Page 55 of Cut of the Dark Elf's Blade

Nearby, servants are filtering out through the gates while my mother sits, sheltered in a carriage.

That is my cue to go in, and I take a running leap and force my body into the air, over the gates.

The ripple and crackle of the fire is deafening, and the noise is only interrupted by Echo’s shrill barking.

If anyone has touched her, I’ll throw them in the fire and burn them alive. I’ll rip their liver out and feed it to them. I’ll cut their tongue and watch as they choke to death on their own blood, unable to scream.

I have come up with a thousand ways to kill the people who might be hurting Neveah as I head to the gardens.

My heart is thudding erratically in my chest, my breathing is shallow, and I am sweating again as I near the heat of the fire.

My clothing sticks to my skin and my hands are painful from clutching the hilts of my swords against the wounds on my palms all day.

But nothing will stop me from running into that fire now.

Not if Neveah is in there.

25

NEVEAH

Today is another training session with Rhiucra.

We started off with basic sword practice, but today we’re moving on to the longsword. He will also teach me some close combat techniques with the dagger.

I cannot help but wonder how skilled Luocre has to be, for him to be better than Rhiucra at combat and swordsmanship. Because Rhiucra is skilled enough to put me on my back multiple times throughout practice.

I shudder to think what Luocre could do to me with a sword if I let him. Then my face grows warm as I remember exactly what Luocre did to me with a sword just last night.

“Come, let us start!” Rhiucra calls. He seems very impatient today, and every look he throws in my direction is one of annoyance.

What have I done now, to get on his bad side?I wonder to myself as I grab the dagger and walk over to him.

Rhiucra has made a point of not getting too close to me since our last lesson. I am quite sure that Luocre’s appearance was enough to scare Rhiucra away from me.

I didn’t like the fact that my lesson was interrupted by Luocre’s jealousy and obsession, but I can’t help but love his possessiveness.

Now, Rhiucra remains at arm’s length at all times and looks around himself, an anxious look on his face, as if he is waiting for his brother to jump out of the shadows at any second.

“Are we going to get this done?” Now I am feeling annoyance at Rhiucra, and he turns to me, his brow furrowed.

“Sorry,” he murmurs quietly. I cannot help but think that he has slightly more on his mind than just Luocre potentially killing him.

He attacks and I parry, and then I attack and he parries. He does get slightly closer, to show me how to use the dagger at close quarters, but he lets go of me pretty quickly.

We get so lost in the lesson that we don’t even notice that something is going very, very wrong at the main mansion.

The first loud bang is what captures our attention, making Rhiucra jump.

We hear the screams next. Shrill, piercing, keening screams coming from the main mansion.

Has Luocre finally snapped?

I am not ashamed that that is my first thought. He is an assassin, after all.

I know that he left this morning, and I felt almost sad that he didn’t tell me where he was going.

Not that he is obligated to tell you anything,I tell myself fiercely.