❛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 don't know about birds, nor about the history of fire. But I think my solitude should have wings."
―Alejandra Pizarnik
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Hadrian crouched at the door, leaning his head against the frame and listening to Cortez's heartbeat from across the hall. He hadn't left Hadrian's side since Lin left – possibly hoping to expand on their fragile relationship. He sighed and flexed his fingers. He knew he was approaching the age where he'd have to change tactics, but romance was far from his strong suit.
The energy of the Citadel's magic felt chaotic across his skin, pulling in all the wrong ways. He closed his eyes against the visions it gave him and reached out over it. It obeyed him--of course it did--and the air in the hall stilled enough to dim any noise he made.
He pushed the door open and slipped out.
Cortez was passed out on a chair, his sword slipping from his grasp. Hadrian's thumb twitched and the blade lowered soundlessly to the ground.
He could have lowered Cortez's blood pressure to deepen the sleep, but there was a tiny thrill at the prospect of a time crunch. Hadrian closed the door behind himself and strolled down the hall, timing his steps to the cycle of guards.
Hadrian changed his stance, his stride, pushed his hair back and plastered a Lin-like scowl on his face as he made his way down the levels of the Citadel.
Nobody looked at him twice.
He folded the shadows around himself as he walked, bending light as quietly as he could. Pain raced up and down his spine in fast strokes, the Citadel's corrupted magic resisting him. He hissed out a breath and ducked into the deepest, darkest levels of the Citadel. The corrupted magic gave way to the fresh freedom of the sea. He cut through a rusted-over door and smiled at the smell of the sea washing over him.
He closed it behind him, muffling the sound, and descended once again. Shabina hadn't dared send guards this deep underground. The gentle splash of water greeted him like an old friend. A more familiar touch of power rushed over him as the sea's magic washed the gold dust from his mind, clearing it for the first time in days.
The lowest level was ankle-deep in reddish seawater, lapping at the crumbling concrete.
He knelt in the water and dipped his fingers in it, shushing under his breath. "I know it's been a while, it's okay, I'm fine."
Magic curled around his hand, climbing his wrist and tugging insistently. He couldn't tell if that was magic itself or someone calling to him through it. He liked to think it was the magic. The prickle of energy soothed the coil of tension Lin had been stoking in his chest, but he couldn't enjoy it for much longer.
Hadrian sighed and stood, searching for the deepest part of the water. It read his intention and the surface stilled around him, magic humming in anticipation.
