by Sarah Hawke
But after another thirty seconds of skirmishing, Kaseya finally got the upper hand. She slammed the corner of her shield into Lenara’s gut, pummeling the air from her lungs and causing her to drop the sword. Kaseya rushed forward and snatched it out of mid-air, twirled it around in her free hand, and then plunged it straight through the Senosi’s bare stomach.
Lenara collapsed almost immediately, her eyes locked in disbelief at the handle of the sword jutting out of her gut. After another second her head slumped backwards and tilted towards the woman who had killed her.
“He doesn’t even know, does he?” Lenara whispered through her blood-splattered lips. “Ayrael…”
Her head slumped to the side as she sank into oblivion. I had no concept of how long I sat there staring at her corpse before I swore under my breath and glanced up to Kaseya.
“Ayrael? Who is that?”
“It is the name of the woman who attempted to kill Hestiah and I back in Vorsalos,” Kaseya said.
I frowned when she didn’t elaborate, and I was half-tempted to activate my ring and probe further. But right now we had bigger problems, and there was another name I was a lot more concerned about.
Valuri is alive. All this time you could have been thinking of a way to rescue her, but instead you gave up. You need to make this right.
I grimaced and let out a long, slow breath. “We have a serious problem. The Senosi don’t normally travel this far outside Vorsalos, but now we’ve seen two of them in as many days. The Inquisitrix is up to something here in Highwind—something big.”
“I assume the Mage’s Guild will want to know what happened to their people and their supplies,” Kaseya said. “Perhaps they will reward us for the information.”
“Maybe,” I murmured. “Either way, we need to get back to the city.”
Kaseya nodded. “And then what?”
“Then you and I are going to find a way to rescue Valuri from the Senosi,” I said. “No matter what it takes.”
Jorem and Kaseya’s adventures will continue in Mark of the Huntress, coming this August!
Also by Sarah Hawke
The Elf Slave Series
Slave to the Empire
Unbound
Unchained
Unbroken
Unleashed
The Spider Queen Collection
Web of the Spider Queen
Slaves of the Spider Queen
Bound to the Spider Queen
Vengeance of the Spider Queen
The Dragon Bride Chronicles
The Dragon Bride
Dirty, Filthy Fantasies
The Priestess’s Gratitude
The Headmistress’s Punishment
The Ranger-General’s Submission
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About the Author
Sarah Hawke is a thirty-something aspiring spinster with two cats, a horse, and a car that is technically capable of moving her from place to place. She loves the cold, hates the heat, and desperately watches anything made by Joss Whedon for fear it will get cancelled.