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"I don't think he saw me," Cyprian says, breaking the stunned silence between us. "He was too focused on you. Are you all right, Hazel? Did he ..."
He trails off, unable to bring himself to finish his question, and I'm quick to shake my head.
"No, almost, but no."
"Good."
An uneasy quiet fills the space between us as our eyes slowly drop to Amadeus.
Blood pools on the back of Amadeus' head, nearly black in the dim light. Crouching, I reach to check the wound before stopping short.
The ground beneath Amadeus' head has begun to darken, becoming an ever-growing abyss in the night.
"There's too much blood," I breathe, glancing up at Cyprian as his eyes widen in panic.
It's only now that I realize what a mess he is. His white shirt is splattered with blood, his hands bruised and swollen from fighting.
Standing, I move toward him, but he stops me, catching my hands in his before I can reach him.
"You have to go," he whispers.
"No, we'll deal with this together. If we can just explain ..." I trail off, realizing what a fool I am even to suggest it.
Cyprian starts to shake as he glances down at his brother’s body. A growing sense of panic rises within me, threatening to overtake me, even as I try my best to push it down. As I try to ignore the way my own hands tremble.
"Hazel, I need you to listen to me," Cyprian begs, his voice low and warm in its concern for me. "You have to go. You can't be here when ... when they see what I've done. It'll only make things worse. Go, get as far away from here as you can."
"Come with me," I say, my eyes searching his face.
"No," he says, his brow furrowing. "I can't. They'll blame you for this. You know how my mother is. I need to stay. I have to find a way to fix this. Please, go. Save me by saving yourself. Get away from here, away from me as fast as you can, and never look back."
"Please, Cyprian, don't do this. We can run away together a-and ..."
Our eyes meet, and a tear finds its way down my cheek as I realize this is goodbye. It doesn't matter who was at fault here, someone will have to play for the shedding of Amadeus' blood. Whether I stay or go, I will be the one blamed. Merelda will stop at nothing until I've been brought to justice.
Still, I can't just leave him here.
"Please," I whisper one last time.
"No. If I left with you, it would only put you in far worse danger," Cyprian says, lifting one hand to gently caress my cheek. "I can't do that to the girl I've loved since I first laid eyes on her."
I blink up at him, taken aback by his confession as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the small book my father gave him so long ago.
"Cyp—"
"Take this," he says quickly, pressing it into my hand. "Take this, and don't look back. Now, Hazel, run!"
I still hesitate, uncertain, before slowly backing away. My heart aches as I take one last look at Cyprian and then turn on my heel to race off into the night.
Tears fall freely down my cheeks as I leave Cyprian standing there alone in the dark, hovering over Amadeus, blood staining his boots. I stumble over rocks in my haste to get away, but I drag myself up and push myself to continue. I can't stop, no matter how badly my legs ache or my lungs burn.
Failing to escape would only mean Cyprian's sacrifice was in vain.
Reaching the edge of town, I stop to catch my breath while I'm still hidden within the confines of the forest. I glance about, my mind racing to come up with some kind of plan.
All I know is that going into town would be a mistake. I need to get as far away from here as I can, and I can't risk anyone seeing me or being alerted to the direction I'm traveling.
My eyes trail over the imposing silhouette of the dense forest contrasted heavily by the warm, softly lit buildings of the town it surrounds.
