I didn't move.
Not yet.
My body had already shifted forward—weight leaning, breath tightening, muscles coiling for action—but I forced it still.
Forced everything still.
Think.
There were too many of them.
Four in this room.
More behind that door.
And the children—
too close.
Too exposed.
If I moved wrong—
if I was too fast—
if I lost control—
someone would get hurt.
My jaw tightened.
No.
Not someone.
Them.
I forced my breathing to slow.
In.
Out.
Again.
Count.
Watch.
Plan.
That was how I survived.
That was how I always survived.
My gaze flicked across the room again, sharper this time, breaking everything down into pieces.
The table.
The lantern.
The crates.
The chains.
The men.
Positions.
Distances.
Patterns.
One near the table—leaning, distracted.
One standing—watching the children, bored.
One pacing.
One near the door.
And beyond that—
unknown.
Not ideal.
Not impossible.
I shifted my weight slightly, testing the ground beneath my feet. Stone. Damp. Quiet enough if I stayed careful.
I could take the first two quickly.
Silent.
The third—
maybe.
The fourth would be harder.
Too close to the door.
Too much risk of noise.
My fingers curled slightly.
I could use water.
Pull it from the air.
From the stone.
From the damp beneath us.
Freeze.
Shatter.
Fast.
Controlled.
Clean.
I could see Muir doing it with a flick of his wrist.
But—
I didn't have that kind of control yet.
I swallowed.
Focus.
Think of something else.
I would.
I had to.
"Got a decent haul tonight, don't you think?"
One of the men shifted, rolling his shoulders as he spoke.
"Boss'll be pleased."
"Always is," another replied lazily.
A third snorted. "Doesn't take much."
Laughter.
Low.
Ugly.
My fingers curled tighter.
Not yet.
Wait.
Plan.
The pacing one moved closer to the children.
Too close.
I stilled further, every muscle tightening under my skin.
He crouched slightly, looking them over like they were objects.
Inventory.
My vision sharpened.
Details snapping into place.
A girl.
Small.
Curled in on herself.
Trying to disappear.
He reached toward her.
My breath caught—
No.
Not yet.
Wait.
Hold, a voice murmured softly.
Njord.
Cool.
Steady.
Like water slipping over stone.
You must be certain.
I exhaled slowly.
Yes.
I knew.
I had to be sure.
One wrong move—
"Heh," the man muttered. "This one'll fetch a decent price."
My jaw tightened.
Another voice—
sharper.
Hotter.
Burn them, Kagutsuchi whispered.
They deserve nothing less.
The heat flickered under my skin.
I pushed it down.
Not yet.
Not—
The man grabbed the girl's arm.
She flinched.
Didn't scream.
Didn't fight.
Just—
flinched.
Something inside me twisted.
Hard.
Patience, Njord said again.
Wait for the moment.
The man pulled her closer.
"Boss said to start checking them early tonight," he called over his shoulder.
"Go on then," another man laughed. "Don't keep him waiting."
More laughter.
I stepped forward—
half a step.
Stopped.
Not yet.
Not yet.
The girl stumbled.
Fell to her knees.
The man cursed.
Yanked her up harder.
Too hard.
Too rough.
And then—
Orenda moved.
Fast.
Sudden.
She stepped forward, small hands shoving against the man's arm with more force than I expected.
He staggered half a step, surprised.
The girl slipped from his grip.
Fell back toward the others.
Safe.
For now.
Everything in me went still.
No.
No, no, no—
The man blinked.
Looked down at her.
Confused.
Then—
his expression changed.
Slow.
Ugly.
"What the hell—"
Orenda didn't move.
Didn't step back.
She planted herself in front of the other girl.
Small.
But solid.
Her chin lifted slightly.
Her eyes locked on him.
Unflinching.
Unmoving.
Around her, the other children shrank back further.
But she didn't.
Compared to them—
she looked older.
Not in years.
In presence.
In the way she held herself.
Like she had already seen worse.
Like she had already survived worse.
Because she had.
My chest tightened.
Too tight.
"Got some fight in you, huh?" the man sneered.
He stepped closer.
Orenda didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't look away.
"Think you're brave?" he muttered.
Then—
he struck her.
The sound cracked through the room.
Sharp.
Violent.
My vision flashed red.
She didn't fall.
Didn't stagger.
Didn't even turn her head.
She took it.
Stood there.
And kept looking at him.
My breath hitched.
Something inside me—
fractured.
Not fully.
Not yet.
But it cracked.
The thread pulsed.
Hard.
Loud.
The man laughed.
But it wasn't amused anymore.
It was—
off.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I like this one better."
My stomach dropped.
No.
"You can take her place," he said casually.
My pulse slammed against my ribs.
No.
No, no—
He reached out.
Grabbed her by the hair.
Hard.
My body moved—
Stopped.
Forced still.
Wait, Njord urged.
Not yet—
Orenda fought.
Of course she did.
Kicking.
Twisting.
Scratching at his hand.
Silent.
Always silent.
But fighting with everything she had.
The man snarled, yanking harder.
"Stay still!"
She didn't.
Didn't stop.
Didn't give him anything.
He lost patience.
Of course he did.
Men like him always did.
He threw her.
Hard.
She hit the ground.
Rolled.
And still—
she pushed herself back up.
Still fighting.
Still refusing.
My hands were shaking now.
Subtle.
Barely noticeable.
But there.
The crack inside me spread.
Widened.
Hold, Njord said again, more urgent now.
If you lose control—
"I'm sure you'll feel just as good," the man muttered, stepping toward her again.
Something snapped.
Not cracked.
Not strained.
Snapped.
Clean.
Final.
The world went quiet.
Not the room.
Not the men.
Not the dripping water.
All of that was still there.
But it—
didn't matter anymore.
The voices—
Njord.
Kagutsuchi.
Gone.
Or maybe—
drowned out.
By something else.
Something darker.
Something that didn't ask.
Didn't guide.
Didn't warn.
It simply—
was.
My breath left me slowly.
And when I stepped forward—
I didn't stop.
The first man didn't even see me.
My hand drove forward—
claws shifting as I moved.
They tore through his chest like it was nothing.
Warmth spilled over my skin.
His body jerked once.
Then stilled.
My grip tightened around his heart.
And I squeezed—
until there was no heart left.