She glanced back at Rhys. “Keep going! We’ll handle this lot.”
He nodded once and continued toward the cave.
Jen drew her sword. Edward grinned beside her. “Think this crew will be any tougher than the bunch from this morning?”
“I hope not. I want to finish this and have a real talk with that woman. And where the hell are Talon and Alec?”
Edward shrugged, his already huge shoulders even larger as he poured soul force into them. “Beats me. Maybe they got lost.”
“It’s only a mile and a half to the bridge and there’s a road. How could they get lost?”
Another shrug. The six thugs slid down to the bank and halted about fifteen feet away. They rolled up their sleeves, revealing the black ravens. As one they dragged their thumbnails across the tattoos. Blood welled and the black ink came alive.
Midnight flames danced along their arms. Several threw back their heads and howled, in pain or ecstasy Jen couldn’t say. The black flames reminded her of the dark power that flowed from the gauntlets of the armored attacker.
“Be careful.”
Edward grunted. “Reminds me of those goblins we fought.”
“Yeah, only my brother isn’t here to help us this time.”
“Ha! We can manage without the kid.”
Jen wished she shared his confidence. The battle with the armored man had shown her how strong her opponents could be. If they weren’t careful they might end up dead.
The gang members had gotten themselves under control. Black flames surrounded their hands, ran up their arms, and burned in their eyes.
They pulled short swords from hidden sheaths in their coats. The flames flowed from their hands down the blades.
Jen clenched her sword and drew deep from her core. Soul force flowed, accelerating her perceptions, and strengthening her body. She raced forward at ten times her normal speed.
She swung at the center thug. He leapt back and the two beside him thrust at her sides. Jen spun and slashed, gashing one across the thigh.
The ground shook when Edward’s maul missed its mark and struck the bank. She didn’t dare spare a glance to check on her subordinate. Her original target darted back in, his swords thrusting high and low, fast as rattlesnakes.
But not as fast as lightning. Jen drew more power and vanished. She appeared an instant later behind her opponent and hacked his head off.
The others gave her no chance to celebrate. Three of them attacked her at once. Jen used every trick she knew and all her speed to keep clear of the darting blades.
Damn, they were quick.
Two came in from her left, their blades lunging toward her chest. Jen spun away from them and hammered the right-hand attacker with the side of her blade.
He staggered left, his weapons tangled with one of his partners.
Jen thrust her blade through the first thug’s back and continued on into the second’s chest. Before they died her opponents twisted, yanking the sword from her hands.
Unarmed, Jen retreated before the third man’s furious assault. She wove through rapid-fire thrusts, some missing her by inches.
She needed her sword.
Her opponent knew it too. He kept between her and his dead companions. It was a standoff.
He lunged, swords leading. A length of wood flew down between his legs.
Her opponent stumbled, his swords lowered for an instant. Jen hardened her knuckles and punched him in the side of the head, caving in his skull.
She spun and found Edward standing over the crushed remains of his opponents. He threw her a little wave as if to say see, we didn’t need Damien. She smiled, appreciating the gesture.
Alec landed beside the dead man and collected his staff. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Jen retrieved her sword and cleaned the blade on one of the dead thug’s coats. Talon skidded down to stand beside Edward, the gauntlets still tucked into his belt.
“Where have you two been?” Jen asked.
Talon jerked a thumb toward the bodies. “These guys had friends. We just killed another four of them. Tough bastards. They put up way more of a fight than the bunch from the villa.”
“I noticed.” Jen led the way across the ice at a brisk walk. She wasn’t certain she had enough soul force left to jump it. If the others hadn’t gotten back when they did, the fight might have been a lot closer. “Let’s see if Rhys has her patched up yet.”
Chapter 16
The inside of the bolt hole reminded Jen of a small flat; they’d even brought in a cheap carpet to cover the stone floor. There were two cots against the back wall. The unconscious woman lay on one, a blanket tucked around her. Her burns had healed enough that only white patches of skin remained and those would flake off in short order. Even her nose had grown back. Whatever healing supplies they cached here must have been potent.
A fire burned in a little iron stove in the far corner, a full coal scuttle beside it. The stovepipe went through the side of the cave wall to vent who knew where. Rhys sat on a three-legged stool beside his patient, a half-full coffer of healing potions at his feet.
Jen sat cross-legged beside her cot. “How is she?”
“I rubbed three vials on her burns and she woke up long enough to drink three more. I think she’ll be fine, but I’m no expert. I heard fighting.”
Talon and Edward leaned on either side of the tunnel back to the secret entrance. Alec had drawn guard duty and stood just inside the entrance to make sure no one snuck up on them. Jen had no idea how many members the Unkindness had, but she didn’t plan to take any chances.
“Yeah, the thugs found us. This bunch had a new trick.” She described the black fire. “It made them a damn sight tougher than the last group.”
“Sounds like the goblins,” Rhys said, echoing her earlier thoughts. “How do you suppose they gained access to power like that?”
She shook her head. “You got me. We need
