Chapter ONE - Weebly

from blood!
It was remarkable to him that so few people could
feel this spell, that they could be unaware of the power
rippling through the city lanes. Never had he cast so
many spells in quick succession.
The last conjuring, the warding, continued to tingle
along his skin—a shield that covered his entire body.
He left the narrow lane and strode around the north
corner of Ship Street, intending to call to Diver. Derne
and Sephira be damned. But they were gone. He ran to
where they had been standing and scanned the street
for any sign of them. Nothing.
“Damn!”
And then he was on the ground again, his body
rigid, molten iron in his veins, blades impaling him
through the eyes, a taloned claw raking his heart. He
couldn’t scream or breathe. He couldn’t even curl up
into a ball and die. Torment pinned him to the
cobblestone, obliterating all else.
Except her voice—Anna’s voice—which somehow
managed to reach him through his suffering. “You are a
fool, and you will endure agonies you can scarcely