Kael braced himself against the shattered column, forcing the ache in his ribs into the back of his mind. He could still feel the impact from the woman’s spell, the ringing in his ears a reminder that his enemies were unlike any he had faced before. The Mark responded, pressing its own heat into his thoughts, urging him to harness the full extent of its might.

  Across the temple’s wreckage, the knight in dark plate advanced with measured steps, sword held low but ready. Lamplight glinted off the golden eye on his breastplate—an inescapable reminder that he served the Eternal Sovereign himself. Meanwhile, the silver-tattooed woman paced the perimeter like a stalking predator, her eyes locked on Kael, hands flickering with tendrils of twisting shadow. Somewhere in the gloom, the third figure battled with the nameless man, their movements a blur of steel and shadows at the edge of Kael’s vision.

  Kael tightened his grip on his sword hilt. A swirl of dust flickered in the torchlight, and for an instant he felt as though time slowed—his awareness heightened by the Mark’s influence. He saw the micro-expressions in the knight’s face, the intensity in the woman’s eyes, the cracks in the temple floor beneath him.

  “No more stalling,” Kael muttered, voice low.

  The Mark flared.

  He launched forward, his boots kicking up shards of stone. In a single bound, he closed the distance to the knight, swinging his blade in a broad arc aimed at the man’s midsection. Sparks flew as steel met steel; the knight caught the blow with practiced ease, a sneer flickering across his lips.

  “You rely on borrowed power,” the knight hissed. “That Mark will betray you in the end.”

  Kael didn’t bother with a reply. He pivoted, turning his blocked strike into a fluid sidestep, then thrust forward. The knight twisted at the last second, deflecting the blade to the side. A wave of unnatural energy rolled off him, slamming into Kael’s chest like a sledgehammer. Kael stumbled, pain lancing through his torso as he struggled to regain his footing.

  Before he could draw breath, the silver-tattooed woman was upon him. Her fingers flickered in the air—once, twice—and lines of shadow lashed out like whips. Kael spun away, his sword barely slicing through one strand as the second wrapped around his forearm. A frigid numbness seeped into his skin, creeping toward the Mark.

  I won’t be bound.

  The Mark responded with a searing pulse, and the shadow around Kael’s arm dissolved into curling smoke. The woman’s eyes widened a fraction, the swirling tattoos coiling faster along her skin, as if struggling to remain anchored in reality.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  “You dare defy the Sovereign’s edict?” she hissed, stepping back to gather more of her arcane shadows. “Then we will strip you of that stolen power.”

  “Try,” Kael spat, the Mark igniting in his veins.

  He flung out his free hand. A concussive burst tore through the air, sending stones and debris hurtling toward the woman. She vanished behind a swirl of shadow, reappearing an instant later a few paces away, eyes glowing with eerie luminescence. Though unscathed, she looked unsettled by the raw force he wielded.

  Behind them, a flash of steel drew Kael’s attention. The third assailant—silent, lightning-fast—was exchanging rapid blows with the nameless man. Kael caught only flickers: a dagger glinting in the darkness, the nameless man’s cloak sweeping aside as he sidestepped. Each of the stranger’s strikes seemed aimed to kill instantly, yet the nameless man slipped through the assault with deft precision. For a heartbeat, Kael thought he saw the faint outline of a dark Mark upon the man’s wrist, a twin to Kael’s own brand—but the shadows shifted, and the vision was gone.

  “Eyes forward,” the knight snarled.

  Kael had no time to turn. The knight pressed forward with renewed aggression, blade swinging in a rapid overhead strike. Kael raised his sword just in time to block, the force of the impact numbing his arms. Their locked blades sparked, sweat beading on Kael’s brow.

  “You’re no hero,” the knight said, leaning in. “You’re just a vessel for something that will consume you—and all you love.”

  A wave of fury, or fear—Kael couldn’t tell which—ignited within him. The Mark seized that emotion, amplifying it until it thrummed in every nerve. He roared and shoved the knight back, wrenching their crossed blades apart. With a swift flourish, he struck again, pushing the advantage.

  But the silver-tattooed woman intervened, hurling twisting shadow at Kael’s side. Forced to pivot, Kael barely avoided the blow. The darkness scraped along his ribs, biting through fabric into flesh with a glacial sting. He stumbled, curses catching in his throat as blood seeped into his tunic.

  Too many fronts at once.

  He needed an opening, a moment to gather himself—or to let the Mark take full control. Neither option felt promising, but anything less would be certain death.

  His gaze darted around the ruined temple. The hooded woman—his ally—stood at a distant archway, whispering incantations that resonated in the trembling stones. Cracks and crevices traced through the walls, as if preparing to collapse. The nameless man still contended with the silent assassin, a flurry of steel dancing between columns. Kael was left in a vicious stalemate against two formidable foes.

  He ground his teeth. This was not a duel for honor; it was survival. With a ragged breath, Kael surrendered another fragment of himself to the Mark. Energy burned within him, hot and unforgiving, and for a moment, the world blurred. The temple floor undulated like a mirage, and the Mark’s power roared, demanding release.

  In a single heartbeat, Kael channeled that force into a wide sweep of his blade. The arcs of power crackled like chained lightning, colliding with the knight’s blade, the woman’s shadows, and the temple’s crumbling architecture all at once. Dust and debris exploded in every direction, swallowing the battlefield in chaos.

  When the dust began to settle, Kael could barely see beyond a swirling cloud of broken stones and swirling darkness. His breathing was labored, the Mark’s heat pounding behind his eyes like a second heartbeat. He still felt outnumbered—exposed. Yet the sudden break in their onslaught might be the only chance he had to regroup.

  He only hoped the brief reprieve hadn’t come at a cost too high to bear.