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I turn to her, exchanging a look as if speaking silently on how to kill Ocuri. Facing my brother, I impale him with the sword, dragging the blade across his insides as blood pours from his mouth.
“How… could you…” he groans, coughing up crimson red.
“What was it you said?” I ask. “Ah yes, you want to savor the moment of death.”
I grab his hair and pull his head back. Salina steps forward with a poison vial, pulling out the dagger embedded in her shoulder. She empties the entire vial onto it and plunges it down Ocuri’s throat.
At the same time, she’s casting her rotting magic all over my fallen brother. I let go just before it can reach me, and together, Salina and I take a step back as Ocuri writhes in pain. He finally falls back, life leaving him as nothing but a decomposing corpse.
“You get what you deserve,” I snarl.
Just then, Salina drops to the ground.
“Hey!” I yell, shaking her. “Salina!”
I take her into my hands, ignoring my pains as I carry her back to the loft. Her normally vigorous body feels like an empty sack as I rush, filling me with dread as I realize the fight may have been too much for her to take.
Salina is a skilled assassin but the numbers game catches up on even the finest of warriors. I kick down the door to our resting area and lay her on the bed. Removing her clothing, I can her wounds as sweat runs down my forehead.
“Stay with me!” I exclaim, casting healing magic on her injuries.
The wounds are deep, the skin around them fading from hot red to a pale white as her breathing becomes shallow. The seconds become minutes, which themselves feel like hours as I give her everything I’ve got.
My magic expels itself as I take her head in my arms, planting kisses on her forehead and praying for her to return to me. Just then, she springs to life, throwing a fist forward. I catch it, laughing gleefully as her grimace melts into a smile.
“Denve?”
“It’s me,” I say reassuringly as I stroke her cheeks. “Oh, Salina. I thought I lost you.”
“No,” she mutters, resting a hand on my face. “I’m not going anywhere if it’s not with you.”
“Salina…”
Overcome with emotion, I gaze softly into her eyes.
“I love you more than anything.”
“Denve.” She chuckles, a tear falling down her face. “I love you, too.”
Our lips meet, and in that moment, I feel invincible. There’s nothing that can come between us, nothing that can tear us down. Against all odds, we survived everything. I know it’s only because of the love we’ve had for each other all along.
25
SALINA
The loft is quiet, yet I can still almost hear the many questions that hang in the air waiting to make themselves heard and be known. For now, I am just glad that the salves I brought from Milthar have done their job, healing us both completely. We may not have the answers to everything, but for that we can at least be grateful.
There’s also a contentment that comes with knowing someone you despise so much is dead. Not a sentiment I would usually choose to settle into. As an assassin, these things rarely matter and are just part of the job. But this one was personal.
As I look over at Denve who is lying on the bed, his fingers interlaced behind his head and his hands supporting it, I can see he is feeling the same way about the demise of his brother as I am. The motivations may be different, but the relief is there.
There’s been no mention of what we’ll do next. I still have to complete my mission either by bringing the ransom or evidence of every Thuvrol’s demise. And though Vhoig is Denve’s home, he seems willing to leave it now that Ocuri is gone and with his parents already believing he is dead.
“You know we could just leave together. Run away, live a quiet life somewhere where things are not quite so fucked up,” he says without even looking at me.
“What?” I ask, wondering where that came from.
“Oh, come on, I can practically hear your thoughts from here. I’m not used to you being so quiet, so I know something is on your mind.”
