“This will be so satisfying,” I murmur, smiling coldly.
Before she can speak, I thrust the blade into her chest. It slips smoothly through her muscles and between her ribs, into her heart. She gasps, blooding leeching from between her lips. Red always was her color. I close my eyes, waiting to feel the weight of the curse lifted. Waiting to feel the oozing of her magic slip from my veins.
Maaz laughs, the sound strangled and soft. Her blue eyes are bright, a smile on her bloodied lips. “Permanent now,” she cackles breathlessly.
“What are you talking about?” I hiss, eyes blazing. My heart clenches with fear.
She lifts a finger and presses it weakly to my chest. “The curse…” She coughs, blood splattering across my face. “It’s part of you now… Forever.”
I feel the blood drain from my face, fear and disbelief squeezing my heart too tight. Her head falls back, her blonde hair ringing her head like a halo. The light fades from her eyes and I roll off of her body, chest heaving. The curse is like a seed of darkness in my chest. I choke back on my fury, knowing she spoke the truth. One last victory for the Bloodbane. My fingers wrap around the hilt of my dagger, shaking with anger.
My shadowed eyes turn on Sadal. He tosses me a lopsided grin, still rubbing his neck. I curl my lip at him and stalk towards him. He doesn’t flinch away, instead goading me with his eyes. He wants me to kill him, I realize. I push the thought away. If anyone deserves to die, it’s Sadal. He took Verity from me. He married her. He made her pull away from me in pursuit of his tricks. He razed my kingdom to the ground with his demons and witches.
I crouch beside him, staring intently at him while all of his crimes play inside my head like an orchestra. I know my hand is shaking, but it isn’t with fear. It’s anticipation. Sadal smiles, waiting for the killing blow.
In a blur of motion, I strike his temple with the hilt of the dagger. He crumples to the ground with a sigh. I toss aside the blade and bury my hands in my hair. Eyes wide, intense, and lost, I stare at the ground. I tangle my fingers into my hair and take a deep, shaky breath. I need him, I tell myself. I don’t want to make the same mistake I just made with Maaz. The short satisfaction of killing my enemy was outlived by the knowledge of my cursed fate. I won’t let it happen again with Sadal.
I think of the Shades, of their ominous, shadowy presence at the fringe. Wherever they are, whatever they are, Sadal will know. I turn back to Sadal’s unconscious form. Out cold, he doesn’t look like much. With his slight frame and lean build, Navi could have taken him out much quicker than I was able to. He’s just a normal Fae man; one who once held the fate of the entire realm in his hands.
Grunting, I hoist Sadal’s limp body onto my shoulder and turn towards the door. I slip out of the tent into a scene of carnage and gore I never imagined. The demons have ripped apart anyone in their path, including the Bloodbane witches. Deadwood brooms are scattered across the landscape, bits and pieces of bodies clustered around. The ground shimmers red in the morning light, coated in blood. The earth is soaking in it.
I cover my nose with my sleeve as the smell of burnt flesh and blood assaults me. Flames still burn nearby, tents and supplies smoking lightly. The sun soldiers have scorched much of the Bloodbane camp, and dead demons with burnt and roasted skin are frozen in place everywhere. I gag at the sight of a burst eyeball and head away from the sounds of the fighting towards the fort.
I crest a hill, looking out over the camp. The Fae forces are winning, driving the Bloodbane back into the air and towards the mountains. I watch them retreat, leaving their sisters behind without a second glance. I wonder if any of them even know what happened to Maaz – if any of them even care. My eyes drift back to the tent where I left her corpse. It goes up in a blaze, the edges of it catching the flames of the scorched earth.
I spin in a slow circle, watching as demons lope off in all directions. My archers take them down, but I know enough have escaped to pose a problem. My eyes drift disgustedly towards Sadal and I drop him carelessly.
The curse is inside me, growing more powerful by the second. I fish for it now, harnessing the power and shifting into my beastly form. I stretch out my wings and lift Sadal gently with my mouth. I carry him, tasting his sour blood, towards the fortress. From this height, I can see the black clusters of the demons fleeing over the rocky landscape in all directions. I watch my forces pursue them on foot, taking care of the stragglers.
The fortress is in full view in the morning light. It’s the first clear day in a week, as if the sun was hailed by our victory. I feel a seed of happiness grow inside of me, driving out the sad reality of the curse. We’ve done it. We stopped Sadal’s conquest of Alnembra.
I almost drop Sadal, thinking to release
