Snippet #2554649

It had been a few months since a demon had been able to get a leg up on her. Eilin couldn't say she was particularly happy to break that streak. When one wrong move could end her life, there was no room for error. Seeing Sverre, however, had distracted her, throwing her off her game. And now, she found herself trying to draw a breath as she was held against the remains of the brick wall by a scout out of all things. Twenty seconds and it would be over.

Fifteen...

Ten...

Sverre's voice broke into her silent count-down. She was only vaguely aware of him picking up her knife. Though the next moment, the demon holding her gave a yowl. His grip loosened and he let her go, staggering backwards and away. With the sudden loss of support, Eilin fell, catching herself on one knee and both of her hands as she gasped in a deep breath. Her lungs burned from loss of oxygen, yet that breath felt wonderful. Coughing, she lifted a hand to her neck and looked up at Sverre's voice to figure out what was happening.

The demon was pulling her knife out of his side, his eyes burning with fury. He made to lunge at Sverre but missed by a ridiculously large margin. He stumbled, caught his footing, and shook his head as if to clear it.

"Nightshade," Eilin spoke quietly. Her voice felt somewhat hoarse, though there was a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips as she watched the demon's futility. There was no going back for him. Slowly, she pushed herself back up, ignoring the pain blooming across the back of her head. She could rest and recover later.

"Witch!" the demon growled. This time he honed in on her, though this attempt was as hopeless as the first. He stumbled, crashed into the wall beside Eilin, and only made to grab for her after she already had a chance to move out of the way. Eilin, for her part, managed to get clear of the wall rather quickly. Still catching her breath, she found her way around Sverre and to her spear, pulling it free from the ground. She spun the weapon around, aiming the blade toward the demon as he clawed at his own arm where the knife had sliced him first. As some of the skin came into view from under torn fabric, it revealed a growing black spot that was snaking its way through the creature's veins. Soon they appeared on his neck as he strained, tried to push himself off the wall, and this time fell in a heap on the ground. Eilin couldn't quite say she felt pity for him. If anything, she looked slightly disgusted. He struggled for another solid minute and finally fell still.

Following the demon's collapse, silence fell across the area. The snow had stopped for the moment and only a light wind swept through the desolate village. Eilin's breathing was still somewhat heavy, yet she was regaining control of it little by little. That was one down. She tore her gaze away from the still form, letting it flicker over to the side to catch sight of Sverre. Seeing him was still shocking and confusing to her all at once. She would have believed him to be a shape-shifter if it were not for his mannerisms and tone of voice. And he had just helped her... If she could label it as help, considering that she had already taken care of the danger for all intents and purposes.

Slowly, Eilin straightened up, returning the spear into a vertical position as she slammed it back into the ground. The sharp end of it sank through the snow and into the wet earth, securing the weapon. Her gaze had turned distrustful. For a moment it betrayed her intention. She moved from her spot suddenly, two quick steps closing the distance between them. The moment she was within arm's reach, she pulled one of her smaller knives on him, lunging at his throat with it. The blade did not cut through skin, however, as she stopped it just short. Instead, it rested against his neck, acting as a single threat. Her fingers tightened around the hilt, unwavering.

"Unless you have a wish to join him, you will answer some questions. Lie to me, and I will kill you," Eilin hissed. "Who is your pack and how close are they?" she listed off the first. Considering into the equation that Sverre had just killed the scout, she doubted they were from the same pack. Which meant that there were two near-by. It was dangerous enough to be near one pack of demons. This part of the land was about to become a war zone if two separate parties came too close to one another. It would not bode well for any human that happened to get in their way.

Even more importantly... Any pack that Sverre was a part of was likely to be the one directly responsible for the destruction of her own home all those years ago. She wasn't going to let any of them get away this time.