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Krial was bleeding, weak, as he crawled along the floor.
The dead reflections winked out of existence.
More, I thought. I need more.
Another blink and three reflections fell from the ceiling, landing on the backs of Tus, Annas, and Rarr, stabbing and hacking.
Tus hurled his opponent from his shoulders and bolted toward me.
“Get Trayem!” he bellowed. “Get him and the others go with him!”
I swung a line of reflections up before me, a wall of stabbing knives.
The trouble with having so many reflections was control. They each required attention to maintain. I opted to force them to attack in the same movement. I only expected one to make contact with their targets.
It was a vicious and aggressive attack as the honor guard tore through my reflections one by one. The closer they got to me, the easier it was to hack them down. But I got in a few good blows and slowed their momentum.
Finally, they were upon me.
A last-ditch attempt to end this before it was too late, I hurled a single reflection at Krial, who lay on the floor directly opposite me.
The reflection’s blade was razor-sharp and aimed directly at Krial’s heart.
Krial’s eyes widened but he was ready for the attack and knocked the blow to one side.
The blade sliced into the crook of his shoulder. He seized the reflection with his other hand and pulled him toward his face and breathed him in.
Reaving.
He was Reaving the reflection.
I had never seen it done before. I wasn’t even sure what would happen until I felt that terrible black vortex sucking at my strength from across the room via my reflection.
I was linked to the reflections the same way Krial was linked to the baby, and although I never took damage when one of my reflections did, I felt the tug of his ability as he pulled at me harder and harder.
My body shook and the honor guard peered between me and Krial.
They stood back, letting Krial, our master, devour me.
I cast a hasty look out the window at the shuttlecraft. Its lights were on but it hadn’t taken off yet.
Harper was waiting for me, I realized.
Go, you fool! I wanted to shout but I didn’t have the strength.
My hands lost their youthful vibrance and the flesh grew sunken, the flesh turning thin and pallid. Liver spots formed on the back of my hands and the hair turned grey.
“No…” I said.
It was meant to be a strong cry but it came out a thin whisper.
I attempted to pull the reflection back to me, to cut Krial off, but it was no use. His grip was so tight I couldn’t tear it free.
The life drained from me, normally unnoticed as the hands of the clock ticked by but now it hit me all at once. It was excruciating, my skin writhing in revolt as it aged prematurely.
I raised a hand to cast another reflection at the demon on the other side of the room.
If I focused, if I could concentrate just long enough, I could finish the job while Krial was distracted, attacking him from behind and slit his throat.
