He took a step toward the younger male. “Whatever happened between Blackworm and your sister, whatever fault you seem to feel now, I can’t tell you how to make it right.” He rubbed his forehead, distracting attention from the rock he held loosely in his other hand just behind his thigh. “But I think you know that becoming a murderer in your own rightwon’t be the first step.”
“No,” Radek whispered. “No, it won’t.” Just as Tynan took another sliding step toward him through the thin algae at the bottom of the trough, the younger flicked the blaster power over to red. “But we won’t have to think about it anymore, because it’ll be our last step.”
Eyes widening, Tynan blanched, his fist clenching helplessly on the rock. Much good it would doagainst an overloading plasma coil.
“Tynan!”
Everything in him rejoiced at the sound of his name. And rejected it. Because it meant—
His gaze was drawn unerringly to the walkway halfway up the castle wall that surrounded the garden. She must’ve followed the diagram in the duct control room to figure out where he might emerge. Or maybe she’d justknown, as he’d emerged from the black hole ather side, fated and blessed. The vines that had curled up the ruin wall bloomed with dots of color almost, but not quite, as bright as his lady.
His blood curdled, colder than the icy mountain water, as Radek swung toward Lishelle, lifting the blaster.
With a fierce battle cry, Tynan hefted his little rock. As a warlord’s weapons went, it left much to be desired. But his only desire was tostop the wretched youth from his path of destruction.
His yell distracted Radek, torn between two targets, and the other male twisted back to face him. “Tynan? You’re not—?”
Lishelle fired.
The bolt of stunning yellow lanced down across the garden. And missed by a sad margin. His lady might be bold, but she was a terrible shot. Still, the constant commotion had Radek’s head whipping back tofocus on her—and Tynan’s rock smacked his forehead next to the other wound.
He crumpled without another sound.
But the piercing whine of the overloading blaster more than made up for his silence. At this distance, it could take out the wall under Lishelle, bring her crashing down. It would be a death sentence from that height, even with the lighter gravity.
Tynan bolted toward the fallen male.“Get back!” he shouted to Lishelle.
“No, Tynan,” she cried. “It’s red.”
As if he didn’t know that. He was bemused thatsheknew it since they’d never had the chance to go over the settings more than once. She was clever as well as glorious.
And now they’d never have another chance—
He snatched the shrieking blaster from Radek’s limp hand and spun toward the jungle, away from Lishelle, awayfrom the ruins where he’d died but where others had come to wish upon his mistakes.
He wouldn’t make the mistake again of needing the adoration of the many over the love of the one. He flung the blaster with every muscle in his cold, aching body.
Lishelle screamed his name one last time, the sound of her voice like a clarion in the sudden silence as the blaster’s energy core peaked.
He didn’thave a chance to look back as the blaster, in mid-air, exploded. Agony ripped across his bare chest, and the bright daylight was eclipsed by the corona of plasma that scorched away everything he was, and everything he’d ever known shrank to a pinprick of darkness.
And then even that vanished.
