The Amulet Of Nicmir (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 1)

Chapter 11

"He what?" Nyle exclaimed. Lillian ignored him, too overwhelmed to even breathe. She just stared at the paper in her hands in disbelief, her hand shaking.

Nyle pulled the letter from her fingers, but she didn't move, her hand still anchored in her hair. In her peripheral vision, she half-registered his expression as he read, and the tightening of his jaw.

The words that hurt the most rang in her mind. They weren't her father's words, but Philip's, from a letter previously sent. Dad, I ask you not to tell Lillian, not because I don't trust her, but because I don't wish her to think ill of me for wedding the daughter of our enemy. I know her, and she'd kill me if she knew. Tell her I love her, but please, nothing more.

Nyle looked up from the letter, sympathy in his dark eyes. Lillian disregarded him completely, giving in to the grief and anger that blazed in her heart.

With a strangled, angry cry, she threw her fist into the thick trunk of a tree beside her with all the strength she possessed. She both felt and heard something crack, and white-hot pain shot through her hand like needles. But she welcomed it, relishing in the sweet relief of physical agony. Her heart thumped wildly, and her breath was quick, flowing through clenched teeth. Drawing back, she swung again, but a strong hand snatched her wrist, stopping her momentum.

"Lillian!" Nyle's eyes were wide, urgent. She drove a deadly look into him. Before he could say another word, she twisted her hand so that she was the one holding his wrist.

Slamming him against the tree and leaning in close, she snarled, "Leave me be, or I'll snap your neck." He set his jaw, and a flash of hurt crossed his expression. It was gone like lightning, but Lillian felt a twinge of regret. But only a twinge.

"Spar with me?" he breathed. The words caught her completely by surprise.

"What?" she hissed.

"You're angry, Lil," he said, "and you need to let it out. Fight me." It wasn't a question this time, it was a command, and one that she was more than ready to obey. Her fists itched, her limbs buzzed with furious energy, and she wanted nothing more than to beat something into pulp. The aching bones in her injured hand were forgotten in an instant.

Releasing him, she backed away and slid into stance, her whole body on fire. He rolled his wrist and copied her movements, holding his arms and positioning his feet defensively.

Good, Lillian thought. He'll need all the defense he can get.

"Don't you dare hold back," he warned, his voice low.

Without answering, she shot at him, a streak of black rage. He caught her fist and twisted it, wrenching her arm and pinning it behind her, between them.

"Good." His breath tickled her ear as he spoke. Letting go, he pushed her forward. She whirled to face him, her eyes flashing like green fire in the darkness. "Again."

With a hissed breath, she lunged with a curved strike aimed at his abdomen. He blocked fiercely, and in her unguarded moment, landed a solid, dizzying blow to her side. She gasped and backed away, doubled over, biting her tongue against the pain. A coppery taste filled her mouth; blood. Nyle made no further movement while she stood there, recovering her breath and glaring up at him, but she caught a look in his eyes that shook her to the very core.

This wasn't just about her. His eyes mirrored her anger and pain in perfect likeness; he was as shattered as she was. Maybe in a different way, but it was still there.

She straightened and recovered her stance. Calming her breathing, she let her consciousness slide into the still, terrifying sea of fire she knew and loved, the place she went to whenever she fought.