Pain, said Obloquy and China cried out, her knees buckling beneath her. She fell, turned to watch Obloquy climb the stairs after her, his eyes narrowed. More pain. More pain than you’ve ever felt. China tried to scream, but her body was seizing up, her muscles contracting. Obloquy was in the loft now, coming closer, closer, and when he was within range China clutched her head with both hands, her fingers digging through her hair to press against the tattoo on her scalp.
Her thoughts turned jagged. Grew thorns. Spikes. Obloquy grunted. Tried pulling away. His thoughts caught on her thoughts. Caught on the spikes. Spikes ripped him. Tore him. China jabbed. Slashed. Obloquy flailed. Panicked. China’s thorns spread, piercing, then retracted, pulling.
China blinked and sat up. Obloquy stood over her, swaying slightly, his face slack. She got to her feet, wincing as a headache began to pound behind her eyes. She tried to hurry away, but her legs were like lead. She’d only had to use that sigil once before. The after-effects had been similar. A few minutes. That’s all she needed. Just a few minutes and her strength would return.