The Rogue Mage

Chapter 7

    Pulling her black hood down over her eyes, Kai reached into her boot and pulled out a dagger. Taking one more second to simultaneously curse God and pray, Kai jumped to her feet and launched herself over the rubble. 

    As soon as her feet hit the ground, Kai flung her dagger toward the Mage wielding the flame. It sunk into his throat, his cry of suprise a gargle. The other two mages whirled on Kai, their backs to Steve. Kai could summon the dagger back into her hand, pulling on the metal in the blade; but to do so would expose her identity. Instead she snapped her fingers, pulling flames out of the air and sending them toward the other mages. Kai's fire burned twice as hot as normal mage fire so within seconds the mage directly in front of her was a pile of ash. 

  Before she had a chance to snap again, the final mage launched himself at her grabbing her wrists as he slammed into her and slammed her to the ground. The air was knocked out of Kai's lungs; her head smashed backward into the concrete. 

  For a few seconds she just lay there, completely helpless and dazed. Only snapping back to reality when she realized that she couldn't breathe. Couldn't breathe becaused the massive mage on top of her had wrapped his meaty hands around her throat. Kai couldn't use her magic like this, so she resorted to clawing at her attackers face. She felt her nails bite into skin, but the pressure around her throat only increased. 

     Kai could go without air for longer than a normal human, except she hadn't had time to use air magic to push more oxygen into her lungs; so her vision was already going spotty. 

    Suddenly, the pressure was gone. Kai blinked several times, her hands going to her throat as she scrambled to her feet. Steve had grabbed her attacker and flung him into a wall. Still wheezing, Kai flicked out a knife.

  "Woah, hold on," Steve held out a restraining hand. "He's unconscious."

  "That's nice," Kai snapped. She couldn't leave the mage here. He'd seen her face, the Mages Association couldn't know she was alive. Her grip tightened on the knife, then logic kicked in. This mage was only a few years older than her, he wouldn't be able to recognize her just by her face. He'd need to have seen her do something a normal mage couldn't do, and he hadn't.

 "Kai, put the knife away."

  Kai sheathed her knife,  "Fine."

   Steve started to walk away, Kai followed, fighting every instinct she had that told her to go knife the mage laying on the ground. Her upper arms had begun to ache, hot pain spreading down over her left shoulder. Old pains, old aches brought about by the unexpected fight. Pain that Kai locked in the back of her mind, trying not to focus on it.

   "Guys!" Clint's voice crackled over the earpiece Kai had jammed into her right ear. "Meet us in the SouthEastern corner. Tony's found something."

   Kai pulled her hood back up over her eyes, hunching her shoulders. She couldn't risk anyone here recognizing her.