❛power isn't everything. it's the only thing.❜
[complete]
wattys 2018 winner ❧
Lin is a hunter, one of the magically enhanced witch slayers that roam a flooded world. Under the laws of four Kings and Greymark, who rules them all, Lin is unto...
"I think you will set yourself afire before you realise that even you cannot conquer the sun [...] (I do not believe we shall ever see how old age looks on you. You are breaking my heart.)"
―e.h.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"So, we turn around?" Zeke asked.
Hadrian looked to Raina. She sighed through her nose and swiped at the grime on her face, drawing his eye to the bullet embedded in the metal of her vambrace.
"Alright, I know what to do," she said. She touched Hadrian's shoulder gently. "You clear the rooms with me. Zeke's got our six."
"We're not leaving?" Zeke whispered.
"No."
Hadrian pursed his lips, already going through his list of excuses for when he got out and the humans didn't.
Raina tapped her sword against the side of her boot and started walking.
Magic whispered along the shell of Hadrian's ear, tempting him to swipe at it. Not anywhere near dangerous yet, but it played off the emotions of the prisoners below, making him nervy.
He knew the rooms Raina painstakingly examined were empty. He pretended to make sure that the rooms to the right were empty, while she took the left side. They looked like they used to be work rooms, with tables and chairs and closets.
It was taking too long. Whatever the trap was, they were in more danger the longer they stayed. Hadrian yanked a pair of nails from the wall as he made up his mind, shoving them in his pocket.
He and Raina met in the middle, where Hadrian tapped the tip of his index on her elbow, just enough to catch her attention.
"They're on the lower levels."
"How do you know?"
His head gave a little pound of irritation. "Later."
"What?"
"I will tell you later. Right now, we need to get in and out as soon as possible," he enunciated carefully. Raina's brow furrowed as she scowled.
"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot." She glanced to Zeke, who turned around. He shrugged.
"I mean, he's here for a reason," he said, rather uselessly.
Raina glowered at him, her angular features taking a wrathful cast, much like Lin. "Fine."
Hadrian nodded. His muscles tensed as she stormed past both him and Zeke towards the staircase. If Zeke wanted to say something to him, Hadrian didn't want to hear it. He sped after Raina with stiff strides, a bit quieter than he meant to.
Raina gasped and jumped the last five steps.
The before-last levels were almost completely open in a cargo bay. More likely than not, it was used for large containers before the floods.
