Forged Destiny [Book 5: Ch. 9]

The Illusionist waved a hand in there and suddenly there were three of her. The one in the centre remained standing, smirking at me, while the other two moved to the side, pinning me against the desk and surrounding me on three directions.

Damn it. We hadn't technically faced off against Neo before, so her Skills were unknown. Not sure why I didn't expect them to deal with illusions, though. A braindead moment on my part. All three mimicked one another perfectly, from the cocky smile to the glint of murder in her mismatched eyes. Illusions were just that, so two of them didn't – couldn't – exist. The problem was which of them was real.

I've a third chance of blocking the right one, and even then she's deadly fast so I won't get a chance for a counter-attack. Good odds for her. A little fear trickled through me, swallowed away as I readied Crocea Mors.

Neo moved.

I did, too.

Standing still was going to get me killed so I spun and grabbed the chair by the desk, hurling it at the left-most figure. It passed through and dissipated the girl there, leaving two. Completing the spin, I caught the scroll with my free hand and rolled to the side – directly at the one I knew to be fake. As I passed through it I heard a silent exhale of breath as Neo, both of her, stopped at the desk, clearly irritated.

It gave me the time I needed. I crashed into the door, tore it open and dashed outside. "Help! Intruder!"

—Forged Destiny [Book 5: Ch. 9]