Katashi took a single step back at the impact, his expression unchanged.
Keras flickered back just in time to avoid a slash from the visage’s crystalline blade.
When Keras reappeared, I realized the left sleeve of his coat had been burned away where the blast of light had connected. The skin beneath was burned and cracked.
He might be faster and stronger than me, but Keras isn’t invincible. This isn’t an even fight. It’s not even close.
What could I do to alter the outcome?
I didn’t even know what they were fighting about, let alone their strengths and weaknesses. If a visage of the goddess said someone needed to die, conventional wisdom said that they needed to die.
But conventional wisdom had also abandoned my brother in this same tower. Conventional wisdom and I hadn’t been on speaking terms since then.
That single punch from Keras looked like it had carried more force than anything I could put out from my dueling cane and it had barely affected the visage. I knew how to pour additional mana into a burst, but I doubted I’d have an impact. Katashi fought armies, some of which contained attuned.
A cheap shot to the head? The lack of armor might have made a difference, but I couldn’t count on my ability to land the shot.
What else did I have at my disposal?
I shrugged off my backpack and found the book.
By the time I looked back, Katashi was surrounded by a flickering aura of burning light. He pointed his crystalline weapon at Vera. I could see the fiery aura gather in his left hand, then flow through his body, glowing brighter until it gathered in his sword, turning the blade white.
“This must be.” There was no inflection in his words.
Vera wasn’t moving fast enough to avoid the helix of incendiary light that emerged from the blade.
Keras blurred again. A streak of silver severed the air, splitting the bolt of light in twain. The deflected energy smashed into the floor, leaving long cracks in the marble.
The swordsman stood a little straighter, his expression grim. The sword he held was long enough to be used in two hands, but he held it with his right with no sign of effort. The silvery blade had only a slim flat surface toward the center, the outer portions angled into viciously sharp edges. A subtle white glow flowed within the blade, a clear sign of an enchantment.
I doubted it would be enough.
I set my dueling cane down, letting Vera approach while I grabbed my quill and flipped through the book to the end.
You have reached the entrance to the second floor of the tower.
You must flee. The visage will not permit you to leave with the prisoners. You don’t stand a chance.
You’re not reading this right now, but if you do…
Please, leave. Please. While you can.
That ink was dry, but new writing appeared as I watched.
The visage will not be distracted for long. You must leave.
I raised the quill to write.
You’re clearly watching here. Can you help us?
No words appeared in the seconds that followed.
Keras shrugged off his coat, revealing a black vest crossed with leather straps. Six sheathed knives were attached to the straps on his back. He kicked his coat to the side, drawing one of the knives with his left hand.
Katashi remained at the top of the stairway, turning his gaze toward Keras and maintaining an impassive expression. He jammed his crystalline sword into the stone floor, bringing his hands in front of him. Globes of flame appeared in the air around him, one after another, spinning and rotating.
Keras flipped the knife in his hand and hurled it straight at the visage’s face.
The visage didn’t even move. The knife impacted an invisible barrier and clattered harmlessly to the ground.
Keras gave the slightest frown.
The burning orbs did move. They weren’t as quick as the lightning, moving only at the speed of a thrown ball. But there were eight of them… and they had different targets.
Seeing Keras’ expression sink, I knew that he couldn’t stop them all.
Vera had almost reached me.
The dueling cane was in my hand before I processed what I was doing. Two clicks in rapid succession. I felt the mana surge through my chest, burning hotter than it ever had.
I blew the two closest spheres of flame out of the air, dispersing them with kinetic force. Keras moved quickly enough to slash five of the others, successfully deflecting the last of the projectiles aimed for Keras and the child.
The last sphere struck him in the back.
The force of the impact barely staggered him, but his vest ignited instantly. He shivered for a moment, wincing, and reached toward his back with his left hand.
The flames pulled away, gathering in his hand.
A wave of his hand across the blade of his sword. The flames swept across the weapon, the weapon’s edges shifting to glow crimson.
I could see the burned skin across his back as he rushed toward the stairs. He was still fast — faster than anyone I’d seen before.
But I could see him. He was slowing down, the wounds weighing on him more than his expression showed.
I looked back at the book.
I will try, child. I will try.
You must leave the room.
He didn’t have to tell me twice.
“Vera, we need to go.”
Vera gave me a curt nod, shifting the burden on her back. The boy was nearly as tall as she was; I was surprised she could carry him at all.
I flipped the book and quill into the pack. Katashi turned his head. He’d heard me, but Keras had nearly flown up the stairs. He didn’t have time to intervene.
The door behind me opened. Vera pushed through.
I gave a last look toward Keras.
He’d reached the top of the stairs. He waved his left hand, and the five remaining daggers slipped out of their scabbards, floating in the air behind him. As I watched, their blades extended as they hovered in formation. They were wings of steel.
He gripped the hilt of his weapon with two hands, the blade still glowing with inner light.
I took a deep breath, retrieving my backpack as the swordsmen began to circle each other, and I fled the room.
Chapter IV — Escape
My right hand was trembling as I gripped the hilt of the dueling cane. Part of it was the pain from drawing too much mana, but a larger part was my state of mind.
I’d sided with a prisoner against a visage of the goddess and I… didn’t feel guilt. I felt like I should have done more.
I’d left Keras behind.
I shook my head, trying to regain my focus. Nothing in this tower was safe, and if Keras did fall, I had little doubt that the visage would follow us and finish what he had started.
This room was rectangular, maybe forty feet across. It was clearly divided into sections that were about ten feet each, each section being elevated a bit above the previous section.
I could see a few tiles in each section that were just a sliver thicker than they should have been — probably traps.
There were dozens of fist-sized holes on the side walls of the room. Probably more traps.
Those weren’t the real problem, though.