Short Excerpts from Hexborn by A.M. Manay
Shiloh broke off an icicle from the tree behind which she’d taken shelter and yanked off her glove with her teeth, then grabbed the ice in her bare hand. With this makeshift wand, she harnessed the power of water to cast a shield of protection around them, one which allowed the curses from Hatch and Perce to pass through unimpeded. The arrows of the Feralfolk, meanwhile, didn’t simply stop dead upon hitting the ward; they turned and sped back toward their points of origin, betraying those who’d loosed them.
Silas threw his head back and fairly cackled in delight when he realized what she’d done, then continued to cast his curses. The rest of the men stood up now that they had no further need to fear incoming projectiles, save Gil who lay bleeding in the road.
***********
Shiloh opened her mouth to scream an alarm and leapt in front of the man just as a curse left his wand. She felt the hex collide with her chest, tossing her well above the railing.
Time seemed to slow. She watched her silk slipper fall from her foot and glide through the air, ribbons trailing behind. Pain spread through her torso as she plummeted toward the aisle dozens of feet below.
Mercifully, she lost consciousness before she met the marble floor.
************
“Where are you taking me?” she asked plainly. “Am I really going to the Academy?”
“Yes,” he answered. “You will be educated with pure-blooded noble children and your fellow mixed-blooded illegitimate offspring. Your power is too great to be managed at a monastery, or else you’d just be tossed into holy orders like most of us. If Brother Edmun was correct in his assessments, you will be one of the greatest sorcerers at court for the rest of your many comfortable days.”
“Because if you're planning to kill me, this is the place I would choose,” she continued, as though he’d said nothing. “It’s pretty here. I'd prefer my bones rest in my own land, close to my Da and Brother Edmun, if it's all the same to the king.”
Silas threw his head back and fairly cackled in delight when he realized what she’d done, then continued to cast his curses. The rest of the men stood up now that they had no further need to fear incoming projectiles, save Gil who lay bleeding in the road.
***********
Shiloh opened her mouth to scream an alarm and leapt in front of the man just as a curse left his wand. She felt the hex collide with her chest, tossing her well above the railing.
Time seemed to slow. She watched her silk slipper fall from her foot and glide through the air, ribbons trailing behind. Pain spread through her torso as she plummeted toward the aisle dozens of feet below.
Mercifully, she lost consciousness before she met the marble floor.
************
“Where are you taking me?” she asked plainly. “Am I really going to the Academy?”
“Yes,” he answered. “You will be educated with pure-blooded noble children and your fellow mixed-blooded illegitimate offspring. Your power is too great to be managed at a monastery, or else you’d just be tossed into holy orders like most of us. If Brother Edmun was correct in his assessments, you will be one of the greatest sorcerers at court for the rest of your many comfortable days.”
“Because if you're planning to kill me, this is the place I would choose,” she continued, as though he’d said nothing. “It’s pretty here. I'd prefer my bones rest in my own land, close to my Da and Brother Edmun, if it's all the same to the king.”
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