Page 192 of Starside

But mine is better.

With a growl scraped from the center of my chest, I aim for his neck, using a move Raker taught me, only for the immortal’s blade to get in the way at the last moment. Another fissure forms, spiraling all the way to the hilt. Just a few more hits, and he’ll be without a weapon.

I try to raise my sword again, to aim for his side, but he’s too quick. He rams his weapon down against mine with such a force, it knocks me to the ground—

And my sword out of my hand. It goes flying, clamoring against the other side of the cave.

The man smiles. “I’m sure I get extra for the blade. Or maybe I’ll sell it to a different god,” he says.

No. My head is spinning from the fall. I can barely concentrate on the words, but I reach my hand out.

“Stellaris,” I say.

“What was that?” the man says, taking a step forward.

“Stellaris,” I hiss, desperate. My blade trembles but does not fly into my grip. I try to focus my energy, my mind, but it’s scattered. It doesn’t hold.

The man reaches his sword up over his head for a clean cut. His metal arcs through the air toward my neck. I reach my arms up over my face on instinct, my eyes squeezing shut, my muscles seizing.

One moment passes. Another.

I slowly open my eyes to find the immortal still in the same position, only with a gaping hole through his chest.

Behind me, Raker has his hand open. His sword is in it. His blade went right through him.

“You’re not dead,” I breathe.

I hear the man hit the floor, his metal echoing against the stone.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Raker says, echoing my own words back to me, before putting his hood over his face, erasing the beauty.

He stands, takes one step forward, then pauses. He’s still recovering. I race to help his balance. “We have to go. Now. There are more of them in the forest.”

He takes another unsteady step before his entire body tenses, like pain has stabbed through him. His knuckles are white, curled tightly around the hilt of his blade.

“Stay here,” I say, making a decision. “I’ll leave. They’ll chase me. I’ll—I’ll come back for you, with medicine.”

Raker ignores me as he takes another step, then another. He moves almost smoothly. I race to get my sword and follow him.

Voices. There are others, and not far. Raker raises his sword, ready to fight, though I don’t miss the tremors going through his body. I can see them even through the armor.

Then—

Hooves. The cavalry. They’ve found us.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I turn to face Raker. I know he can feel it, how close they are. In less than a minute, we’ll be surrounded.

He looks at me, his hood falling back. It seems like he doesn’t have the strength to straighten it. “Go,” he says, like an order, like he always does. “I’ll buy you time—just go.”

I don’t budge.

He bares his teeth at me. “For once, would you fucking listen, Aris.”

I shake my head.