Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [95]
Drayco was right. They didn’t have swords at their sides but were armed with short metal hand weapons—like the laser guns used by ASSIST troops, only smaller. She weighed up the options and slowly released her grip on her sword, moving her hands away from her sides and up into the air.
What are you doing, Maudi?
There was no time to weave a spell, and her instincts told her not to fight, not yet. I’m going to see what they want first. No need to draw blood.
I’m not so sure.
Call Fynn back for me, can you?
Down, pup! Drayco’s voice was deep and booming. Stay still.
She smiled at Drayco’s clear enjoyment of the command, letting the approaching group think the expression was for them.
Fynn is still, the pup sent back, his mental voice small. Fynn is scared.
It’s all right, little one. We’ll figure this out. She kept the smile on her face. Keep it light and easy, she thought. No threat here. The words calmed her, but her head was spinning.
They stopped several feet in front of her, weapons sheathed, but the man’s hand hovered over his. They stood like people who had spotted something wrong and knew just how to fix it. ‘What’s that?’ he asked, pointing his weapon at Fynn.
Rosette didn’t fully catch the words with their strange accent, but the question was obvious. Fynn understood it too and showed his fangs.
‘Don’t mind him. He’s just a pup,’ she said.
‘State your name and ID.’ The voice came from the woman closest to her. It wasn’t friendly, but the gestures were unmistakable.
‘I am…’ Rosette hesitated as she began to form her reply. Suddenly, she was uncertain how to answer. It felt as if an invisible hand had reached into her mind and pulled the plug, draining out all current and relevant facts. Her sense of self started to disappear. It whirled like water down a pipe, blurring into a stream of colourless recollections, all racing by too quickly to discern before they were sucked away. Her name went first and then her familiar’s, followed by any memory of why she was here or what the young dog was doing at her feet. ‘My name is…’ She rubbed her forehead. ‘I mean, I’m called…’
A second guard stepped forward, a man with a sharp-edged aura. She could see his eyes behind the lenses as they stared at her. Like his face, they were dark and penetrating. He glared unblinkingly, and as her memories disappeared she thought she recognised him for an instant. It was like the tail end of a thought—something that vanished before it made any sense. What was it about him? He was so like someone she knew. She reached out her hands as if to keep from falling. There was a question she wanted to ask, someone to call to for help, but she didn’t know that name either, or where they might be.
Maudi? What’s happening? I can’t see you any more.
What was that voice inside her head? She loved the sound of it, longed for it in some unimaginable way. She couldn’t place why. A word started to form, then vanished before she could shape it. The guard stepped closer. She had to do something—and fast.
‘Hand over your weapon,’ he said, nodding towards her sword. ‘Unless you can produce your ID and permit right now.’
‘Weapon?’
She looked down at her side as if noticing the long black scabbard and ornate hilt for the first time. The guard reached out to grab her, pointing his gun as he did. Instinct took over—a force of nature inside her, violent as a storm.
Of its own volition her right hand drew her sword, a thin blade designed for a single cut that gave no warning. She dropped to one knee and carved the air in a semicircle over her head, taking out the man’s hand weapon and his fingertips with it. He stumbled, clearly not anticipating her response. His face blanched as he snapped back his hand, realisation slowly registering