Water Magician's Sacrifice

Panic took my breath away from me. It held it strong, leaving my head to spin and my lungs to ache. I sucked in a quick, flustered breath between my teeth.

A sharp crack of breaking bone sent my heart into a spasm. I stared at the man who lay on the ground, blood trickling down the side of his face. His dark hair was clumped with dirt. Relief flooded through me when he moaned.

“Enough!” I barked, my hand gripping the guard who was ready to give another beating. “If he is too damaged, I won’t be able to take his Spyrit.”

The elderly man flinched away from my touch, his fist clenching and unclenching. Blood coated his knuckles and I fought against the disgust in my stomach. He didn’t need to know that I never intended to take it at all, but it was all about making it seem real.

He grabbed onto the chains that bound Blake’s hands together and pulled, dragging Blake’s body along the corridor.

Raena and Po