The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy) by Charity Santiago Page B
Authors: Charity Santiago
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probably wondering if
she'd lost her mind, jumping off the deck like that, Ashlyn thought wryly- but
seemed to snap out of it at the sound of her voice. Shifting his sword to his
left hand, he ran towards her. Running on the slippery grass proved no
difficulty for the light-footed ninja.
Ashlyn started as a black-clad figure emerged from the
shadows to her left. "Look out!" she exclaimed- spotting the figure’s
ankle-length coat just moments after her words.
It was Drake Lockhart.
Drake had
been throwing all those spells at them? No, there was no way . It
couldn't have been him. As he moved further into the light, Ashlyn realized
that he was dragging someone with him- dead or unconscious, a Toryn ninja,
wearing the trademark green mask. It must have been the man Ashlyn had hit with
her shuriken.
Kou turned, his hand coming up, the sword poised above
his head.
"No!" Ashlyn yelped, digging her heels into
Suki's sides and spurring the horse forward. "Don't!"
The ninja paid her no heed- no surprise, really; in
his mind this was the man who had been trying to kill them both, why should he
spare Drake's life? Drawing his arm back, he threw the sword at the gunslinger.
Anticipating his move already, Ashlyn snatched at her
shuriken, yanking it free of its straps, and tossed it on the downswing. The
two weapons flashed towards each other in the light like rogue comets, but
Ashlyn's aim was low- no no no- and the shuriken merely glanced off the
sword, deterring the larger weapon only inches off-target before planting
itself uselessly in the ground.
The sword gleamed once, twice, seemingly moving in
slow motion as Ashlyn watched it close in on Drake. The red-eyed man had no time
to draw his weapon, but his left arm moved lightning-fast, releasing the
unconscious ninja and coming up to block the machete.
The razor-sharp weapon sliced across the silver glove
with an awful grinding sound. For a horrible moment there was only the repetition
of her own frantic breathing and the sound of Suki's hooves on the grass, and
Ashlyn thought he'd done it, he'd saved himself when she couldn't- but then
there was a sickening wet thud , and Drake lowered his arm, slowly, shock
etched across his features.
The blade was embedded in his shoulder.
" Drake! " Ashlyn shrieked. Her blood
turned to ice in her veins as she watched her friend fall to his knees. She was
off her horse in an instant and running before her feet knew they'd touched
ground.
Kou caught her with an arm around the waist, less than
ten feet from where Drake knelt. "We have to leave," he said, using
his opposite hand to grab Suki's reins.
"We're not going anywhere, you stupid…stupid jerk! "
she screamed, and thrashed against him. " Drake! Look at me!"
She was panicking so badly that even her inherent
fighting skills fled her, and if she'd had any sense she would have realized
that the way she struggled futilely against Kou now was an insult to her ninja
heritage. Her eyes fell on the shuriken, half-buried in the grassy soil just a
few feet away. A heal stane glittered cruelly at her from the weapon‘s
slots.
Drake reached up and pulled the sword from his
shoulder, dropping it into the grass beside him. Then, as if the simple
movement had been too much for him, the gunslinger slumped forward, barely
supporting himself from falling completely with one hand on the ground in front
of him.
Reality began its slow creep into Ashlyn's mind as she
watched Drake, still fighting Kou's insistence on leaving, though her heart
wasn't in it. The wound was not deep- at least not deep enough to kill a
vampire, she hoped- but it was still her fault. Skye would blame the injury on
her, and likely throw her in the airship's holding cells besides.
There was no way she could stay behind now. If she
didn't leave, then there would be no way to prove herself to FLD, ever again.
Kou wisely took advantage of Ashlyn's distractedness
to shove her up onto Suki’s back before jumping up behind her,
she'd lost her mind, jumping off the deck like that, Ashlyn thought wryly- but
seemed to snap out of it at the sound of her voice. Shifting his sword to his
left hand, he ran towards her. Running on the slippery grass proved no
difficulty for the light-footed ninja.
Ashlyn started as a black-clad figure emerged from the
shadows to her left. "Look out!" she exclaimed- spotting the figure’s
ankle-length coat just moments after her words.
It was Drake Lockhart.
Drake had
been throwing all those spells at them? No, there was no way . It
couldn't have been him. As he moved further into the light, Ashlyn realized
that he was dragging someone with him- dead or unconscious, a Toryn ninja,
wearing the trademark green mask. It must have been the man Ashlyn had hit with
her shuriken.
Kou turned, his hand coming up, the sword poised above
his head.
"No!" Ashlyn yelped, digging her heels into
Suki's sides and spurring the horse forward. "Don't!"
The ninja paid her no heed- no surprise, really; in
his mind this was the man who had been trying to kill them both, why should he
spare Drake's life? Drawing his arm back, he threw the sword at the gunslinger.
Anticipating his move already, Ashlyn snatched at her
shuriken, yanking it free of its straps, and tossed it on the downswing. The
two weapons flashed towards each other in the light like rogue comets, but
Ashlyn's aim was low- no no no- and the shuriken merely glanced off the
sword, deterring the larger weapon only inches off-target before planting
itself uselessly in the ground.
The sword gleamed once, twice, seemingly moving in
slow motion as Ashlyn watched it close in on Drake. The red-eyed man had no time
to draw his weapon, but his left arm moved lightning-fast, releasing the
unconscious ninja and coming up to block the machete.
The razor-sharp weapon sliced across the silver glove
with an awful grinding sound. For a horrible moment there was only the repetition
of her own frantic breathing and the sound of Suki's hooves on the grass, and
Ashlyn thought he'd done it, he'd saved himself when she couldn't- but then
there was a sickening wet thud , and Drake lowered his arm, slowly, shock
etched across his features.
The blade was embedded in his shoulder.
" Drake! " Ashlyn shrieked. Her blood
turned to ice in her veins as she watched her friend fall to his knees. She was
off her horse in an instant and running before her feet knew they'd touched
ground.
Kou caught her with an arm around the waist, less than
ten feet from where Drake knelt. "We have to leave," he said, using
his opposite hand to grab Suki's reins.
"We're not going anywhere, you stupid…stupid jerk! "
she screamed, and thrashed against him. " Drake! Look at me!"
She was panicking so badly that even her inherent
fighting skills fled her, and if she'd had any sense she would have realized
that the way she struggled futilely against Kou now was an insult to her ninja
heritage. Her eyes fell on the shuriken, half-buried in the grassy soil just a
few feet away. A heal stane glittered cruelly at her from the weapon‘s
slots.
Drake reached up and pulled the sword from his
shoulder, dropping it into the grass beside him. Then, as if the simple
movement had been too much for him, the gunslinger slumped forward, barely
supporting himself from falling completely with one hand on the ground in front
of him.
Reality began its slow creep into Ashlyn's mind as she
watched Drake, still fighting Kou's insistence on leaving, though her heart
wasn't in it. The wound was not deep- at least not deep enough to kill a
vampire, she hoped- but it was still her fault. Skye would blame the injury on
her, and likely throw her in the airship's holding cells besides.
There was no way she could stay behind now. If she
didn't leave, then there would be no way to prove herself to FLD, ever again.
Kou wisely took advantage of Ashlyn's distractedness
to shove her up onto Suki’s back before jumping up behind her,
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