When we reach the edges of Lanvilla, I glance back at the village, bathed in torchlight. I close my eyes, hearing my footsteps as I ran through the streets as a child.
This place is a paradox of sadness and happiness. Of laughter and tears.
Now, it’s time to walk away forever, to say goodbye.
Goodbye.
* * *
Everly gasps the moment we stop outside the fortress. It’s a colossal structure of tall, dark stone, its formidable presence accentuated by the jagged battlements lining the upper edges.
My hand moves to the dagger at my side for reassurance.
Strength, Sol.
Strength.
Tersah glances over at me. “Do you like that dagger? It was my father’s.”
Leather bites into my palm as I grip the hilt even tighter. “It’s perfect.”
As we near the entrance, Everly grabs my arm and squeezes. “I’m scared, Sol.”
I suck in a breath, trying to find the right words. “It’s going to be all right.”
Nothing will happen to her. I won’t allow it.
The guards near the entrance follow our every move. Especially Tersah’s. She saunters up to them, her bosom jiggling with each step.
“Good evening,” she purrs. “My companions and I are looking for someentertainmenttonight. Do you happen to know where we could find some?”
The guard’s eyes drift between us before he looks back at Tersah. “I think we could accommodate your desires.” He smirks and adjusts his belt.
I use their distraction to my advantage, sneaking up behind the second guard and cutting his throat. As he crumbles to the ground, the man who had spoken to Tersah jerks around, his mouth gaping open. I slice his throat too, cutting it before he can alert anyone.
Everly’s skin pales as she swallows and looks at me.
“It was necessary.” I grab her with my free hand and lead her closer to the front door.
Tersah follows, her steps even, her eyes burning with determination as she yanks the door open, and four guards rush to their feet.
Tersah stops in front of them and speaks in a sultry voice. “Your friends outside sent us to all of you.”
As they ogle her, I move behind them, positioning myself. Everly grips the bloodstone I gave her earlier and speaks those ancient verses. The men freeze, their eyes turning vacant as time comes to a standstill for them.
“Hurry, Sol,” Everly shouts. “It only lasts a short while.”
I repeat my actions from earlier, slitting the throats of the guards. Tersah grabs a cloth from her bag and hands it to me. Quickly, I wipe away the blood, but there’s no wiping away the horror spiking through my veins.
I just killed six men.
Six!
I don’t feel the usual guilt. Only disgust at having to take their lives. They imprison people like cattle, and if I didn’t kill them, they would chase us and stop us from completing our mission. Or if we tied them up, they would only break free eventually and follow us.
Moonlight slashes through the tall windows as we move deeper into the fortress, hunting for the dungeon that likely houses those slaves. As more guards try to stop us, Everly calls on her magic to stop time, and I end their lives one-by-one.
The darkness thickens in the lower levels, with only the occasional sound of a rat scurrying across the floor to break the silence. We move cautiously, our footfalls echoing through the empty halls.
