Panic coursed through me. My heart pounded in my chest.
The man held me forcefully against him. He placed a hand over my mouth and the other around me, pinning my arms at my sides. I struggled but could barely move against his strength. I kicked out behind me, in front of me to no avail.
I tried to turn around to see the man who held me but it was useless.
"Stay still, little girl." His voice was like sandpaper. It was coarse like it hadn't been used in years.
I screamed against his hand making him laugh. I tried to bite him but he only laughed louder.
Someone emerged from the darkness of the balcony. It looked like she just finished running a marathon. Her taught green skin glistened with sweat in the moonlight and she placed her hands on her knees. Her dark hair stuck to the sweat on her hairline. She smiled at me as she caught her breath.
She wasn't from the party. She was dressed in clothes similar to what I would wear during training. She looked like she was ready for battle with gloves and boots.
"It took you long enough," the woman panted. "I was willing to wait for you to fall asleep but this will do."
She reached for her belt at her side and unsheathed a long dagger. It glinted in the light of the room that poured in from behind us. I stared in horror at the sight of it.
I went into a panic. I kicked, screamed, fought and sobbed against his hand as I watched her step towards me.
A sudden banging was heard from behind us and the woman cursed.
She coughed into the crook of her elbow as she approached. "They know we're here. We'll just have to do this the hard way." Her eyes darted to the man behind me. "Hold her still."
She gripped the dagger in her hand tightly and looked at me. I watched as she gathered her strength and began to drive it into the dagger in her hand, stepping forward toward me.
I shut my eyes tightly. When I opened them again I had spectered behind the woman - and saw the dagger that was meant for me cut through the air and hit the man the held me in place previously.
The woman cried out in disbelief as she dug the dagger into the man's ribs.
The man's eyes widened in fear as the woman clung to him. He slowly fell to the floor.
"No," she cried. "No, no, no."
The man's grey skin seemed to wane and fade to white as he watched her.
I couldn't shake the fear in his eyes as he watched the woman.
She turned to me, her black eyes wild. "Save him."
I stepped back until the railing of the balcony stopped me. I gripped the stone behind me and shook my head. "I don't even know how."
Another loud bang came from the doors in the room followed by voices screaming.
She moved to me again, this time the dagger she'd use before flew to her hand. The man's black blood dripped from it as she pointed at me with it. "Then I'll just take what I need to save him."
She lunged.
I placed a shaking hand out in front of me and threw up a barrier before she could reach me. She couldn't move past it despite the effort she was putting into trying to bring it down. She ran up against it, banged on it with her fists and open-palmed hands.
I could feel everything around me all at once.
Fury. Unbridled hot white fury from the woman seemed to suffocate me.
