My heart recoiled, stabbed by regret. Would I ever see my mother and Ping’er again? Liwei’s face flashed through my mind, and oddly, Wenzhi’s, too. Such scorching pain raced through my veins, swifter now, my breathing turning harsh and ragged. I shut my eyes to block out the horror of being so utterly at his mercy—weaponless, poisoned, and trapped. No, I told myself furiously. I still had my training. I still had my wits.
I still had my magic.
I fought for calm, grinding my jaws until they ached. My power flew into my grasp, a gale surging into the tent and flinging him against the ground. Something fell from his head, his crown of red coral, the branches breaking into shards.
His eyes blazed with shock, then rage. He raised his hand, gleaming with his own magic—but I was relentless, reckless even, as I hurled a stream of enchantments his way—not daring to allow him a chance to retaliate. Wild gusts lashed him, coils of air bound him, bolts of flame singed his skin before they were doused. If I were not incapacitated, rooted to the spot, I might have collapsed from the strain. Never had I fought so, relying on my magic alone. Teacher Daoming’s warning not to drain my energy rang through my head, yet if I stopped I would die. There would be no mercy from him, no second chance. Backed against the tent walls, the governor deflected each blow until sweat poured from his brow and his breathing was as labored as mine. A fierce pride gripped me, that I was no longer the prey he had stalked.
Someone appeared in the entrance. Wenzhi! Covered in blood, sand, and dirt, his face taut with exhaustion, or was it fury? As Governor Renyu staggered to his feet, Wenzhi charged at him—sword slamming against spear. The governor’s mouth worked furiously, uttering words I could not make out. What was he saying? What if Wenzhi fell under his control?
“His pendant!” My cry dissolved into a broken whisper; I had not the strength for more. Fear clutched at me that it was not enough, that he did not hear me. And my bow was too far away, my magic almost drained. My hand throbbed with pain—there all along, yet overshadowed by the agony raging through my body. I glanced down to find the broken shard of arrow still embedded in my palm.
A muffled crash sounded as Wenzhi flung the governor into a shelf. He sprang back up, his pendant gleaming brighter. A chill swept through me that any moment now, he might unleash its power. I could not move, not even to twitch my finger; the venom had incapacitated me entirely. Yet I could not let Wenzhi fall under the governor’s control. Gasping for air, I scraped my energy to form a current of wind—slender, but swift and strong—which tore the arrow shaft from my flesh and hurled it at the governor. It struck his pendant, slamming against the stone. The yellow gem cracked, the light fading from it.
Governor Renyu’s mouth opened in a rage-filled shout, but it was as whispers to my ears. I was afire with pain, numbed to all else. Wenzhi whirled with deadly grace, his foot colliding into the governor’s side. As the governor staggered back, Wenzhi’s blade slashed across his ribs, the pearlescent scales of his armor splintering. The governor’s mouth rounded as a strange expression crossed his face. Was it shock? Disbelief that his enchantment had failed? Whatever it was, I was glad for it—a vicious satisfaction flaring in me.
Governor Renyu was panting, his movements growing more frantic as he flung off Wenzhi’s brutal blows. He was careless now, reeking of desperation. As Wenzhi raised his arm, the governor flung his spear at him—but Wenzhi spun to the other side, plunging his blade smoothly through Governor Renyu’s armor, right through his ribs. He lunged forward, driving his sword deeper until it was buried to the hilt, its tip sliding from the governor’s back, silver coated in crimson. Wenzhi’s face was twisted into a feral expression as he tore his sword free. Blood sprayed in the air as Governor Renyu’s body lurched, a wet wheeze slipping from his mouth as he staggered back. His hand fumbled over his gaping wound as his blood, so much of it, streamed through his fingers. The governor crumpled then, his head slamming against the ground—his eyes rolling up, his limbs twitching, before all went still.
Dead. He was dead. There was no pity in me for him, nor was there joy. Just a bone-deep relief that it was over, that we were alive.
Wenzhi dropped his sword, rushing to me. He gripped my shoulders, his eyes widening at the sight of my injuries. When his lips moved, I strained to listen. “Where are you hurt? Why aren’t you moving?”
Despite the comfort of his touch, a coldness spread over me as though I was buried under a layer of snow. My vision blurred as I gazed up at him, the last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me.