Ishtar's Blade

by Blackwood, Lisa

  With barely a thought Sorntar formed a barrier behind the girl, preventing the male from coming closer.

  From behind the barrier, the officer’s eyes bored into the woman’s back. “Ashayna, this is not your challenge to answer. Come here at once.” He slapped his thigh, then pointed at the ground directly in front of him. “That’s an order.”

  “It’s too late. I’ve already answered this challenge.”

  “You don’t understand the risk.”

  “Risks—those I understand completely.” Then much lower, almost under her breath. “More so than you realize, Captain. Be glad of your ignorance.”

  “Ash, don’t do this. Let one of my men…”

  Sorntar added another layer to his shielding, blocking all outside sound. Much better.

  The woman hesitated for a split second, her trembling fingers poised to grasp the burning sword. With a sigh, she squared her shoulders and closed her fingers around the hilt. Her bravery impressed him. Not many humans would touch a magic talisman, especially not while it burned. She rolled the sword around, her wrist flexing as she tested the sword’s balance. It cut through the air with a wavering hiss, blue flames danced along its heated length. Adjusting her single-handed grip to a two-handed one, she ran through a quick warm up, before she inclined her head in his direction.

  She had to be responsible for the Gate incident, but why had she attacked? Still, this new revelation explained why Marsolwyn and his sisters had come. A human with a Larnkin needed investigating.

  For the first time since he had heard of their capture, the tight knot of unease in his middle began to uncoil. This human, strangely, calmed him in some unnamed way. Now, if he could only get through the coming fight without theatrics from his Larnkin. He stepped off the warm stone and traversed the broken ground.

  “I am Sorntar, Crown Prince of the Phoenix. You honor me by answering my challenge. Might I ask the name of the one brave enough to do so?” He stopped a bare pace in front of her and was pleased to see she held her ground without flinching or cowering back from the heat cast by his fiery wings.

  “Ashayna Stonemantle, scout in the Emperor’s Army. I will do anything to save my father’s life.” Her voice was pitched low and smooth. She gave him an elegant bow, which seemed at odds with her leathers, light armor, and weapons.

  “Father? I think there’s an interesting story here.”

  “Perhaps after the duel?” Eyebrow raised, she saluted him with her sword. “And are there any rules I should be aware of?”

  “No killing. First to bleed loses. Pretty much anything else goes.” He eased back two steps and arched his wings out behind him. Blue fire hissed and flared as he moved. The way her eyes widened as she tracked his wings wasn’t lost on him. It wasn’t fear he saw, though. Perhaps he wasn’t the only one with questions and a large dose of curiosity. His earlier rage diminished another small notch; still there, but at least he could think about something other than ripping into humans with his talons.

  Ashayna studied his wings a moment more, and then relaxed her arms, extending them out before her with the sword’s tip nearly touching the ground.

  Clearly, her opening was a deception. A brief hint of humor curled in his chest, a smile ghosting across his lips for a moment. More than willing to be lured into her trap, Sorntar lunged. Her blade snapped up into position, meeting his and deflecting the point.

  Quicker than he thought a human could move, Ashayna cut upward at his crest. A bare heartbeat ahead of her stroke, he whipped his blade up into a defensive position. Moments flashed by, but her blow never landed. Instead she feinted and reversed her swing. She swiped at his legs. Sorntar leapt clear of her strike—barely. Surprised and off balance, he stumbled backward. Ashayna followed him, her sword’s point uncomfortably close. She crowded him, her nearness preventing him from using his longer reach and greater strength to full advantage.

  Swift, sharp strikes continued to meet his blade. While each impact didn’t have a devastating force behind it, she still rained blows down upon him in rapid succession. Adapting to her style, his blocks grew swifter. Surprise at her skills melted away as he warmed to the fight, testing her. A human’s stamina wasn’t equal to that of his kind. He knew her swift agility had a cost—sweat already beaded on her brow. With a couple brutal moves on his part, he could end this fight before it had truly began…but finding out just what Ashayna was capable of might prove more interesting.

  Ashayna came at him again. Their blades met, hilts tangling together. With a grunt he knocked her sword aside. She kept her grip but stumbled, her momentum carried her to the side. She slammed into his wing and crashed to the ground. He spun around to follow her, thinking it a trick. She crouched on the ground, her back turned to him.

  Her voice came to him muffled. “No rules, right?”

  Then in another surprising burst of speed, she turned and tossed something at him. A small cloud of dust and pebbles pelted him in the face before he could shield his eyes. Cursing, he backed away.

  He blinked his watering eyes. The blurry shape of Ashayna lunged forward, sword pointed out ahead of her. Sorntar braced himself and kicked off of the ground while flapping his wings to hold himself aloft. With a swish of snapping flames, her blade’s edge cleaved the air, narrowly missing his feet. He dropped back down to the ground amid a small storm of blue fire, dust, and a few pieces of clipped tail feathers. Anger flowed through his blood. No one had marked him in combat in many seasons, yet this human had—he’d allowed her to maim his tail.

  “Flying is cheating.” A smirk spread across her face. “Sorry about the tail feathers.”

  Sorntar retaliated with a series of slashes and thrusts, driving her back several paces.

  She blocked each of his strikes, but didn’t waste energy on anything fancy. He inclined his head at her show of discipline.

  “Maybe I’ll give you a haircut, human.”

  She rushed him, binding their blades together at the hilt, and took him by surprise when she pushed his blade aside with ease. She slammed her sword hilt into his abdomen. He grunted. His opponent was stronger than a human should have been. When Ashayna came in closer, he inhaled a deep breath, scenting her magic.

  “Using magic to strengthen your assault should also be cheating.” When his remarked gained him a puzzled look, he tried a different tactic. “You’re using magic to make yourself stronger.”

  Her coloring darkened to an angry red. She lunged at him again. Even though she was fast, he was prepared for her and moved faster. He hooked his arm through hers, spun her around until her back was to his front. Reaching forward he closed his hand around her wrist and applied pressure between the bones until she released her weapon with a yowl. Once disarmed, he hoisted her into the air until her feet dangled a hand’s span above the ground.

  The enraged human shouted colorful curses at him—a full half of them he didn’t know the meaning, the rest rather too clear. Her head slammed back into his chest—she’d likely been aiming for his chin, but he was too tall. She twisted in his arms, her legs scrambling for traction. Before she managed to land a painful blow, he tossed her away from him. She stumbled onto her knees, and then flat out on her belly as all breath escaped in a sharp hiss. It was no act this time.

  He turned his back upon her and retrieved his other sword.

  Footfalls coming up behind him warned of Ashayna’s move. She certainly had spunk. He turned his head in time to glimpse her as she threw herself forward, a long bladed dagger aiming for his thigh. Sorntar spun away. Heat from her knuckles caressed his skin. The little human had come far too close that time.

  Well, it was a fight to the first blood and neither of them bled yet. With a shrug he tossed a sword hilt-first to Ashayna. She caught it, a mild look of surprise on her face. Then she grinned, her white teeth flashed at him.

  “That was stupid.”

  “Perhaps, but this is the most enjoyable fight I’ve had in ages.”

  With a snarl
she closed in on him again, so near he could smell sweat mixed with the scented soap she used to clean her hair.

  He used the opening to snap a wing out, catching her in the chest. She wheezed and fell back a step. He followed, his sword tip hovering near hers as they continued to circle. She darted inside his defense, sword thrust at his middle. Sorntar twisted barely in time. The hot edge of her weapon brushed his side in one dangerous line.

  Twice she’d nearly had him. Perhaps he’d been a little too arrogant to fight without armor. “Charming. Trying to impale me or gut me? You do know this is merely a battle to first blood.”

  “You’re fast.” Her voice was strained. “Figured you’d get out of the way…only hoped…to bleed you a little.”

  “Not just yet. Perhaps another time, sweetling.” He’d meant for his words to come out sarcastic, but they lacked a sharp edge. Though, by the way he had to leap out of the way as she renewed her assault, his words still annoyed her. He matched her strike for strike. She was almost a match for him, their blades dancing in a blur of bright steel and blue flame. But as time slipped by, Ashayna began to falter. Her sword arm continued weakening despite her magic.

  “How can you…not…even be breathing hard?” Her voice rasped, yet she still managed to infuse it with a strong note of displeasure.

  “Two hearts and lungs twice the size of yours. Flying requires much strength.”

  “That’s hardly fair,” she grated out between ragged breaths.

  “No. I suppose it isn’t.” Sorntar rolled his shoulders in a shrug.

  “You’re a better fighter. End this while I can still stand.”

  Ashayna let her guard slip. His sword tip neatly sliced a shallow cut along her upper arm. Using his blade’s edge, Sorntar made another cut in his own arm. Then with steady fingers, he brushed his talons along the cut and mixed it with the sample of hers. He held his bloody fingers out to her. She dabbed some of the blood off his talons while giving him a suspicious look.

  To show her there was no bad blood between them, Sorntar raised his talons to his lips and sampled the cooling liquid. Even before the pleasant coppery taste had fully registered to his senses, his Larnkin struck. A surge of magic, powerful like a strong mountain river in spring, caused his wings to tremble as the Larnkin tried to force his way free.

  His Larnkin scented his bondmate. Fear, spurred by the knowledge that the only thing his Larnkin needed to temporarily summon its full strength was to link with Ashayna through the ties of shared blood, helped Sorntar maintain his focus and fight for control.

  With a small fragment of his consciousness not committed to battling his Larnkin, he noted her look of revulsion. It lasted a moment, about as long as it took her to notice his power beginning to crawl up her arm. Her look changed to fear, followed by anger. He attempted to release her and found he did not have control of his hand.

  He poured every bit of his will into breaking his Larnkin’s hold. When it fought, he narrowed his concentration down to a fine point, asserting his will over his obstinate Larnkin. While they remained frozen in silent battle, magic—with no will to guide it—flared uncontrolled along his skin, then his fiery magic dripped to the ground. Ashayna hollered curses and tried to jump out of the power’s reach, but there was no place for her to go. It encircled them both.

  His magic wouldn’t harm her, but by the rising scent of her fear, Ashayna did not know she was safe. Her desperation gave him strength enough to break his Larnkin’s hold. With the magic once more his to command, he reached out and calmed the burning fire.

  His Larnkin still seethed and churned within him, raging that he dared to deny it its bondmate. Sorntar drew in a deep breath and waited. The Larnkin’s emotional bombardment of anger, frustration, and resentment halted, leaving behind a hollow sensation in his mind. The Larnkin drew in upon itself, curling into a knot, taking all warmth of its magic with it. Even after it faded, Sorntar still didn’t relax. Moments crept by. Then he felt it building.

  A wave of agony welled up out of his bones, buckling his knees and dragging a scream from his throat.

  *****

  Sensation slowly crept into Sorntar’s sleep-fogged mind.

  Cold. A world without heat.

  A nameless emptiness churned deep in his core, a ragged hole…a fundamental part of him was missing.

  His mind snapped to full alertness. Alarm hummed in his veins. He tried to move, but both arms were lumps of dead weight. He couldn’t even shift them. The rest of his body was just as unwilling to heed his commands. Something unpleasant had occurred—a great trauma. But what?

  Long moments passed. A shiver sliced through him. Bone-deep cold saturated his body. His head throbbed in time to the pounding of his hearts where they lurched unevenly in his chest. Fear clutched his gut into knots.

  His elemental fire was gone. Its loss left a gaping void in his soul where his Larnkin should have been. Panic seized him. His Larnkin was gone. What could kill a Larnkin?

  He couldn’t survive without it. The cold—was he already dead? Had he passed into the spirit world?

  Before terror got a stronger foothold, a painful tingling started in his chest and worked its way out to his arms and down his legs. Feeling slowly returned in its wake.

  Surely death didn’t hurt. Fragmented memories stirred, returning a bit at a time. The human lands…a rogue Gate…the duel….

  His bondmate…a human bondmate.

  Merciful gods.

  He wasn’t dead.

  The cold, the emptiness…his Larnkin had punished him for his interference. Anger sparked within Sorntar, washing away some of his confusion. What was he supposed to have done? Let the fool of a Larnkin take her then and there in front of all, and burn the camp to the ground during the fiery bonding ceremony?

  He groaned and blinked up at the wooden rafters of an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was he? Woolen blankets covered him in a heavy mound. Their weight added to the sensations of entrapment.

  Was he a prisoner? All too likely if he was within one of the humans’ timber buildings. Sorntar forced his lungs to slow, taking deep calming breaths as he ordered himself to think.

  His Larnkin was no help. It had left him with so little power; if he was to escape, he’d have to do it without magic. Panic still lurked at the edges of his consciousness, but he fought it down. He needed to get free of the humans, find his people.

  Feeling continued to return while he lay and formulated a plan. He had to get mobile, assess the state of his body. Even without his Larnkin, he was still formidable. Escape would be infinitely easier if he was flight worthy. But he couldn’t move his wings yet, not with them trapped under his unresponsive body.

  A warm weight rolled up against him. He grunted in surprise, thoughts scattering when something snuggled closer. Moist breath puffed against his side. No, not something—someone. Very definitely someone. An arm curved across his chest and fingers feathered along his abdomen. Shifting enough to displace the coarse blankets, he peered down at the bed’s other occupant. She stretched out full length against him, her legs entangled with his. Everywhere they touched heat and power flowed into him, the delicious sensation driving away the last of his lethargy.

  She banished the emptiness within him. His opponent, his bondmate—such a strange mix.

  Long dormant instincts guided his arms around her shoulders and waist. He rolled to his side and mantled a wing over them. Lifting his head, he scanned the room.

  If the smell of green wood was any indication, the rather primitive building had recently been constructed. Close-packed, narrow beds lined two walls. A meager light came from a few oil lamps sitting on tables at either end. Even though numerous beds lined the walls, it made sense his people would situate her so close. Best not to anger his already moody Larnkin.

  A compelling pull dragged his gaze back to her.

  “Ashayna.” He rolled the word on his tongue.

  Mild surprise engulfed him. It was already as familiar as his
own name. Her eyelashes fluttered once, but she didn’t awake. Her hair was a mess, mostly unbraided, in need of a good grooming. The pillow beneath her head had left marks upon her pale cheek, a smudge of dirt rested on her nose…still, she was pretty for a human. The memory of her dark eyes, an intense brown with a hint of honey at their iris, flashed across his thoughts. Of their own accord, his fingers found her hair and began grooming tangles out of the thick mass. Ashayna drew a deep breath, mumbling something in her sleep. His eyes dropped to her full lips. Would she welcome her bondmate even while she slept? His magic flared at the thought, escaping his control.

  Swallowing hard, Sorntar cursed his own stupidity. What was he thinking? He’d be more likely to feel the kiss of her knife than her lips yielding to his. He knew finding one’s bondmate caused emotional havoc, but no one had bothered to tell him his brain would abandon all logic, or his body would do as it pleased. Before he could get his magic under control, it flared again. The soft snap of a spell breaking told him his magic had just obliterated one of his people’s weaving.

  He glanced around, surprised. Somehow on his first quick survey of the room, he’d missed the spell that had held the glamour in place. As he watched, a mirrored image of his sleeping bondmate vanished from the bed opposite. Which was bad enough, but then his mind reacted too slowly, and the linked glamour suspended over his own vanished, revealing what was really going on.

  He hadn’t yet gathered his thoughts when the soft scuff of boots against the wood floor disturbed the silence. Five human guards approached, their expressions promising trouble. Two in the lead had their hands resting on sword hilts. Sorntar blinked and three of his bodyguards were blocking his view of the humans. An angry exchange woke his human bondmate, but for the first time since the rising of the sun, he was a full heartbeat ahead of disaster and already in motion. By the time her eyes snapped opened and focused on him, he’d perched himself innocently on another bed.

  Ashayna bolted upright and scrubbed at her eyes. “Where…what happened?” She focused on him and her cheeks colored an interesting shade of pink. Then a couple moments later the becoming blush gave way to anger. “The last thing I remember is you trying to burn me to death.”