“Are you alright?” Ella asked me in confusion, not yet aware that she’d just been restored.
“I am now,” I replied, hiding my tears as I buried my face against her shoulder.
With Ella revived, my awareness returned to me, and I pulled away from her to make sure there weren’t any other casualties that required my attention. Unfortunately, there was one more, and my heart ached to see that it was Rhia who’d once again fallen in my service. Her killer’s sword was still lodged in the poor woman’s chest, running her body through right up to the weapon’s hilt.
“She sacrificed herself to save the rest of us,” Karina somberly informed me as I knelt beside Rhia’s still form. “That Deathless was tearing through us until Rhia ran herself onto the bitch’s sword. We’d all be dead if it wasn’t for her.”
It should have been obvious to me that it was a Deathless who’d been responsible for such mayhem—only the power of one of those accursed pieces of shit was capable of such destruction. Although my rage began to burn inside me, for once I was able to master it, at least for a time, and I gently slid the blade from Rhia’s chest before restoring her to life again.
“You really do have to be more careful, sergeant,” I spoke to her warmly when I saw the light return to Rhia’s eyes.
“I don’t fear death anymore, Empress,” she replied without any trace of the disorientation that was so common among the newly revived. “It can only take me when you allow it to, and when that time comes, I’ll be ready for it.”
Although her clarity startled me, she was right; I wouldn’t let a single one of my guardians fall if I had any say in the matter. But after helping Rhia back to her feet, I turned my attention to the Deathless who’d taken both Ella and Rhia’s lives, only to be intercepted by Saibra on my way.
“Before you begin, there’s something you should know,” Saibra paid no heed to her torn and blood-spattered armor as she spoke to me. “She’s better than me with her blades. For all the wounds she gave me, I was only able to nick her a couple of times, even after she’d lost one of her swords to Rhia. Without the corruption of my blades, she’d have killed us all.”
“Does she require any healing?” I cast a disgusted glance at the figure on the ground. “I need her alive… for now.”
“No,” Saibra replied calmly, as if nothing at all were amiss. “I knew that you’d want to… talk with her, so once we had her bound, I used my crystals to halt the corruption.”
Very Insleí-like, I thought, feeling no need to hold onto the fiction of Saibra any longer, at least within the confines of my own head—she’d healed the prisoner while ignoring her own wounds.
Few had seen me interrogate one of the Deathless before and I intended to keep things that way, but after killing Ella, their Commander, not to mention Rhia, I felt the need to let the rest of my guards witness a little something of what this Deathless was going to experience. While I wouldn’t allow them to taint themselves with acts of vengeance, I wanted them to know that the woman’s crimes were not going to go unpunished.
“All of you, over there,” I gestured towards the only exit that would permit the Deathless to escape before laying a pair of traps over the other doorways.
Despite their obvious confusion over my orders, my guardians complied, forming a barrier between the Deathless and any chance she had of freedom. With her escape cut off, I removed my own weapons and placed them in the pockets of The Forest Cloak before giving the Artifact over to Líann for safekeeping.
“Don’t,” she whispered softly, reading my intentions quite clearly. “This one’s too dangerous.”
“She doesn’t know what dangerous is,” I glared back at Líann, touched by her concern, yet also somewhat irritated by her lack of faith in me.
Still, she made a good point; although I thought I knew something about the abilities of this Deathless, I had no idea what I was up against. So before starting, I Compelled a single answer from her.
“What level are you?” I asked as I knelt beside her bound form.
“Forty-eight,” she seethed as I forced her response.
Although that made her quite powerful in comparison to many others, she was still well below my level—far enough for me to have no fear over proceeding with what I planned.
I placed my knee in the center of her back, pinning the prisoner to the ground as I sliced through the thick ropes that bound her. When the last strand was cut, I passed the blade back to Líann and faced off against the Deathless, who sneered at me derisively.
“This won’t end the way you think it will,” she taunted me, and the tone of her threat was obvious.
“Oh, I’m certain one of us is in for a very big surprise… Aish.”
She startled upon hearing her name, but Aimee’s description had made identifying the Deathless relatively easy for me once I’d seen her face. I gave her no time to recover and added to her discomfort by allowing my vision to flare with its green light as I closed in on her. Aish lashed out at me with a lightning-fast jab, but I ducked beneath her first strike and kicked back at her in return, slamming the heel of my boot against the side of her thigh. I felt her leg give way as the wet snap of breaking bone echoed through the chamber, and she fell to the ground, clutching her shattered limb as she cried out in pain. Although our fight was over almost before it started, I wasn’t quite finished with Aish yet.
“You killed two women I care about,” I whispered as I took hold of her arm, twisting it forcefully until her elbow faced me.
Aish whimpered pathetically during the half-second it took before I rammed my fist into her joint, smashing her elbow and folding her arm back onto itself. Her ear-splitting shrieks of pain ripped through the air, and I kicked her in the gut as I stood up, just to knock the wind out of her body and put an end to the noise.
“Heal her, but don’t set her bones,” I commanded, though only Insleí and Líann met my gaze. “Hold her still and let them fuse just as they are.”
It was a small and very petty gesture, but if the measure I’d taken of Aish during our brief fight was correct, it was something I thought might pay big dividends when I questioned her in the morning.
Karina locked the Deathless up in a set of Khelduin manacles, and several others held Aish’s broken limbs in place while healing crystals were crushed against her skin. When she was fully healed, her limbs remained locked in their contorted positions, frozen in place when the healing magic could not restore the shattered bone and ruined joint to their normal states. I watched without pity as Aish’s battered form was dragged downstairs to the cells far below, and although I was grateful that she hadn’t caused any permanent harm, that fact wouldn’t spare her from my wrath.
“That was foolish of you, my love,” Líann whispered while she replaced the Quiver on my back and draped The Forest Cloak over my shoulders.
“Maybe,” I took her hand in mine as we began walking back towards our quarters. “But it was necessary.”
With Aish captured, that left only three Deathless still at large, and they needed to know that there would be a heavy price to be paid if they chose to stand against me or hurt any of my people. Although it was widely known that I’d killed the Deathless that we’d captured, this time I would let word of Aish’s suffering spread as well. If the Deathless were paying as close attention to my actions as I thought they were, they’d soon know just how much torment one of them would be in for should they dare to confront me. Once we were back in our room, Líann quickly stripped off her gear and got right back in bed, but I only removed my Cloak and set my Quiver aside before explaining my intentions to her.
“I need to go check on Ella,” I told Líann. “Resurrection can have unpredictable effects on people. I have to know that she’s alright.”
“If you think that’s wise…” she left her implication hanging in the air.
Líann had no reservations over letting anyone know about my relationships with my Tári—at least not on a personal level, but she
did have rather large concerns regarding how it might undermine my rule. While many sovereigns had lovers and mistresses, those things were kept out of the public eye, such indiscretions were only tolerated so long as they were kept private—that was just the morality of the land.
“No one will see me go to her,” I smirked as I cast Merge and melded into the shadows.
I hadn’t told her about the new Spell I’d acquired during my leveling-up the night before—partly due to how hectic things had been since then and partly so I could see her reaction at just this moment. Líann stared blankly at the spot where I’d been standing just a second before, and I took a few steps to the side before canceling the magic—reemerging suddenly as the shadows withdrew their concealment from me.
“I can travel quite far this way,” Líann jerked in surprise at my sudden reappearance. “Well, far enough at least.”
“The magic of invisibility has been lost since before the Forgotten Times,” Líann gasped, mistakenly perceiving my Spell for something else entirely.
“It’s not quite that,” I sat down beside her, suddenly feeling a bit sorry for misleading her. “The Spell allows me to walk within the shadows.”
“I’m not sure how that’s any different,” Líann replied, reaching out to touch me as she spoke, seemingly just to make sure I was really there.
She had a point—if no one could actually see me, what was the real difference?
“Well,” I decided to ignore the issue for the time being. “I shouldn’t be gone too long. I just need enough time to make sure she’s fine.”
“Yes, of course,” Líann’s hushed tone still conveyed her sense of awe at my discovery of the magic.
The way Líann looked at me—as if I was some supernatural being or something—made me extremely uncomfortable, and I quickly recast Merge to escape the increasingly awkward moment. I spared just one quick glance back as I left the room, only to see Líann silently mouthing a few words while she sat gazing at the spot where I’d vanished.
As I traveled through the dimly lit corridors towards Ella’s chambers I did my best to remain quiet; it would do me little good to pass unseen only to arouse suspicion with a series of unexplained noises. Only after passing a number of guards—far more than had been on watch just a short while before—was I able to reach Ella’s room. Once I’d slipped around the frame of the wooden door, I canceled the Spell and stepped out of the shadows and into the soft candlelight that illuminated the small room.
“I came to see how you’re doing,” I spoke to her as I took the last few steps before sitting beside Ella on the edge of the bed.
“You’re getting more dangerous all the time,” Ella took a moment to recover before commenting dryly as I sat down.
“In more ways than one,” I smiled back at her as picked up on Ella’s meaning right away. Aside from its obvious offensive potential, Merge gave me the means to cause untold mischief with my Tári—but that wasn’t my purpose at the moment.
“Are you feeling better?” I asked Ella as I quickly looked her over.
“I was a bit shaky for a while, but I’m alright now,” she replied honestly.
“I’m so glad to hear that,” I couldn’t help but smile again as my concerns were finally eased. It was uncommon, but some people responded poorly to being resurrected. Unlike the brief period of confusion that usually followed, these poor souls fell into a deep state of despair from which they never recovered—often ending with them taking their lives. Ella sensed my relief and rested her head on my shoulder as she took hold of my hand.
Although I’d accomplished my purpose by ensuring that Ella was fully recovered after her ordeal, I stayed with her for a while talking about small matters. Even though she was well, I was reluctant to leave her. Ella was the first real friend I’d made in this world, and the thought of almost losing her tore me up inside. Eventually, I pulled myself away from Ella and cast Merge, vanishing into the shadows before I did something unwise. Not that either of us would have regretted anything—it just wasn’t the right time or place for that. Especially with Líann awaiting my return.
When I slipped inside my chambers and came out of Merge, Líann was already laying down in bed. I quickly cast off my gear and joined her, resting myself beside her warm body and wrapping my arms around Líann’s narrow waist. The night’s events left me feeling exhausted, but before I could close my eyes, I felt Líann’s smooth skin shifting beneath my arm as she turned towards me.
“Who are you?” The sight of her tear-streaked face startled me when Líann spoke.
Her real question obviously wasn’t who I was, but rather what I was. I’d already discovered that I was a Sintári before we’d first met, and since then, Líann had told me about her visions of me, and I’d even seen those visions for myself as well. My power had only grown afterwards—significantly. Not only that, but Nentai had stepped forward to name me as her daughter. Although Líann seemed to take all of that in stride, apparently my discovery of the long-forgotten magic of the Merge Spell was just too much, marking me as potentially something even more than she’d ever considered before. Líann’s question reminded me of a similar conversation I’d had with Tási when she’d thought my growing status might cause me to abandon her, so I tried my best to quell the fears that I suspected she was harboring.
“You know who I am,” I replied as I reached up to gently wipe away the tracks that marred her face. “And more importantly, you know how I feel about you. Nothing will ever change that.”
“Just tell me that I’m enough for you,” Líann’s pleading words tugged at my heart, and she quickly glanced away as soon as she’d said them.
“I know things can be overwhelming at times,” I caressed Líann’s cheek as I gently turned her face back towards me. “But you never need to doubt how much I love you.”
Líann gazed into my eyes for a moment, searching in them for the truth of my words before wrapping her arms around me. I returned her embrace as we laid together for a while, holding her close while running my fingers through her soft blond hair. Before long, I heard her snoring softly and felt Líann’s warm breath against my neck when she fell asleep in my arms.
I stayed up a while longer, pondering the distress my newest talent had caused Líann, and for the first time in a while, I wondered just how much more there was for me to discover about myself. After Nentai told me of my origins, I’d thought that would be the end of it, yet I couldn’t help but feel that there was still more lurking in the shadows. It wasn’t something that I found very comforting, and it was quite a while before I was able to banish those thoughts from my mind and finally drift off to sleep again.
12
I awoke in the morning and chose to focus my attention on a problem that I could actually do something about—Aish. If my impression of her was correct, the Deathless bitch was probably still whining in her cell far below me, and I intended to not only make her pay for what she’d done but also wring any information I could from her before I had Emilda end her worthless existence.
Just like the previous morning, Líann was still sleeping when I got up, and I decided to let her rest again. But as I quietly slipped outside, I vowed to spend more time with her later, both to reassure her and because I truly wanted to. Líann was far too important to me, and I loved her too much to allow even a shred of doubt to take root in her mind.
I skipped breakfast and headed straight for the prison cells beneath the keep. My protectors followed the entire way, only leaving me when I ordered them to remain behind at the jail’s guard station. While I sent one of them to go find Emilda, I went ahead alone to Aish’s cell. When the guard station was finally out of sight, I cast Merge once more and slipped inside her cell.
I stood hidden in the shadows for a while and watched the Deathless as she slept. Aish’s mangled arm was still bent backwards on itself, and the outline of her leg jutted at odd angles where the bones had knitted themselves together without being properly set in place.
She’d obviously slept very little, and her pillow was still wet with tears—she’d clearly cried herself to sleep, making me confident that my quick assessment of her the night before was correct.
Aish was nothing but a fucking bully, but once I’d taken away the advantages she’d relied upon to oppress others, she’d immediately crumbled and been reduced to tears. Without her Deathless abilities, she was nothing; even worse than nothing—she was a weak coward, helpless and easily frightened. Aish was the worst kind of bully there was; one who clearly understood how terrifying it was to be victimized, yet still chose to persecute others rather than help them.
I dismissed Merge and woke her up with a swift kick—not too hard, but not exactly gentle either. Aish shot up and glared around angrily for just a second, clearly looking to exact revenge on whoever had dared to wake her so rudely before she remembered where she was. Her anger quickly melted into despair before she tried to conceal it beneath a mask of indifference, but she’d already lost the game.
She’d been provided with a cot to sleep on, and I cast See Truth before I sat down beside her. Although she tried to hide it, I caught the look of fear in Aish’s eyes when I took my place next to her, and I smiled broadly at her as I leaned against the stone wall behind us.
“You’re going to die today,” I didn’t bother to conceal the truth from her. “There’s nothing you can do prevent that. But it is up to you to decide just how much you’re going to suffer before that happens.”
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