The cut arrived without clear warning. A dark line opened in Sköll's belly, thin at first, as if the skin had yielded from exhaustion. The impact pushed her a step back. It took her an instant to understand what had happened; as soon as pain ignited, she flexed her legs and moved away with a short jump, almost instinctive. Upon landing, she supported one hand on the ground and brought the other to the wound.
Her fingers touched hot skin... and something more.
The area was beginning to blacken from the cut's edge. It wasn't blood. It was something else, a stain advancing like spilled ink under the skin. Sköll gritted her teeth, baring her fangs without realizing. Her breathing became heavier, irregular. The gold surrounding her body vibrated more intensely, as if responding to alarm.
"Tch..."
She didn't waste time complaining. She raised her gaze, seeking her enemy.
Katerina was no longer where she had been a second before.
The air moved to Hati's left.
