She raised her weapon. Sliced downward. Felt her blade find its mark, only to glance away.
With an unworldly growl, he grabbed her wrist. Holding it in steely fingers. Bending her hand backward.
Pain screamed up her arm, the pressure pure agony.
She heard the snap of ligaments and then the brittle pop of her bones breaking as she dropped the falchion.
It clattered against the floor as she screamed.
“Allez en enfer!” she commanded, damning him to hell as she was forced to her knees.
“You go first!”
With his free hand, he picked up her largest amethyst crystal, the one with several polished points, the blessed rock she used for clarity.
For protection.
Its lavender facets sparkled.
She sent up a prayer.
Too late.
With bared teeth and evil gleaming in his eyes, he raised the sacred stone over his black-cloaked head.
“Die, heathen,” he spat, his arm slicing through the air.
She cringed. Turned her head away.
Thud!
The amethyst smashed into the back of her skull.
Pain exploded behind her eyes.
Sheer agony ripped down her spine.
He let go of her wrist, and she fell.
“Now we’ll see who goes to hell,” he said, though his words were a blur, pain throbbing through her brain. She felt the warmth of her blood flowing and matting in her hair.
Suffering, she found her pride. She twisted her neck. Saw his image turn red as blood streamed over her eye. Still, she hurled her last words, damning him. “Je maudis ton âme à tous les niveaux de l’enfer, pour que tu sois damné à jamais.” Then, fighting the black veil of unconsciousness, just so that he understood, she spewed a curse in English. “I condemn your soul to burn in all the fires of hell forever!”
She thought she saw him flinch, just before she caught a glimpseof the knife he withdrew from a pocket. Its blade gleamed as if it were the soul of Satan.
With his lips pulled back in a rictus smile, he inched closer. The point of his knife pricked at her skin.
Thankfully, the gods were kind.
As blood began to flow from her throat, a curtain fell over her eyes.
Chapter 22
He was agitated.
And wounded.
That psycho-pagan bitch had cut him with her ridiculous weapon!