Chapter 6 · What are you doing?

She struck him across the face with her free hand. His lip split. He tasted blood and ash.

Raven pulled.

The seal screamed.

Light burst between their hands. Seraphina's armor cracked along the wrist, and the command runes across Raven's collar flickered.

For the first time, she looked genuinely alarmed.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking your leverage."

"Stop!"

"Say please."

"I will cut your hand off."

"Still not please."

She twisted, using the pillar to turn her body. Her sword came around in a brutal horizontal cut.

Raven released the seal and dropped.

The blade passed over his head. He swept her legs from under her, and they went down together.

Their bodies hit the stone hard.

The sword landed beside them, but Seraphina caught the hilt first. Raven grabbed her forearm. They rolled, each trying to get on top, each refusing to give the other even an inch.

She drove him onto his back.

He trapped her sword arm against the floor.

Her knee pressed into his thigh. His hand locked around her wrist.