Nalah could run, but what would be the point? The Asian woman’s magic was subtler than the blast that emanated from the sword, but the more she remained in the woman’s presence, the more the woman’s pure power became clear. Both of them were strong, and she…she was tired. And if this conversation ended badly, well, that could be okay too. “He stole my ring, and I wanted it back. I didn’t know I could do that. I got angry and it happened.”
“Oh, okay.” The redhead began to walk towards her…and then past her, to the front door of the building. Muscles relaxed that she had no clue were tensed as the redhead passed by her. Pulling on the door handle, the redhead called over her shoulder. “Relied on magical reinforcements. If I knock too hard it’ll fall in.”
Laire pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “Swing the damned sword, Fallon. We both know you’ve been wanting to all day, and he’s a creep who deserves to lose everything.”
“True,” returned Fallon, pulling the sword free before Laire had finished talking, and with the sword unsheathed the magic was clearer, barreling straight for her…
Smell of War, acrid and disgusting sweetness
Screams of the Fallen
Blood, Red, Permeating Everything
Pain, pain, so much pain, ache to the bones never to depart
DragonFire
…and Laire covered Nalah’s eyes with small, delicate fingers, the skin the softest Nalah had ever known. There was enchantment there, a shielding, and Laire said, “You really are sensitive, aren’t you? We’ll train you to develop your own barriers. After all, too much exposure to strong magic has been known to drive people insane, and we don’t want that.”
An explosion, but no ringing in her ears, no debris, no shaking of the ground underneath her. Laire removed her hand, letting Nalah see the sight before her. Tenro had been returned to its place on Fallon’s back, and the pawn shop was nothing more than a collection of rubble and twisted metal collapsing on itself. Fallon turned her head. “Your turn.”
Laire gave a negligent flip of her hand, and from the rubble a huge safe emerged. “Magical,” she said when it landed before them. “Withstands blasts and fire, the usual. I’ll handle opening this one myself.”
A moment later the door on the safe disappeared. Laire rummaged through, throwing aside money and valuables without pause. “There it is,” she said, and picked up a plain grey ring box and opened it.
Red gleamed and Nalah’s heart started, a pinprick of joy threading through the day’s loss. “That’s my ring. That’s the one he stole.”
Laire and Fallon gave a quick glance toward each other.
This is what they came for. No, no she wouldn’t lose this, she wouldn’t lose this, and Nalah snatched at the ring.
The effort failed as Fallon’s hand clamped around her wrist, and several pulls proved Fallon was immovable as stone. The redhead waited until Nalah was still, and asked again, “What’s your name?”
Fallon’s eyes were a molten gold. Unbidden Esh’s eyes surfaced in her memory, a similar color, except his always had a dancing flame within them. Nalah had scoured every book in the meager library, but she could never find that eye color as a characteristic of any known race.
He laughed, told her not to worry about it, he looked human and besides, he would never claim any race that abandoned him anyway. But she wanted to know, just for herself, because she loved his eyes, how they heated and the fire grew when his emotions did, before a fight or when he lowered his head to hers…
She slammed down that memory, buried it. Never again. “My name is Nalah, and that ring is mine.”
“Nalah.” Fallon repeated her name, as if the swordswoman could decode the bleak history and uncertain future within the sound. “And how old are you?”
“Seventeen.”
Fallon glanced over to Laire, whose face scrunched up in thought for a moment. “A little old, but she’s so freaking strong. I don’t think it’ll be much of a problem.”
Nalah pulled at her wrist again, more as voiceless protest than with any real hope of getting away. “What are you talking about?”
The two women did some voiceless communication with their eyes, and then Fallon turned her attention back to Nalah. “Would you like to escape this place?”
“Escape?” This conversation couldn’t get any weirder. Everything tonight was off-balance, a funhouse full of mirrors with no exit sign.
“Come with us. Join our group. We’ll teach you to use your power, and in return, you’ll help us save and protect this Realm.”
What group? The offer was too glib, too good-to-be-true. No one got offered a ticket out of here without a hell of a cost. “That easy?”