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As the seconds stretched on, my mind grew sharper, the adrenaline helping clear the last of the fog. I didn’t let it show, still moving slower than usual, my blocks sloppy as her knife glanced off my fingers. Just a little more. I could see it in her eyes—the overconfidence. The arrogance. She believed she had me. I only needed her to overextend herself once.
Tannethe lunged, a triumphant sneer on her lips, aiming for a killing strike. In that split second, I found the gap, the flaw in her attack. Using her momentum against her, I twisted to the side, grabbing her wrist to drive her dagger into her abdomen. She gasped, her eyes wide in disbelief.
As she crumpled to the ground, I fell too, refusing to let go of the blade. Yanking it free with a wet sound, I raised it high before driving it into her heart. Her breath rattled in her throat before quieting, and I collapsed beside her. Exhaustion bore down on me like a mountain, everything hurting. I tried to catch my breath as the pool of blood spread across the floor. I didn’t move, letting the warm liquid coat my fingers as it surrounded me. The room was silent, save for our ragged breathing.
“Kael?” Roza’s voice was soft, trembling.
I sat up slowly, meeting her eyes as I panted. “I’m alright.”
“You don’t look ‘alright.’”
My chains clanked as I stumbled toward her, my gaze darting around the room, searching for the keys to their shackles. Roza found them, pointing toward a set of ornate hooks on the wall.
“Over there,” she rasped, voice laced with pain but clear enough.
I grabbed the keys, the metal cold in my blood-soaked hands, and unlocked my cuffs before moving to them. Zerek’s eyes, burning with concern, locked onto Roza’s. “Hold on,” he whispered to her.
With Roza freed, she immediately moved to Zerek’s side, her touch gentle. “We have to get out of here,” she murmured.
Zerek, wincing as he sat up, nodded. “I need to heal you first. Where are our supplies?”
Roza pointed, her finger shaking. “There, in the storage alcove.”
Zerek hobbled over, rummaging until he unearthed a familiar leather pouch. He pulled out his healing plate, the alloy shimmering in the low light. He turned to Roza, concern clear in his gaze. “You first,” he offered, holding the plate toward her.
She shook her head, tears forming. “No, Zerek. Look at you... You heal yourself first.”
Zerek’s eyes bore into Roza’s, conveying a myriad of emotions. “I can’t watch you die,” he breathed. “Please. Just let me take care of you.”
Roza met his eyes, her gaze unwavering. “Alright.”
Zerek’s hands trembled as he pressed the plate against Roza’s abdomen. The soft glow illuminated her face, and she exhaled in relief as her wounds closed. He moved on to her arms and legs as she watched, eyes wide. When he was done, Zerek slumped back in exhaustion.
“Your turn,” she whispered.
Zerek nodded, placing the plate against his wounds. His breathing grew shallow and uneven as he healed the cuts on his face and chest. I shifted uncomfortably at the intimacy of the moment, even though no words were exchanged between them. Roza watched him, a look of tenderness on her face that I’d never seen before.
When he was done healing himself, Zerek stumbled back. He met Roza’s gaze again before turning away, embarrassed.
I cleared my throat. “Can you take care of these?” I pointed to my stab wounds, and he swore.
“Atar’s hammer,” he muttered. “Of course. One second.” He placed the healing plate on my side, starting with my torso before he moved to my arms and hands.
“Thanks.”
The lingering warmth of the healing plate faded as I regained my bearings.
“Where would Nyana go during a siege?” I asked, not expecting an answer as I thought aloud.
“If I were to make a calculated guess, she’d be in the war room. That’s where she plans her conquests and strategies.” Zerek pulled on his armor, handing Roza’s to her as she stepped by his side. I found my leather armor in the pile with my necklace, but my swords were nowhere to be seen. I dressed, my chest plate sliding over my blood-covered clothing.
My gaze drifted to the center of the room, where Tannethe lay, her eyes wide open in death. Her dagger was buried in her chest, and I hesitated for a moment before reaching for it. It was heavy in my hands as I tugged it free from her body. I wiped the blade on her dress before pocketing it.
Roza, her complexion slowly returning to normal, nodded in agreement. “If it’s anything like the one in Adraedor, then it’s fortified, defensible. She’d feel safe there.”
Anger surged through me, thinking of Nyana sitting comfortably while she sent men and women to their deaths. “Then that’s where we go.”
Zerek hesitated for a moment, taking in the condition of the three of us. “Are we sure you can handle this? We’ve been through a lot already.”
