Page 126 of Fated In Ruin
Romulus lunged, piercing my shield and slicing his blade across my arm. Pain bloomed, sharp and immediate, and from the metallic taint in my mouth, the weapon had been coated with something toxic.
I spooled up more magic as I retreated, that dark presence brushing past me again, Ravok’s demanding tug redoubling. This was like being trapped between two great evils.
“You never did fight fair, Romulus. Poison? Really?”
“I'm a pragmatist,” he corrected, pressing his advantage to gain a few steps. “You should have come better prepared. You had to know you were walking into a trap.”
This time, I drew real knives, and when we clashed again, metal rang against metal, our movements a deadly dance in the tight corridor, the points of our blades catching on the low ceiling, the walls.
Blood dripped from my wounded arm, each drop sizzling when it hit the ground, as if the very earth rejected it.
“You know what's truly ironic?” Romulus continued, his voice maddeningly calm, despite our violent exchange. “How much little you have changed, Malachi.”
He leaned closer, madness dancing in his eyes. “I know the truth. You came here prepared to die to protect your pathetic humans. But your efforts are in vain. Your little pet will be the Master’s soon enough, and you…will be nothing but a memory.”
His lips curled back. “No, not even a memory. The Master will erase you from her mind, make it so you never even existed. He will make her worship him. He will break your precious little half breed, and she won’t even be aware what’s happening, because she will believe she’s in love. There’s something beautiful, don’t you think, in something so strong becoming a helpless pawn?”
His threats sent rage ripping through me, and I attacked with renewed ferocity, using every bit of my fury to drive Romulus back step by step toward that thrumming portal. One of my daggers found its mark, sinking into his shoulder. He hissed in pain, blood welling around the silver blade.
Red blood.
Not black.Doubt nipped at my memories, along with a sense of wrongness.
“You've gone soft, Malachi,” he growled, wrenching away, leaving my dagger embedded in his flesh. “But you always did care too much.”
“Maybe,” I said, drawing the ancient, specially forged blade with my good hand. “But caring makes me stronger than you will ever be.”
Romulus's eyes widened at the sight of that weapon, recognition dawning on his face. “Cold iron,” he whispered. “Where did you?—”
“I've spent centuries collecting relics, preparing for this moment,” I hissed, advancing on shaky legs. “Did you really think I wouldn't come prepared to end Ravok? Cold iron will work just as well on you, I think.”
For the first time, I saw genuine fear in Romulus's eyes. Cold iron was legendary among our kind—some said even Caine was nearly killed with a spelled metal dagger. The razor-edge of my blade, forged from a mixture of copper and iron, gleamed with a soft silvery light.
“I was saving this for Ravok, but my blade is thirsty for your blood, Romulus. I am ending this tonight, do you understand? I had no wish to kill you, but you’ve given me no choice.”
“He trusted you,” Romulus said, backing away, eyes sparking with fear. “When he made you, he saw a strength worth preserving. And this is how you repay him?”
“He made me a monster against my will,” I bellowed, a chemical sourness coating the inside of my mouth.The poison. “But I choose what kind of monster I will be.”
Behind Romulus, the pool's surface broke suddenly, writhing like the water had come alive. The chamber shook, dust and small stones raining down.
“You're too late,” Romulus grinned, blood staining his teeth. “The gateway is opening.”
He never even saw me move.
One moment I was five feet away, the next, I plunged the iron blade through his heart, the sudden impact ripping up my arm, my bones rattling from the death blow, or maybe from the poison coursing through my veins.
Romulus stared down in shock at the ornate handle protruding from his sternum—black as night, spelled to inflict death on an immortal being. Nothing could stop this now; his fate was sealed.
“I'm sorry, Rom.” The apology was dragged up my dry throat, forced over my numb lips. “I swear, I never wanted to hurt you, all those years ago. I was only trying to save you.”
“I believe that, I do.”
I caught him before he hit the floor, lowering him to the cold stones, leaving the knife in place. I would retrieve it when he was gone, and would not feel any more pain.
“You. Should. Have. Let. Me. Die.” Romulus's voice turned thready, lower pitched…wrong.
His hand gripped my arm. “And you are too late. She is already here.” His eyes—green, not gray—shifted to the ceiling. “She came for you, but she will leave with Ravok, and there is nothing you can do to stop this.”
