Page 22 of To Kill a King

Elessan brought the pommel of his last blade down on the frozen water encompassing his bicep, again and again. After several heartbeats, the ice shattered, and he threw himself to his knees beside the sentry. He pushed against the wound with all his strength.

“You, mage.” He glared at the girl. “Use your magic, cauterize this before he bleeds out.”

The color drained from her face. She shook her head. “I don’t—I don’t know how.”

He growled, baring his fangs. “Then get over here and do that thing with the ice you just did to me!” Elessan looked at his bicep. His flesh where it had touched was almost white.

That couldn’t be good.

It was a problem to deal with later.

The young woman—she couldn’t be much older than Aliya—knelt on Therolis’ other side. “How?”

He grabbed her hands, pushing them against the bleeding man’s leg, until the blood stopped gushing and only trickled between her fingers. “Apply pressure here. Then, do whatever-it-is you do, and conjure ice, water, or whichever element you want, and cauterize the wound!”

He couldn’t believe he was trying to save a human’s life.

By Abaddon…

Elessan snatched Therolis’ head and held it up to meet his eyes. “Where are the orders? The mage underground? Tell me!”

The man spit.

Elessan wiped the globule of saliva from his cheek.

Therolis relaxed with a sigh, and Elessan dropped his head to the ground.

Valek.

“You monster!”

The woman lunged at him, bloody hands curled like talons, aiming for his eyes. Her unexpected weight bowled him over, and they rolled across the floor.

She grabbed his hair and yanked, pulling his head to the side, exposing his neck.

Her nose cracked under his fist before she could shred his throat.

The girl backed off with a whimper as blood gushed down the lower half of her face. One cheek was already turning black.

Eyes wide, she turned and fled.

To follow her, or not? He poked the white ring of skin around his bicep. The tissue was hard, and cold. She was more dangerous than she seemed. If she ran to the mages, he’d know where they were, but may well end up over his head. An alliance with the sun elves was likely out of the picture, at least for now.

He’d see what he could find here, then.

If the girl decided to fetch the constable, he’d have no more than a few minutes.

Elessan eyed the wheat long enough to confirm that they were as protein-covered as his first impression. Twenty-six bales.

He spun around. Where would they keep important documents? There—by the exit. A cramped office he’d overlooked earlier. It was as promising as anything.

He ran across the room and threw the door open. A small desk with a dusty lantern occupied most of the compact space. Dust swirled at his passing, tickling his nose and making him sneeze.

Flicking the lamp’s hammer back, he released it. The resultant spark lit the wick, casting a golden light through the room. He rifled through the papers piled on top of the table.

Nothing.

He dug through each drawer, not caring about the contents he upended onto the floor.