Anya Bast: Witch Heart

The tromp of heavy boots met her ears. Kai wasn't far behind. There were too many trees and bushes in here, though. Kai didn't have a clear shot at her. Although having an Atrika chasing her made her heart beat so fast that she feared she'd have a heart attack and save everyone the trouble of extracting the elium. It would just die with her.

She nearly tripped as a possibility rose in her mind. Maybe she had an ace up her sleeve after all. It wasn't one she actually wanted to play… but she could bluff.

Exerting all the physical energy she had left, Claire increased her speed, jumping over bushes and streams until she had a lead on him. Once she'd reached her destination, the open area at the front of the conservatory where there was a fountain and several benches, she hid behind a tree and readied herself.

She wasn't going to use just any magick on Kai, not even her newfound, ever-so-powerful almost-demon magick. She was going to wield the elium, using her magick as the delivery method. The two powers within her could finally find accord, could finally work together.

And it would mean Kai's end, hopefully.

"You want the elium so bad, Kai?" she murmured as the Atrika approached. "Here you go."

As Kai emerged from the trees, she drew four threads of elemental power and tapped the elium at the same time. Using her magick to shield herself and Adam, whom she knew was close behind Kai, she directed the demon weapon at the Atrika squarely.

It was a gamble. Not only was it a gamble, it was the magickal equivalent of a triple midair twist with a flip and she wasn't working with a net.

The elium exploded out of her and threw her backward to land painfully on the gravel-strewn walkway. Her breath woofed out of her and all she could do was lie there for a moment, looking up at the glass ceiling of the conservatory.

NO SOUND MET HER EARS. NO DEMONIC BELLOWING, no Atrikan battle cry. No scraping. No footsteps. Not surprisingly, no birds sang in the trees. Only the gentle noise of the burbling fountain to her left filled the air.

She struggled to sit up, crying out at the pain in the center of her chest. Daggers of it shot through her at every movement and her right arm was numb. Her power was tapped. She'd drained it to the dregs in that one powerful, complicated burst. Claire hoped it had been worth it.

Footfalls on the gravel.

Adam ran to her side. "Are you all right, Claire? Gods, what were you thinking?"

"I'm fine," she wheezed. "Tapped my magick and injured myself, but I'm mostly okay." She swallowed hard and she struggled to stand, her palms pressing into the gravel. "What about Kai?" Her gaze sought the Atrika .

Kai lay motionless about twelve feet from them. Adam walked toward him.

"Adam, no, wait," she wheezed. She tried to follow and her knees almost gave out. She managed to grab the granite lip of the fountain with her good arm before she collapsed.

Adam approached Kai warily, sword drawn. He knelt and pressed his fingers to his neck. Then he called at her, "Do demons have a pulses in their throats like we do?"

She nodded, unable to raise her voice to answer.

Adam rose and gave her a look of incredulity. "Well, this one doesn't have one."

Shock rippled through her. "I killed him?" she half-whispered, half-mouthed.

"I think so."

"Oh, Houses," she said, her voice going stronger. She'd never in her wildest dreams believed she'd have enough power to take down an Atrika .

The doors behind them opened. Adam looked behind her, his expression of surprise closing back down into anger and protectiveness.

Claire turned. Rue and Tevan spilled into the conservatory, both bleeding acidic blood, both reeking of battle and demon magick. Tevan looked at the body on the floor behind Claire and sniffed the air, probably scenting Kai's death.

Rue stopped in his tracks and stared at Claire with utter shock on his face… which almost immediately turned to pride.

"Elium," rasped Tevan. "You used it."

"Second time is the charm," she said in her trashed-out voice. "This time I knew how to use it. Kai is dead." She didn't sound triumphant, only matter-of-fact. Claire didn't relish taking anyone's life, not even Kai's.

Tevan stared at her for a long moment. His eyes, already red, grew darker. Then he began to shake with absolute rage. "An aeamon killed Kai li Taelium? " he roared. "Impossible."

Rue threw his head back and laughed.

Tevan roared and then raised his hand to launch another assault on Rue.

Claire pulled her ace. This had to stop and it had to stop now. The blade slid free easily from the sheath attached to the waistband of her jeans. It didn't press so easily to her throat, but she forced it to go there anyway. She pushed hard enough to draw blood. It trickled hot and slow down her skin.

"Tevan, throw that power and I'll slit my own throat. Then no one will have the elium. It will wither and die as I do." Her voice was surprisingly strong and sure.

Both Tevan and Rue looked at her in surprise. It was nice to know she had the ability to stun the Cae of the Ytrayi and a military commander of the Atrika into silence.

"I will have the elium!" Tevan roared and rushed her.

Claire gasped at the sight of the Atrika in full murderous rage coming straight at her and took several steps backward, groping instinctively for her nonexistent stores of magick.

Rue shot a bolt of power at Tevan's back as he approached Claire. The back of the Atrika arched and he stumbled forward. At the same time, Adam stepped up and swung his sword in a wide, perfectly executed arc, cleanly taking Tevan's head from his neck. Fire arced along with the blade, likely from Adam's emotion. Tevan's head sailed into the foliage with a spray of acidic blood. Claire dove to the ground to avoid it, but some lightly dappled her clothes, smoking.

Quiet. No sound but her breathing.

Claire's entire body shook. Knowing she still had Rue to deal with, she pushed herself back to her feet when all she wanted was to crawl into Adam's arms.

Adam stood where he had before, breathing heavy and looking surprised as hell. The sword dangled at his side, smoking with demon blood. Tevan's head lay on the ground not far away. She jerked her gaze away from the grisly sight of his severed head and body.

Hand shaking, she put the dagger back to her throat and cast her gaze to Rue.

"Claire, put the knife down," said Adam in a taming-a-wild-animal voice.

"You won't do it." Rue lowered his hand and took a step toward her. "I know you, Claire. I raised you. You would never take your own life."

She held up a hand. "Stop right there." She pressed the blade in a little further. More blood welled. "You're not in a position to make any sort of prediction about what I might do. You don't know me. Rue, not really. I was your servant, your property on Eudae. That was no real relationship, nothing that truly provided a way for either of us to truly know each other."

Rue frowned. He actually looked concerned. "Please stop this immediately, Claire."

"I'm sick of being fought over like I'm some juicy bone all the dogs want. I hold the elium and I can take it away from you in a heartbeat if I choose. Maybe it would be better if the elium didn't exist at all. If the elium didn't exist, there would be nothing for the Atrika to covet, nothing for them to use against the Ytrayi and the other demon breeds. I could rid the universe, both of them, of this weapon right now. Consider it arms control."

Alarm passed over Rue's face. "No, Claire. The Atrika are working on developing their own elium. If you kill yourself and destroy it, we will be weaponless when they eventually achieve their end. We'll have nothing to balance against their threat and we'll be annihilated." Rue visibly tried to relax his body. "We are your people. Don't condemn us all to die."