The sorceress took a step forward, smiling at him. “You really should have stayed behind. You won’t want to see this.”
She took another step, and she began to swirl power away from her. It darted outward toward the others, forcing Imogen to move quickly to block that magic. The end of her blade moved in a blur, faster than Gavin was even able to keep up with. For a moment, he could only watch, his training immediately making him judge her skill and question how he might fare matched up against someone like Imogen.
He’d mastered many different fighting styles and was an incredibly skilled sword fighter, but seeing Imogen swinging the blade like she did suggested that she was not just a skilled sword fighter but something even more than that. She was a master.
He focused on the way the sorceress tried to trap him. The energy around him swept up from the ground. Gavin kicked, but his feet didn’t move. There had to be another way that he could get free, another technique he could try. His mind tore through the various strategies he knew. He might be able to uncurl his body to find the necessary energy to loosen the hold on him. He twisted in place, trying to free his feet, but wasn’t able to.
Jessica gasped.
Gavin took a deep breath, focusing on what was holding him, and then kicked. It was the only thing that he could think of doing. He thought he might be able to loosen the barrier around him, but it was going to take a different approach.
He tried again, twisting once more. As he did, he could feel energy within him. He pointed the sword down at the ground and traced it around. Whatever the sorceress was doing to him seemed to be emanating from the ground itself. If he could somehow find a way to pull free of that, then he could get out of this. He continued to turn, bringing the sword around him in a steady circle. When he pushed power out from him, he felt the resistance around him change. He kicked again. The resistance eased.
Gavin twisted to the side, and he brought the sword through. On a whim, he pulled it between his legs, bracing himself for the possibility that he might cut through his own flesh, but he didn’t. He was free.
He rolled toward the sorceress and swept the sword, carving through the vines of green energy she sent away from her. The first attack sliced through them. She tried to fight him, but Gavin held out, using everything in his power to resist the way her vines attempted to entangle him.
Imogen darted forward, and whipped her narrow blade around in a series of arcs. The sorceress turned to her, moving her hand in a pattern.
Imogen was thrown back.
Gavin continued carving through the magic she held, and then it faded. The sorceress stumbled before turning her attention to him in full. The power coming from her was an enormous surge of energy. He braced himself, gripping the hilt in both hands. The curved blade absorbed most the power, sending it off on either side.
She glared at him.
When the power was gone, Gavin rolled forward, swinging his feet in a twisting motion in the Hoshon style of fighting.
The sudden shift was enough. He caught her, sending her flying backward. Gavin shifted through the movements. He turned to the side, bringing the sword up and swinging it down, but the strange winding vines of power wrapped around his wrists and arms, holding him in place.
She got up and reached for his sword, but Imogen ran forward and jammed her narrow blade into the woman’s belly. The vines withdrew, retreating backward and disappearing.
Gavin brought the sword back around, preparing to attack, but there was no need. She’d released him. He positioned himself to the side, ready for her power to unleash at him again, but it didn’t. Instead, the ground shifted once more.
“You’re going to regret angering the Maker of Chains,” she said.
Gavin braced himself, prepared for whatever energy she might draw out of the ground. If she used that against him again, he wasn’t sure if he’d have enough strength to carve through it quickly enough. So far, he’d gotten lucky.
A wave of darkness swept up from the ground, consuming her. It collapsed, and nothing remained. She’d disappeared.
He breathed out slowly, looking at the spot where she’d been. He glanced over at Jessica, her eyes wide, panic within them. Alex had a calmness about her, an emptiness.
What else had she seen?
“Come on,” he said, motioning to the others. “It’s time for us to get out of here.”
“What did she do?” Jessica whispered.
“I don’t know. She’s a sorcerer, and one of considerable power.”
“I thought the Dragon was protected.”
“There’s only so much that can be done to protect against a truly powerful sorcerer,” Gavin said.
He grabbed Alex, and it was a wonder the young girl didn’t resist. She went along with Gavin, and Imogen helped lead Jessica out of the room, down the stairs, and into the main part of the tavern.
Gaspar stood and stared, saying nothing.
The tavern was empty. Everything was in disarray. Tables were turned on their sides, and Jessica worked quickly through the tavern, tipping them back up and placing the benches and stools where they belonged. A few bloodstains pooled on the ground, though not so many that they couldn’t be scrubbed up. The air hung with a strange odor, a mixture of sweat, blood, and something he couldn’t quite place.
“What was that?” Jessica asked, taking a seat at a table. “Who was that?”
Imogen went to the kitchen and brought back a mug of ale, which she placed in front of Jessica.
Gavin shook his head. “As far as I know, she was the one who hired us, but I thought she wanted us to find him—her,” he said, nodding to Alex. “Now,
