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Fuck. She was right.
“Lyani! Caspyn!” Together we turned at the shout, the voice filled with fear as Ziah yelled for help, even as he faced a man twice his size.
He lifted his arms, trying to be the warrior that he so wanted to be. He fought, even as the Lightens around him fell with gasps of death, the scent of their blood adding to the drench that was everywhere now.
The man Ziah was trying so hard to fight lifted his sword, the boy could not move fast enough to dodge it. There was no way he could survive.
“Tell me where my weapons are,” I snarled, already rushing to Ziah’s side.
“I don’t know, but I’ll find them. You stop this and I’ll find them,” that time she seemed scared, her feet not as fast as my own as I raced toward the man, my hand wrapping around his bare forearm before he could bring the sword down upon the boy.
“You really don’t want to be doing that,” I snarled, facing the attacker as I let my magic pool and swell, my skin dipping to ice as my eyes did. The man turned to me in fear, the shock on his eyes clear as he recognized me from the tavern, and I him.
My chest swelled at the coming blood, at the darkness inside of me that swelled in anticipation of what was to come.
Goddess. I had missed this.
“I do. For the shame you brought to us I do,” he said and I grinned, watching him wince as my magic flooded him and I tasted that delicious sweet and salt of his life pouring into me.
“Tell me, what color are my eyes?” His eyes widened as he looked, the last of that deep blue shade fading and leaving me with eyes like ice. Ice that I was sure he felt everywhere now.
“Death,” was all he said before my magic tugged, pulling at his life as though it was the only food I had had in an age. In many ways it was, it had been so long since I had taken life. Since I had moved through time.
It was delicious.
His body wrinkled and shriveled as I took everything from him. He cracked and drifted away into nothing but a wall of ash.
Ziah looked at me with something near horror from where he had crouched on the dirt, Lyani encircling him protectively. What I had thought was fear on their face quickly turned to awe.
“You are the light bringer,” Ziah gasped. The boy almost looked like he was about to cry.
“Don’t call me that,” I snarled as I pulled at my stolen time, everything shifting and drifting into shadows as I moved back through time. The slaughtering villagers moved in reverse, Lyani and I running back to the wagon where the tents were being placed.
I walked back slowly, plotting out how to end them all before the battle could even begin. I wouldn’t have time to get my blades, so I needed to be strategic. I followed myself, expecting the shimmer and shift as I rejoined time.
When I reached the wagon, however, the shadows of myself and Lyani had gone.
My heart lumped in my throat as I stared at the change, assuming myself to have lost control of time and ended up in a time that was not my own. I could still feel the man's life thrumming against my magic, however, I hadn’t used it all. I had only used enough to pull me back to this point.
Yet, everything was different.
The wagon still stood where it had moments before; but instead of being piled with tents, they had all been placed to the side, leaving the floor to the wagon bare and a small door in the bottom, open.
There, glistening in the morning light were my blades. Cleaned, polished, waiting.
I turned as time caught up to me, leaving me standing beside the wagon. People still laughed and chattered as they packed camp, the same children played near a far wagon, the same horse whinnied.
Everything was the same, yet the wagon… the tents…
“How in the–”
This couldn’t be. Nothing had ever changed. Not like this.
Heart still in my throat, I turned, staring past the dancing children to Ryndle and Lyani who still stood on the opposite side of the clearing. There was no anger on Lyani’s face this time, even Ryndle’s smile had faded. They both stared with a firm conviction, their gaze near awe as Ryndle nodded once, his jaw tight.
He didn’t break eye contact, even as the screams began.
It was the same sounds as before, the screams of panic and death ringing over everything as I stood there, blades in hand, staring at the leader of Lightens who was focused only on me.
