lily harper 04.5 - the bladesmith by h p mallory Read Free Book Online Page A

again. Donnchadh’s filth immediately surged forward, boiling up from deep inside me. As her ministrations progressed, my own power returned, fortifying me little by little.
    Donnchadh continued to rail against me, his essence at times so threatening, I was merely a hair away from unreining myself. If that were to happen, though, it would signify the end. With Donnchadh at the helm of my body, I could not save Lily. Donnchadh would no doubt rebel against Persephone, and he was strong enough to break the meager chains that held him. After burying himself inside Persephone, he would insist upon his own rule. Lily would be completely lost. He would annihilate everything I had worked so hard for.
    That thought forced me onward, and I continued to defy him with renewed vigor.
    “The wound is clear now,” Persephone announced, her voice breathy.
    “Go oan tae the next,” I barked my response.
    She did not reply, but I felt the blade’s tip digging into my shoulder on my left side. Violently, she ripped me open all the way to my right. The pain was so excruciating, my fingernails sliced into my palms.
    I clung to the hope that it was enough to keep Donnchadh at bay.

 
    SIX
    “How many more must I make?” Persephone demanded, amid bouts of panting. Apparently slicing up my back and squeezing out Donnchadh’s contaminants was exhausting. I had lost count as to how many times she had cut me, but I imagined she must have been close to number nine or ten.
    “Ye moost continue oontil ye make ah coot that doesnae leak Donnchadh’s pestilence,” I responded between gritted teeth.
    For my part, I was fatigued. Between fighting Donnchadh to ensure he was not able to overtake my body and my own weariness and malnutrition, I was beyond weak. The only good news was that Donnchadh’s power was ever decreasing and now his presence felt more like a speck of insubordination rather than a raging inferno.
    I felt Persephone dig the blade into the bottom of the tree tattoo, where the roots met the middle of my lower waist, and I marveled over the sudden numbness that overtook me. I was not certain if the pain was decreasing as Donnchadh’s impurities fled my body or if I was simply growing accustomed to it. Or perhaps I was so weary that my body was not able to feel anything any longer.
    “The laceration I just made produced nothing other than your blood,” Persephone announced, her voice a monotone.
    “Then Ah believe we have our answer as tae whether Ah am cleansed,” I responded.
    “Then I should drink from you now?” she asked as she sidled down the length of my body until we were facing one another again. As I looked into her eyes, it took me a second or two to remind myself that this was not Lily looking back at me.
    “Aye,” I answered with a brief nod as I dropped my attention from her black eyes, suddenly missing what had once been their brilliant emerald. I was then overcome with a sense of foreboding. It seemed to wash over me from my feet up until it overtook my entire being. This was my last chance to save Lily. It was my last chance to ensure that Lily’s essence was not overridden by Persephone. If this failed, I failed, and Lily would be forever lost to me and to herself. I was in no way prepared for such an outcome. Furthermore, I would never be able to forgive myself for not having been the protector to Lily that I should have been.
    “And how should I do that?” Persephone asked, grabbing my attention away from my morose thoughts.
    I held my right arm up as far as the chains would allow me and then rotated it so that my wrist was facing her. “Drink from mah wrist,” I said slowly.
    She did not respond other than to nod briefly before she gripped my wrist with her left hand and held the blade above my veins with her right.
    “Coot deep,” I added, wanting to ensure that she imbibed as much of my blood as she could. I imagined Lily needed all the help she could get, and a mouthful or two of my blood would