Blinding pain bloomed behind Bastion’s eyes.It took him far too long to shake it off, every nerve buzzing with the anticipation of another attack.When it didn’t come, dread lanced him as his vision finally cleared.
Buck wasn’t there.
He barreled towards Ulla as she got to her feet, Bastion’s sword in his hand.
Bastion had no choice.He sent a desperate warning down the bond.It ignited, one word sparking wildly, like a shooting star.
Dive.
Ulla turned with a jolt.She took one look at Buck and ran for the cover of the hot springs.A roar erupted from him as he swung, missing her completely as she disappeared with a splash.
With no time to lose, Bastion staggered to his feet, his breath labored.He leaned into that alien part of himself, drawing strength from it while blood continued to pour down his side.He would finish this.
Gritting his teeth, Bastion crossed the ground between them, every step causing stars to explode behind his eyes.With one hand, he drove his fist into Buck’s kidney and with the other, wrenched his sword from the pirate's hand.
Then, he dropped to one knee and slashed his blade across the man’s hamstrings.
A howl echoed off the university’s stone walls, and Buck fell to his knees, his arms outstretched.In one swift movement, Bastion rose, swung his sword over his head and brought it down to severe Buck’s arm at the elbow.The limb bounced away, and blood gushed from the stump, pooling in the porous rock.
That distant sensation receded, and pain took over.While he still had strength, Bastion seized a fistful of Buck’s hair.His knuckles dug into Buck’s skull, and his breath came fast and ragged, but rage steadied him as he prepared to deliver the killing blow.
Then, like rain on still water, the bond pulsed.
He scanned the surface of the hot springs, but only white steam billowed over the surface.
“Go on!Do it, you dickless bastard!”Buck thundered, twisting in Bastion’s grip.His remaining hand clamped around his severed arm.“What are you waiting for?”
Ulla rose out of the water, the very picture of a vengeful goddess.She stepped onto the rock, her hair clinging to her like a slice of night.She caught and held Buck’s gaze.Every muscle in his body went rigid, as through the hand clenching his hair, Basiton could feel Buck’s descending terror that mortality had caught up with him.
He leaned down and whispered in Buck’s ear.“Her.”
The vein beneath Bastion’s blade jumped so hard he could practically feel it pulse through the hilt.Buck began to struggle, clawing with his single hand.Bastion pressed his sword more firmly into the pirate’s neck, throwing everything he had into holding the bastard in place.
Bastion straightened, meeting Ulla’s eyes.Her slitted pupils were so narrow they were almost invisible, giving her a terrifying, otherworldly look.Bastion had enough wherewithal to think there was nothing more beautiful than a woman about to exact vengeance.
He let his sword slide off Buck’s shoulder and pulled his head back, baring the pirate’s fleshy throat.Wild-eyed, Buck spewed a string of expletives, each more foul than the last.Ulla didn’t hear him.She was looking at Bastion, her expression unreadable.But through the bond, tempered rage boiled.Nothing would give him more pleasure than to see it unleashed.
Bastion nodded.
And Ulla ripped Buck’s throat out.
Blood sprayed her.Vibrant red stained her skin and clothes, softening as it combined with the rivulets of water racing towards the ground.A hollow gurgle pumped more blood into the air like a macabre fountain.Bastion stared at Ulla as Buck clawed at his neck.Anger and relief seeped through the bond, as nebulous as mist.Her chest rose and fell, her breathing deep and even, though her nostrils flared.On one side of her mouth, a fang peeked out.
Buck went slack as the life left his body.He slumped to the side, and Bastion let him fall.He put a hand over the wound in his side.He didn’t have the energy to speak, so he pushed one thought through the bond.
You’re safe.
__________
It took hours to clear the scene.
Hanniel arrived with a dozen royal guards shortly after Buck’s death.Half the king’s council were with him, including Lord Kyrith, Lawrence, and Lyanthis.Apparently, they’d seen everything from the Rainbow overhead.
Hanniel’s men spread out to secure the area while the captain examined the body.The council members argued until Kyrith silenced them, drawing everyone away from the waterfall where they could hear better.
The questions came in earnest, then.
Every explanation Bastion gave had to be repeated, the emphasis varying from questioner to questioner.Hanniel and Kyrith were most concerned with security, Lawrence got hung up on what Buck had said about Visara, and Lyanthis wanted to know what any of this had to do with his daughter in the first place.
