Chains of Silver (Alchemy Empire Book 1)

Chapter 32b

Dedicated to my dear friend CamyTang.

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God help me. I mentally screamed at Dietrich. I snapped my pepper spray from the neckline of my dress and sprayed it at Creston.

He reeled back, shouting, but his cries were lost in the screams from the actors as they played out the kraken scene. 

A scene I was supposed to enter in only a few minutes.

I’m coming, Minx!

Wallace lunged for me. I tried to pepper spray him, but he knocked the canister from my hand. It disappeared into the chaos far below us. 

As I watched it fall, I caught a glimpse of Dietrich, balancing on the wooden half wall surrounding the orchestra pit. He nimbly ran along the narrow ledge onto the stage.

The sight of him filled me with renewed strength.

I pressed the hidden button in my gloves, unsheathing my fingered blades. I clawed at Wallace. Four long slashes opened on his face. They filled quickly with blood. 

He swore at me and reach again for my arm. I shoved him. He hit the guard rail of the catwalk, momentarily off-balance. 

From the corner of my eye, I saw Creston hurtling toward me. 

A sickened dread filled me. I wasn’t going to win.

But if I was going to lose, I’d cause as much damage as I could first. 

This time, I would fight.

I stomped the heel of my boot, releasing three inch spikes through the sole. I threw the hardest kick I could at him. 

It caught him in the thigh. He screamed. 

I yanked hard to pull the embedded spikes out of his flesh. He stumbled back, clutching his injured leg and swearing at me.

Wallace grabbed me around my waist from behind. I flailed. I reached backward and clawed his head. He growled, but didn’t let go. 

I sheathed my claws and grabbed my hairpins. Blindly, I jabbed them into his face. 

He screamed and released me. “Bloody hell!” Frantically, he dug at the burning, corkscrewed pins.

Creston leaped on me, pinning my arms to my side. I struggled and stomped my boots, trying to impale my spikes on his feet. But he managed to stay out of my way. 

Wallace advanced on me, his face bloodied and full of rage. 

It was almost over. I knew that. But I wasn’t going to yield.

Leaning back against Creston, I braced one foot on the railing and kicked with the other one. 

Wallace grabbed my foot. Twisted it. 

Pain shot through me. I cried out.

I lifted the other foot, but I couldn’t cross my body enough to get a good kick in. My skirt tangled around me, and Wallace laughed at my contortions.

Creston let go of me with one arm. I almost fell, and instinctively put my free leg down to regain my balance.

Before I could attack Creston again, he jammed a gloved finger into my mouth.

Like a chalk painting in the rain, the noise, screams, and soaring orchestral music ran together into a muddied blur. 

Minx? Dietrich’s thought sounded far away, thin and muffled. Oh god. Don’t give up. Keep fighting.