Forcing Fate by M. A. Frick

Author:M. A. Frick [Frick, M. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Amazon: B0CH2JVQJD
Goodreads: 198339784
Publisher: Independent Publisher
Published: 2023-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

That night, I made use of my new blades.

The door rattled not long after ‘lights out’. Even though I was ready for them, my stomach roiled with dread. Faint light trickled in from the crack as the door rammed into the cot.

Pale fingers curled around the wood.

“Go away!” I hissed.

Someone shoved against the door with a grunt. Their hushed whispers drifted from the other side, but I couldn’t make them out.

“This is your last warning!” I growled through a tight throat, but somehow managed to keep my voice steady.

I gripped my bandit breaker. The handle felt warm and snug in my grasp, almost as if it was made for me—for this task.

“Come now, kitten.”

Victyr.

Bile crept up my throat. He reached inside, far enough that his wrist breached the door, grasping for the cot’s frame. My heart raced, thumping hard enough to bruise my ribs. Darkness spun around me as fear flooded my veins. I slid closer to that exploring hand, with its long fingers groping the air. I took a deep, steadying breath, clutching the blade’s hilt.

His reach hovered right above the frame. If he moved the cot, they would storm into my room. They would attack me—hurt me.

I had to hurt them first.

I slashed the bandit breaker in a sloppy arc, catching his palm. His shrill cry cut short as he jerked his hand from the doorway. I leapt forward, slamming it closed. Crawling to press my ear against the door, I heard quiet curses and hurried footsteps receding from my room.

“Oi! Keep it down, or it will be latrine duty for the lot of us!” Another soldier growled from nearby.

I forced my heaving breaths to slow, listening for anyone else. I pressed my lips together, hoping that was the only slicing I’d need to do to deter them. Victyr had it out for me, and that he would be so bold to attack me in a crowded bunkhouse made me anxious.

I eased away from the door and wiped my blade on the corner of my blanket, mindful of the sharp edge. Only a few chimes had passed, and it had already been worth the gold I paid. Sheathing it, I laid back on my cot, clutching it to my chest. I dozed in and out of sleep throughout the night. It wasn’t a good sleep, but it was far better than the night before.

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