The Blaze Ignites by Nichelle Rae Read Free Book Online

that
no one but The White Warrior would be able to do—but he was still
picking himself up off the floor after my hard punch.
    “Come on!” I shoved Nekinda out in front of
me and we started running.
    “This isn’t over, White Warrior!” I heard
Jonoic scream from the wagon. I heard his heavy boots splash to the
ground as he started running after us. I took Nekinda’s arm,
pushing the poor woman one way then yanking her another until I
felt we’d put some distance between us and him.
    Eventually we stopped and I handed Nekinda
her son. “Here! Take him!” I cried over the rumbling thunder. “Keep
running east and you’ll run into my party. They’ll take care of
you.”
    “What about you?” she asked as she took her
boy. The wind nearly blew all of us over.
    “I’ll be a diversion for you! It’s me he
wants anyway. Now go!” I yelled, shoving her away from me. I took
off in the opposite direction at a brisk run.
    The darkness was a great cover, but it slowed
down my escape. I dodged tree branches and stumbled on roots,
nearly falling on my face every time. Lightning was the only thing
illuminating my path. After a while, I realized I was running
alongside a low stone wall and decided to keep to that. I tripped
on another root, which brought me to one knee painfully. I
scrambled into a run again. Rain lashed at my cheeks. Branches and
twigs clawed at me, I nearly went numb from the pain, unable to
distinguish between the rain and the thorns or twigs.
    I tripped on a root again and this time fell
hard on my face, my cheek smacking the ground. I was about to get
up and keep going when the heel of a heavy boot was driven into the
side of my face. I screamed as he pressed my head down into the
ground.
    I was blinded by horror and couldn’t believe
I hadn’t out run him. My mind began racing. I was not going
to die like this! I was not!
    “You fractured my jaw, you little bitch.”
    “Pity I didn’t break your skull,” I responded
through clenched teeth.
    His boot crushed down on my face harder. I
screamed through my tight teeth. “You are in no position to be
flippant.”
    “And you are in no position to be challenging
me, you bastard.”
    “A bastard, am I?” He stood on my face with
all of his monstrous weight. I couldn’t even scream, only growl
loudly from the pain as I felt and heard my face bones break
under him. He then brought his opposite foot forward, his toe
smashing into my mouth.
    My face exploded in pain. My mouth filled
with blood. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I begged to
pass out. But by the Gods’ hateful, merciless will, I didn’t. I was
awake and alert, feeling this indescribable pain, with his boot
still grinding my face into the ground. I knew my jaw was broken in
multiple places and driven unnaturally deep into the back of my
head.
    My magic!
    No! He was waiting for that! I couldn’t use
my fighting style. I couldn’t even cry from the pain I was in If I
did, he’d have the proof he needed to take to Hathum of who I
was.
    He kicked me in the ribs breaking two of
them, and then again went for my face. Everything went dark for a
moment, but again I was left awake wishing I was dead. My chin was
dust, my was nose shattered, and my entire face was swollen beyond
anything I’d ever felt. I was choking on my own blood. Broken teeth
were cutting my mouth from the inside and I couldn’t breathe.
    No airway was left open. I couldn’t open my
mouth to let the blood dribble out! He was too heavy!
    I struggled as hard as I could with my free
arm, grabbing at his shin and calf, digging my nails into his skin,
anything to get him off me. My head was hot, and my vision was
beginning to blur. I fought on, clawing at him desperately.
    “I tried to make it easy for you!” He
growled. “I used the woman and the boy! You could have just healed
the boy and not gone through this! You’re a fool to give
your life for them!”
    I’m not dead yet! I wanted to say, but
I was