Free Within the Hollow Crown by Daniel Antoniazzi Page A

stables.
    From the looks of it, they wouldn’t make it quite that far. Two Royal Guards were already dead. Halmir was stabbing a third one. A fourth charged at Halmir. The other half dozen Guards had dragged the Prince a whole flight ahead of the Turin soldier.
    Halmir had recovered from his Shadow Door Spell enough now to use his most powerful magic. He opened his palm at the incoming Guard. From his hand, a small light shot out, with the speed of an arrow, looking like a candleless flame, striking the Guard mid-charge. The electricity danced over the Royal Soldier, crackling, smoking, burning his life force from his body. And eliciting a scream that would freeze your heart.
    Vye charged in behind Halmir, hoping to catch him off guard. But he was prepared, turning to counter. And they were at it again, like they had never stopped. Neither surprised by the other’s skill level this time, pulling out all the stops. A blur of limbs and steel. The steps made it interesting, but it was almost academic. It changed their tactics. Their options. But not how well matched they were.
    Halmir didn’t have time for this again. It seemed unsportsmanlike, to kill such a fine fighter with magic. He would have to destroy her. He opened his palm and faced Vye. The light enveloped Vye, crackling, lighting her up.
    But that’s all it did.
    Halmir and Vye froze for a second. A long, contemplative second. Vye was sure she was dead, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Halmir agreed, despite the fact Vye had apparently forgotten to fall down.
    Or scream.
    Halmir struck first, trying to seize the advantage in Vye’s hesitation. But her instincts kicked in and she parried him off. What the hell had just happened?
    Halmir was sure there must have been some kind of mistake. A cosmic miscalculation. He pressed in, an aggressive stance, forcing Vye to back up a few steps. Again, he opened his palm, shooting an amped up version of the death spell. Again, the light struck Vye, surging over every inch of her body. She was glowing, radiant, like an Angel of Fury.
    But as far as Vye was concerned, it was just a fun light show. It didn’t even tickle.
    This time, Vye attacked first, catching Halmir while he was still thinking about the spell. Halmir fought her off well enough, but he didn’t have any answers. The spell should have worked. The spell always worked. What the fuck was wrong with this woman? Why wouldn’t she just die, like she was supposed to?
    The Royal Guards had reached the third floor and were racing to the front gates. Halmir couldn’t waste more time here. He charged in again, having learned how to get Vye to back up a few steps. Once he had just enough room, he turned and leapt.
    Again, when Halmir leaps, it’s not just a really good jump. He reached the first floor landing in one hop, then the second floor landing on the next. A full flight ahead of Vye, he took off on foot, conserving his remaining energy for the fight ahead.
    Vye charged up the stairs... And that’s when she finally tripped on her dress .
    “Oh, that just about does it!” she said, standing.
    ---
    The Royal Guards burst through the sally port and dragged the Prince across the courtyard. They scurried for the stables at top speed.
    They were halfway there when Halmir emerged from the sally port. While his prey was running, he just walked. He didn’t need to run. He just needed to open his palm.
    Vye, making a compromise between modesty and practicality, had torn the skirt of the dress, ripping it from seam to waist. It was certainly a fashion statement, but more importantly, it gave her mobility.
    She charged up the three flights of stairs and straight across the third floor main corridor, and out the sally port. By the time she emerged onto the courtyard, the third Royal Guard was dying a horrible death.
    Vye scanned the area. Halmir was walking, with an eerie calm, toward the Prince and the three remaining Guards. The Guards were almost at the