chance to recover, and rushed him, throwing an uppercut to his jaw, which he avoided, stepping right into the path of a punch to his gut. He stepped away, but not fast enough to avoid a swift kick to the side of his knee, which caused him to shout out in pain as he dropped to his one good leg.
Robert threw a punch, which I pushed aside and clasped my hands around the back of his neck, bringing my knee up as I pulled his face down. He managed to block the first two knee strikes, so I released my hands and kicked out, catching him on the chest and sending him sprawling to the ground.
I walked over to him, and he kicked out with both legs, but I managed to grab one ankle, and a quick kick to the side of his knee dislocated the joint. He yelled in pain as I applied more pressure to the injured limb.
“Now, what are you doing here?” I asked, managing to remain calm, despite his howls of protest.
“P-paid—paid to,” he eventually managed.
I released the pressure a little. “By whom?”
Robert shook his head, and I was about to say something when someone smashed into the side of me, taking me from my feet and driving me to the side. I twisted in his grip, to discover that Smoker had found his feet and wanted some payback.
I slammed my palm into his broken nose. He immediately released me and yelled in pain.
I drove my forearm into his face once more. This time there was no lack of energy on my part, and his head snapped to one side as if hit by a truck. He spun once and then fell to the ground, probably with a broken jaw in addition to his nose.
“Right,” I said with a slight cough. Smoker had managed to hurt my already bruised ribs. “Where were we, Robert?” I took a step toward him as Sarah appeared at the end of the car park.
“You are done here,” she raged.
“Girl, if you test me, you won’t find me in the mood to play nicely.”
She brandished a dagger in one hand, which she drew across the palm of the other before dropping it to the ground. A second later, she pressed her palms together and closed her eyes as I began to run toward her, determined to stop whatever she was about to cast. Unfortunately, I was too slow, and as she exhaled, she pushed her hands out, palms toward me, and snapped one word: “Effete.”
The effect was instantaneous. I crashed to my knees as if the weight of the world were suddenly pressing down on me. I couldn’t move, could barely breathe as my body just stopped working. Every ounce of energy I had left me in a moment, and a second later I was lying on the cold car park trying to make my brain work enough so that I could figure out what was happening to me. Unfortunately, my brain had gone the same way as the rest of my body, and a deep fog had settled in my head, clouding any rational thoughts and ideas.
I watched in silent horror as Sarah picked up the dagger and stalked toward me, a set purpose on her face. She crouched beside me. “I tried to help you, but you just couldn’t stop, c ould you?”
I glanced up at her and saw blood trickle from her nose. She’d used a lot of magic, and her body was violently protesting.
She noticed my gaze and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and nose, noticing the blood for the first time. She stood, full of urgency and panic. “You can die here,” she said to me and then went to each of her five friends, placing a hand on their bodies and healing them slightly before helping her dazed and aching comrades into one of the trucks and speeding out of the car park.
I shook my head and tried to clear the mental cobwebs that Sarah’s magic had placed there. Effete —the word was familiar . I
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