Celivia shook her head. "When we fought hand to hand, I avoided strikes to the eyes or main arteries. Otherwise, not at all. You did an excellent job adapting your style in such a short time."

  "No, I underestimated you. I thought that you'd just have a little more sein than our last fight, but you were overall stronger."

  "You're lucky I wasn't allowed a Catai rebirth, or it wouldn't have been a fight."

  That broke him out of his grim focus, making his eyes widen. "Catai? You mean... uh, I've seen plenty of Catai, but not any women."

  "Catai implies rank and power, but there's more than one kind."

  Though Celivia was tempted to say more, she saw Reina fidgeting with her cleavers, making little chopping motions while her eyes darted between them. If they continued like this, she might actually hurt someone. When she had rushed to Celivia's defense earlier, her friend had come very near seinrage, so best not to provoke her.

  Slaten noticed as well, looking at Reina seriously before his gaze turned back to her. "So you aren't going to have her kill me. Are you going to capture me now?"

  She stared at him for a long time and eventually shook her head. "No."

  "Then... did this battle even mean anything?"

  Celivia couldn't help but smile. "It meant something to me."

  That got a brief smile from him. They lay there for a while, looking at one another as they bled out. Now that the heat of battle had passed, Celivia examined his injuries more carefully. He should be okay, especially if Laeri helped him. Though she really could have forced him to come with her...

  "We'll go our separate ways now, Slaten. But you should know that there are many mansthein worried about the Legend, and some who are trying to do something about it. I'll be working with them, if I can. You... I suppose we might need people working from the other side too."

  "I don't think I have any answers."

  "Neither do I." Celivia smiled at him one more time and then painfully got to her feet. Reina rushed to support her under one shoulder.

  She thought about saying farewell, but decided they'd already said enough. As much as she wanted to say more, they couldn't get beyond that last point. Maybe one day they would have the answers, but for now, she didn't look back.

  Still, she was glad when she heard his sword scraping across the ground and returning to his side.

  Celivia limped along, leaning on Reina as they headed to the servants' stairs. As they passed the windows, Celivia looked out and sighed. "I think it's over for us."

  "Are you sure?" Reina asked. "This Koreinan Aryabaus seems pretty strong."

  "There's mostly just humans left outside. And you haven't seen the Hero, it's... well, I'd rather you didn't have to experience it." It was bad enough to see the humans stumbling around below, murderous light filling their eyes, weapons twitching for a target. Reina watched them only briefly before wincing.

  "Then where are we going? We don't have many options for escaping..."

  "I already have that taken care of. Just keep helping me down and watch for any threats."

  If they made it out alive, how was she going to report this? Based on how the Heroes usually operated, Celivia had a feeling that no Deathspawn would be left alive in the tower. The two of them would be the only survivors, so the question was if they could be charged with desertion or penalized for cowardice. Given her injuries, Celivia hoped to avoid that.

  On the ground level they needed to move carefully to avoid humans. It wasn't easy, since most of them wandered with blank looks on their faces, occasionally stabbing a mansthein corpse. That was more what she had expected humans to be like, not the people she had come to care about. But now she had no choice but to leave again.

  They managed to reach the basement stairs without drawing anyone down on them, but then their luck ran out. Several men hid below, nervously holding weapons. When the first of them saw her, he raised his weapon and shouted.

  "That's far enough! Don't get any closer!"

  "Shut up!" Celivia hissed. "The humans are up there, do-"

  "Just get the hell back! Until we break the door open, nobody comes close!"

  Several of the others were stabbing at the fortified door to little effect. All of them seemed shaken or enraged, probably driven mad by the Hero's presence. Celivia reached into her robe and pulled out the key. "I have the key to the door, alright? But you need to quiet down befor-"

  The man let out a growl and stepped toward her, grasping for the key. At that same moment, Celivia heard footsteps on the stairs. When she turned she saw several bright-eyed humans running into the room, lifting their weapons as they saw Deathspawn. She and Reina were trapped in between the two sides, both ready to kill.

  "Reina? Now is the time."

  Her friend grinned savagely and stepped away from her, drawing a cleaver in each hand. Then she let out a scream and entered seinrage. The shockwave of it forced Celivia back a step, which was just as well, because the next moment Reina burst in every direction.

  She shot across the room, cutting off the head of the first of the humans. In a fraction of an instant she bounced off the wall and changed course, sliding across the floor and hacking through the leg of a second human. Then she vaulted up and leapt past one of the guards, her cleaver chopping through the middle of his face.

  After that Celivia lost track and Reina became a blur of violence. Still letting out a scream of rage, she ricocheted all over the room in showers of blood until everyone else was dead.

  In the end she stood in front of Celivia, eyes bloodshot, knuckles white on her cleavers, breath coming in gasps. She looked up at Celivia slowly, then stumbled forward, dropping her cleavers and tumbling into her arms.

  Celivia carefully caught her and guided her to the ground, shifting Reina so her friend's head lay in her lap. She stroked her hair gently, as always surprised by how hot her skin was after seinrage. But there was no time for that today, not with more humans on the way.

  Picking up Reina in one arm and taking out the key again, Celivia entered the storeroom. She ignored the money and texts and rare items within, looking solely for a small box marked with the symbol of the Voidwalkers. Soon enough she found it, and though it was locked, she just smashed it open. Only two slender voidlinks remained inside, but that would be enough.

  The smart thing to do would have been to leave immediately, considering that the battle hadn't ended yet. Celivia found herself looking up toward the tower, hoping the humans made it out as well. She wanted to fight Slaten again, wanted to talk things out with Tani, even wouldn't have minded drinking with Veron.

  But when she heard footsteps on the stairs, it was only more humans with eyes burning with bright hatred for her. Celivia snapped the voidlink and vanished into the darkness between spaces.

  Chapter 66

  -

  "This result is inevitable unless we can break these stories that matter so much to both sides. Please, my lord, do not abandon us."

  -

  Tani desperately retreated across the roof, barely fending off Subenor's attacks. She was torn between hoping Veron was alright and cursing her for her absence. Maybe in the beginning she could keep up with Subenor for a brief time, but now she was bruised and cut and weary. Every second they engaged with one another was dancing with death.

  The only thing that kept her alive was the fact that Subenor's injuries had slowed his movements somewhat. Unfortunately, whatever he had done with his sein made his spear even more lethal. She'd seen him send Veron skidding back across the roof with a blocked thrust, making it all the more essential that she redirect the force of every blow coming from that bloody spear.

  Running away would have been the smart thing to do, but Tani was just too tired. She couldn't focus enough to use the Soaring Feet - if Subenor had simply jumped to another roof, she would have been almost helpless to follow him.

  But of course he didn't want that, he wanted to kill her. And if this lasted any longer, he would do it. Tani found herself wondering if Veron had fallen off the edge and struck the ground, or lay dying on another roof. If so, then she really had no chance...

  A box flew out of the sky toward Subenor's head. He reacted swiftly, smashing the butt of his spear into it. The box exploded into boards and steel. Tani dodged back, ducking her head to try to escape the projectiles. Only then did she realize that the box had been filled with knives. They were crude and made of iron, obviously just tools for the mansthein soldiers, but they now covered the roof.

  Veron dropped down from a nearby roof, smirking through her weariness. Was that what she had gone to get? It seemed absurd, yet there were so many knives on the roof now...

  Tani bent down to grasp one, and to her surprise Subenor kicked out, sending another knife shooting at her. Throwing herself into a somersault, Tani dodged the spinning blade and dove over the peak of the roof. The next knife Subenor kicked sailed over her head.

  In that moment, she grabbed two of the knives - she couldn't hold any more than two even in her good hand since the hilts were too large. She heard the sounds of clashing between Veron and Subenor, so Tani took the time to craft sein within her knives. It no longer came easily, like trying to pour mud, but she forced it into the cheap iron.

  When she rose, Tani prepared to throw her knives, but realized that she didn't have much left in her. Her throws would soon become laughably weak, no threat to Subenor at all. The rush of the battle might be able to take her through one last series of throws, then she would be done. It had to count.

  Watching the battle, Tani extended her preparations. She set her sickle knife at her belt and picked up more of the knives instead, imparting sein into them as well. Nothing fancy, just enough force to hurt Subenor if they connected. When she finished with those, she tucked them into her belt and picked up several more, just in case. She needed to be-

  A scream of pain. Tani looked up and saw Veron stumbling back from Subenor with his spear through her stomach. Subenor tried to pull it back out, but she clutched at the shaft as she stared at with wide eyes. Painfully slowly, she sank down to her knees, still not believing that the spear had impaled her.

  There was another scream and Tani realized that it was her own, rage and sadness blending together. She threw one of the knives as hard as she could at Subenor, yet he drew his last throwing spear and deflected it.

  It didn't matter. Tani threw the next knife, and the next. Even as Subenor began to run toward her, his spear spinning to deflect her knives, she didn't give way. Her scream became a hiss of pure concentration as she threw every knife she had prepared, both hands working together, throwing two and sometimes even three at a time. She released everything she had left, some knives flying directly at his face and others curving around to strike from the sides.

  None of it worked. Subenor just kept charging, eyes fixed on her in grim concentration. Even at point blank range he deflected her knives, then he shifted his spear to plunge it into her face. Tani stared at the bloody tip as it thrust toward her eye.

  And stopped.

  She looked away from the quivering spear tip and saw Subenor choking with a blade extending from his chest. Veron stood behind him, spear still through her stomach. Her body shuddered in place, then she sank down to her knees.

  Subenor dropped as well, eyes filled with shock. Tani realized how many injuries he had taken and how he must have been pushing himself with sheer willpower. Even now, he struggled to overcome his surprise. He opened his mouth and blood poured out. Yet he spat it out and smiled through bloody teeth as he reached for the sword in his chest.

  "You... you think y-"

  Tani drew her sickle knife and slashed through his throat.

  His body dropped, sein finally dispersing. She stared down at it, breathing heavily and wishing she felt more. Subenor had caused so much torment, threatened her life and her friends, even injured her master. And now he was dead. Tani didn't regret it, yet she didn't feel that she could celebrate.

  What broke her out of her shock was remembering Veron. The older woman lay on her side, eyes glassy, a pool of blood forming underneath her stomach. Tani rushed to her and knelt down over Veron, tears forming in her eyes. The other woman had done so much for her and fought to the end. Without her, she would have-

  "I'm not dead, you idiot." Veron tried to slap her, but the motion failed midway through. She could certainly glower, though. "But I will be, if you keep sobbing. Get me to a fucking healer!"

  Partially laughing and partially crying, Tani nodded and hastened to help remove the spear and bind Veron's wounds. After so many dark turns, Tani could barely believe in the stroke of luck: the spear had passed through Veron's stomach without injuring any vital organs.

  A little care served enough to make it possible to carry Veron. The older woman grumbled about the indignity and struggled to reach for her flask, but Tani just ignored her mutterings and carried her back toward the nearest accessible window. It was a good thing they had ended on a roof near one, or she would have been stranded.

  That would have been truly bitter, letting Veron die because she lacked the focus to jump just one more time. Or trying to jump and dropping to their deaths. Tani laughed unevenly at the thought and realized that she desperately needed to rest. She was tired and the stress practically leaked out of her ears.

  Eventually she staggered down most of the stairs. She'd hoped to find Laeri, but the healer was nowhere to be seen. At least Veron seemed to have stabilized. After managing one more drink, she fell into a deep sleep. The flow of her sein felt right, so Tani hoped that she would manage with rest and healing.

  When she reached the bottom level, she found that almost everyone was dead. Tani felt a moment of fear when she saw Slaten slumped against one of the walls of the central chamber. But when he heard her, his gaze rose to meet hers. She saw the same weariness in his eyes that she knew was in her own.

  "Is Veron...?"

  "She'll make it," Tani said. She limped closer and helped set her down gently. "Where's Laeri?"

  "That's difficult to say. I think Melal is still at the top."

  "Do you... want to go help him?"

  "I think we've done enough for today." That was as close as a direct "no" as she was likely to get from Slaten. Once Veron was lying reasonably comfortably, Tani dropped down to sit next to him. It felt amazing to just sit and let her muscles relax.

  Soon she would have a great deal to think about. The fact that Subenor was dead. Ways she could improve before the next battle. Celivia's betrayal. Melal and the Legend and what that meant for everyone. Kolanin's body lying in the center of the hall, strangely peaceful. All of that and more.

  For now, she just needed to rest. Tani let herself slump sideways against Slaten, using him to prop herself up. He settled back against her. They were both still bleeding but it didn't matter.

  They stayed like that until the light filled the room.

  ~ ~ ~

  Melal knew he should throw himself forward against the enemy, yet he stepped back. The foul Deathspawn just kept striking, each blow carrying such terrible sein that he had no choice but to evade.

  Screaming out defiance, Melal charged at him, lifted his sword and managed to turn aside the next strike before it even aimed toward him. The rush of wind slammed into the ground beside him, allowing him to keep moving forward, finally thrust out at his opponent's chest.

  Aryabaus swept his sword back low, the blade cutting across his shins and the force knocking him off his feet. Melal tipped forward... and met the Deathspawn's boot as it slammed up into his face.

  The chamber tumbled around him several times as he flipped backward and slammed into the wall. Melal slumped to the floor with a groan, trying to get back to his feet and struggling to find the strength. His legs hurt so much, and those cuts were far from the first he had taken.

  "Your neck should be broken..." Aryabaus sounded confused for a second, then shook his head sharply. He let out a growl and stared at Melal. "It will be soon."

  "You die today, Deathspawn!" Melal struggled to get to his feet and raised his sword again. "I will-"

  "Stop talking!" Aryabaus let out a snarl and charged at him.

  His sword swept before he arrived, the burst of wind knocking Melal back against the wall. Melal managed to block his second strike and lunged in again, but the blow glanced off the Deathspawn's armor. Fragments of it scattered over the floor, but no blood had been drawn.

  Melal attacked and attacked and attacked, yet it just didn't work. The damn Deathspawn kept blocking his attacks or knocking him back before he could strike. As his rage grew, Melal threw more and more of his strength into his blows. He would win through sheer determination if nothing else.

  At last fate granted him a chance. His opponent swung wide and Melal caught it early, shoving the thin sword downward and away from him. He reversed the direction of his sword and slashed through his opponent's neck.

  Except he didn't. Aryabaus leaned back just enough to evade the attack, then stepped forward, his hand grabbing Melal's throat.

  Melal's sword tumbled to the ground as he was lifted into her air, both hands scrabbling at the Deathspawn's gauntlet. The grip threatened to crush his throat, but that wasn't the worst of it. Aryabaus raised his sword, arm extended back to aim the long blade.

  Then thrust it through his chest.

  As he fell to the ground, Melal felt no pain, just a white numbness. No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. He couldn't lose, not again. This was meant to erase his failures, let him forget about past mistakes and go forward victoriously.

  Aryabaus stabbed down into his stomach and twisted his blade. Melal cried out in pain, but didn't hear his own cry.

  No, he refused to accept this. He couldn't just lose here. It... it wasn't how the Legend was supposed to go.

  Aryabaus stepped forward and raised his sword over Melal's head. Stabbed down to end Melal's life.

  The Hero caught the blade.

  When he took a breath, he breathed in the entire world. The Hero smiled serenely up at the Deathspawn towering over him, saw his feeble rage and bloodlust and transcended it. He elegantly raised a hand and slammed it into the side of the blade with a flowering of holy light, shattering the blade like ice in spring.

 

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