Violet bolted out the door as the ground beneath her rocked again. She didn’t know what had caused the larger explosion and she didn’t care. If she was right, then the man in that room was far worse than anything happening below.
She sprinted past the last storeroom she’d been in when the sound of footsteps thundered up the corridor toward her.
Damn it. I’ve been locked down.
She rushed past the stairwell that led to the lower levels of the Hall and veered toward the steps that climbed higher instead. The back of the building flashed into her mind balconies, and beyond them a tree line that bled into the woods.
If she was getting out of here alive, that was her only path.
Wheez.
Wheeez!
Bam!
Aether bolts and bullets tore past her head.
She had already slipped her coat into her storage ring—less to snag on something, and less to be recognized if a search began. Thoughts collided in her mind as she drove herself upward, past another floor, heading straight for the balconies.
She drew one of her revolvers.
Just in case.
If someone blocked her path, she wouldn’t hesitate.
Luckily, the upper levels were nearly empty and she was faster. Training with Maerith hadn’t only involved runes and theory. It had meant brutal hours of relentless physical conditioning. Stamina. Speed. Endurance. Far beyond most especially for a runesmaster who understood enhancement gear.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t worn any today.
Something she now regretted.
Even so, she was outpacing them. The shots behind her grew fewer as more of her pursuers fell back.
She burst through the balcony doors, firing once to shatter the lock without breaking stride. Cold air hit her face as she stepped out.
Without slowing, she jumped then twisted midair to face the direction she’d come from. Using one hand against the railing and letting gravity pull her, she pivoted down toward the balcony below. She landed on its edge, barely steadying herself before dropping again.
Shots cracked through the air.
She didn’t hesitate darting through the glass doors of the lower balcony, sprinting across the room, and out into the corridor. She cut through another chamber at the end of the floor, pushing deeper into the building’s maze as she continued her escape.
Soon Violet had descended several floors and was nearing the last four. As she rounded the staircase, she broke into another sprint toward the balconies.
She ran through the hall
And from the opposite end emerged a red-haired young man, disheveled and panting. The moment he saw her—more likely her silhouette—he reacted.
A fireball launched from his hand straight at her head.
It moved at incomprehensible speed.
There was no time to process surprise.
Her hand shot out on instinct, practiced and precise. The bracelet around her wrist flared gold, and a glowing barrier materialized in front of her.
The fireball struck.
She didn’t wait to see the aftermath.
Violet slammed through a nearby door and sprinted across the room toward the window. Without breaking stride, she leapt through it, glass shattering around her.
Mid-fall, she pulled out a cloth etched with runic writing. It ignited with light the moment she fed it aether, slowing her descent as she dropped.
The moment her boots touched the ground, Violet broke into a sprint.
She didn’t look back.
Not until she reached the tree line.
Just as she crossed into its cover, another explosion tore through the air—far larger than the ones before. The force of it rolled outward, and smoke billowed upward in thick waves.
She glanced over her shoulder.
Red and blue flames roared from the upper levels of the Hall, twisting together as they devoured stone and timber alike.
Then she saw him.
A figure hurtling through the air to her right
No.
Falling.
Fast.
The redhead.
Violet didn’t slow.
She turned forward again and ran, pushing past the first stretch of trees and deeper into their cover until the Hall disappeared from sight.
