“I wouldn’t have thought the hospital would have known how to cope with that sort of poisoning.”
“They didn’t,” Ilianna said. “Kiandra did.”
“She was here?” Holy shit!
“And I didn’t even have to call her.” Ilianna wrinkled her nose. “She didn’t have an easy time of pinning down the particular branch of poison, though. It really was touch and go for a while there.”>Finally, I opened my eyes. The umbra was a place of shadows and darkness. I could see only a little of the beach on this level, but this was the dividing line between earth and the fields, and that was to be expected.
Something moved. I tightened my grip on Amaya, then realized that this time the movement held no threat.
The Dušan had stirred to life.
She coiled up my flesh, then moved across my shoulders and down my right arm. Her eyes glinted in the distant, smoky surrounds of the umbra, and her teeth shone. She wanted out, wanted action.
Not yet, I murmured. Not just yet.
I agree. Taylor’s voice was so close beside me I jumped. Death shall not find you just yet, but it will come, huntress. Even now, your flesh weakens. Soon, your heart will stop, and you will find yourself trapped in this place of nothingness, never to move on or be reborn.
Panic surged and I scrambled upright. Or tried to. My legs were like jelly and they refused to support my weight. One heartbeat later, I was on my knees. Which was stupid, because the wounds weren’t real. The hounds hadn’t chomped and chewed; I was whole and unhurt and fit.
But no matter how much I repeated that to myself, it didn’t seem to make one jot of difference. Maybe the umbra didn’t work that way.
Nevertheless, I took a deep breath, imagined it flowing through my being like a sweet breeze, blowing away the hurt and the pain as it refilled the wells of my strength.
Then slowly—and somewhat unsteadily—I climbed to my feet, Amaya clenched tightly in my hands. Her fire dripped from the end of the steel and formed a wide circle around me, as if drawing a line in the sand and daring Taylor to cross.
He didn’t accept the challenge. He remained where he’d appeared, his arms crossed and satisfaction oozing from his pores.
Standing there watching me die seems a bit anticlimactic after all your huff and puff, I commented. I was under the impression you wanted to kill me yourself.
I wanted a challenge and you certainly provided it. But I am no fool. I have you here now, and here you’ll stay.
I snorted. You can’t stop me from returning to flesh, Taylor—
On the contrary, he interrupted. I can.
Fear slithered through me. I was playing into his hands, I knew that, but he was far too watchful for me to release the one ace I held up my sleeve. Or on my arm, as was the case with the Dušan.
No one has that much power, Taylor. Not even someone like you.
His amusement swam around me, taunting and stinging. Do you remember Dorothy?
Yes. I continued to swing Amaya back and forth, watching him warily. The Dušan had settled into my right forearm, her glow fading but not her readiness. She felt like a coiled spring, ready to explode from my flesh the minute I gave the word.
She was screaming, unraveling, and yet she did not return to her flesh. I prevented that, as I will prevent you.
That’s what you were doing when you touched her forehead, I replied, suddenly realizing what had happened.
He nodded. By touching her, I not only marked her with what she was, but I pinned her in place while I drained her, both in real life and on the plane.
Well, he wasn’t going to be touching me, that was for fucking sure. So basically, you’re a coward.
Anger snapped around me, thick and fast. I am no coward, huntress. As you can see. He made a motion with his hand. Silver spun out of the darkness, slashing toward my torso. I raised Amaya and steel clashed with steel.
Coward, I spat. Everything you do is from a distance, Taylor. Why? Do you fear getting close to someone who can actually defend herself?
More steel came out of the shadows. I slashed and parried and battered it away, calling him a coward at every blow. His anger grew, and the attacks became more furious, until all I could see was silver and all I could feel was blood and pain.
Now, I said to the Dušan. Do it now.