A Tale of Revenge Ch. 08

Her foot met one of the long metal pipes used to make bigger pieces. It was held by two stands used for support by the glass blower. It was too long and heavy for a man to use as a weapon, but not for her. Anna swept her foot under the pipe and kicked it into the air in front of her. As it rose she dropped the blades and grasped the metal pipe at its thinner end. She spun around, swinging the pipe out towards the group in front of her, aiming beneath their raised swords, and swung it as if she were chopping at a tree. She released it and watched as it flew into their guts, felling them all in a single blow.

She turned, scooping up her blades as the two at her back came at her again. She was still rising as they came down on her and she struggled to block their attacks. Finally one of them landed a blow on her arm, cutting into her right shoulder as she twisted away from the blade, saving herself from the worst of the damage. She moved back into the attack when a cool awareness of someone approaching her from behind trickled through her battle focused mind. She lashed out at the closer guard, forcing him back and then she spun to face whoever was sneaking up behind her.

The violence of her movements came to a complete halt as something snapped around her neck. Once again she found herself staring into the intense eyes of the northerner, but the force of his gaze was much more powerful this close. Her knife was lodged in his side; she hadn't realized how close he was when she turned. He didn't seem to register the pain. How did he get so close without her hearing him? Anna's frantic mind denied the heaviness she felt in her limbs, the weight of the metal around her neck. His hands were still at the base of her neck, holding a collar he had managed to close around her even as she moved. The room was painfully still as the sound of the locking mechanism on the collar clicked into place.

A painful flash of power radiated through her body from the metal at her neck. Anna's skin went numb as an icy sensation moved outwards from the metal. The weapons fell from her hands and her muscles seized in pain. Tiny daggers seemed to push into her skin from all directions, aiming directly at the fire in her center. Her head felt as though something was gripping it, pressing in on her skull until she felt as if it would crack under the pressure. Her limbs locked as this strange magic flowed through her veins and wreaked havoc on her ability to direct her body. Her eyes were wide and she felt tears start to slide down her cheeks. Agony shot through her, worsening every moment but she couldn't move or even voice the pain. The man was still standing in front of her, looking intently into her face as the magic in the collar did its work.

The spell worked its way through her and finally settled in an icy sphere around her power, containing it despite her magic's attempts to burn away the invader. The foreign magic left her limbs and her head to reinforce the barrier and Anna felt her body give way. She crumpled on the floor at the northerner's feet, the pain now only a dull ache at her center and a terrible weakness throughout her body. Her bloody knife clanked on the floor next to her head but she didn't have the strength to reach for it. The northerner's face came into view again as he checked her state. Without a word he brought down the pommel of his sword to her temple and she knew no more.

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