Chapter 597: Stop Holding Back
Fable released his aura, the force of it blasting back the clouds of residual mana. My breath caught in my throat as his eyes locked onto me, a predatory glint turning them to molten gold. His lip curled back in a feral snarl, and I squeaked as he pounced. I threw myself to the side, clutching my staff to my chest.
A whisper of rustling silk brushed my ear a heartbeat before steel flashed over my head, narrowly missing my horns. A black-gloved hand shot out of the shadows, groping empty air where my neck had just been.
My vision filled with silver as Fable blurred above me, a whirlwind of claws and fury colliding with the shadows from where the hand had come. The force of his passage brought fierce winds in his wake, sending me sprawling to the ground. I curled up and flattened myself against the ground, covering my face with my arms, my heart hammering against my ribs.
A flurry of snarls and a choked scream pierced the chaos, then a sickening thud vibrated through the ground beside my head. I flinched, every muscle screaming at me to run, but a morbid curiosity forced me to peek between my fingers.
My stomach lurched. A mangled corpse lay sprawled beside me, his empty eyes staring into mine. Fable’s claws had left deep, bloody furrows across his chest, and his throat was torn open, splattering the cobblestones with blood and flesh. A silver dagger, glowing with enchantments specialized in piercing wards, lay clutched in his limp fingers.
My fingers flew to my throat, tracing the chill of the phantom blade from my vision. That was the third time fate had played its hand early.
The inquisitors stared, frozen, as the mangled corpse tumbled from Fable’s blood-stained maw. The High Inquisitor took an unsteady step forward, her grip tightening on her spear until her gauntlets creaked in protest.
"Rou failed?" Her voice was a ragged whisper, her other hand flying to her chest, steadying her breath. "But, his stealth..." She shook her head, gritting her teeth. "Damn it all. I’m going to kill that beast myself. And I want that girl in chains by the time I’m done."
A fresh wave of spells erupted around us, a chaotic storm of light and magic. I knelt motionless, paralyzed, my hands shaking uncontrollably as I stared at the corpse. This wasn’t a warrior or a mage, but a thief, just like Dyson had been. I hadn’t even considered the church might have someone like this, someone capable of slipping past my defenses like Jessia had.