Page 33 of Gold & Shadow

The hallway was well lit, and I barely had time to throw my shadows out to pin the two guards to the wall.

“What the—“

“I’m going to strongly suggest you drop your weapons,” I warned, dropping the shadows around Orson, who prowled forward with his teeth bared.

The guards, one an elven female and the other a human man, complied, which felt far too easy.

“You,” I said, nodding to the elf. “What’s your magic?”

“Like I’d tell you,” she sneered. Her hand twitched as if trying to cast, and I sent more shadows to pin her. “There are six more guards in there, all with magic. You won’t make it out of here.”

“We’ll see,” I replied evenly, jerking both guards fast so they hit the wall, knocking them unconscious.

“Hot,” Orson growled as I pulled my shadows back in. “I’llget the door.”

“I can—“

But before I could send my shadows to disengage the lock, Orson had already run at full speed at the ornately carved wooden double doors, clearly meant more for decoration than protection.

They banged open and Orson barreled in, attacking the first guard he saw with a swipe of sharp claws to the ribs.

“Orson!” I cried out, but it was too late. He had gone full-bear, and all I could do was mitigate the damage now. I threw out shadows, trying to pin the five other guards in place as Orson growled over his victim’s bleeding body.

“Lis,” Victor’s cold voice came from the desk, where he sat with his hands steepled as if expecting me. “I wondered if I would have the pleasure.”

Victor was clever and wealthy, but it struck me then that he surrounded himself with more powerful beings, hoping his wealth, influence, and ruthlessness would be enough to keep their puppet strings taut.

Mine had snapped.

“Will your lovely sisters be joining us as well?” he continued, pouring amber liquid from a decanter on the desk into a short crystal glass. “Or just yourfriend?”

“Give us the amulet, Vic,” I commanded, keeping my shadows out as I began to tremble from the strain. “And no one has to die.”

Victor looked at his fallen guard, an elf whose wounds were already healing. Orson hadn’t killed him, thank the gods.

“Did you really think you could come in here and steal fromme?“ Victor asked, his hand moving under his desk. “Really, Lis. I thought you were smarter.”

Orson prowled toward Victor, his teeth bared in a bloody, frothy snarl. The recognition was gone from his eyes, and I knew now he was surviving on instinct alone.

“I won’t stop him from killing you, Vic,” I warned, my arms beginning to shake as the guards struggled. I recognized one as the portalweaver from the woods, another as one of the guards who had held me in the snow when Victor had first claimed the amulet.

I pulled on my magic, wrapping shadows around the hilts of two daggers. I had maybe a minute before my magic would give out. I had never tried to hold this many people before, and I had to time my throw perfectly.

“Last chance, Vic,” I said, Orson taking another step toward his desk. Victor’s hand moved under the desk again, and I realized what he was doing. “Your other guards won’t be coming. My sisters are handling them as we speak.”

“You bitch,” Victor spat.

I chose that moment to throw my daggers as Orson leapt for the desk.

Chapter 17

My blades caught the portalweaver and the guard from the woods in the ribs, hopefully puncturing a lung. That would keep them down long enough for us to take care of the others without killing them.

Orson roared as I dropped my shadows, leaping over Victor for one of the remaining guards. I pulled two more daggers, preparing tothrow them.

An arrow hit me in the shoulder, making me stagger, and I threw my next dagger. It hit the Silvershade elf in the throat, causing her to burble blood as she sank to the floor.

It looked like Orson had also caused lethal damage, mauling his guard so badly he was mostly unrecognizable. The last guard standing shifted, morphing into a huge silver bear to rival Orson’s size.