I tightened my grip on the sword Veronica had given me, my palms slick with sweat and trembling slightly as if the weight of the blade itself was testing me. My heart pounded so hard in my chest that it almost drowned out the sound of my own breath with every beat hammering like war drums as I stared down Elise.
Then—suddenly—light flickered at my side. My instincts screamed at me louder than words ever could. I ducked, just in time, as a silver thread sliced through the air, cutting exactly where my head had been a mere heartbeat earlier. The sharpness of the wire left a hiss in the wind, like death whispering past my ear.
Another string followed, this one faster, sharper and merciless. It came straight for me, aiming to carve me down without hesitation.
