Tia redoubled her attacks, coming at Vir with everything she had. Vir matched her blow for blow, and the situation devolved rapidly.
He’d improved more than she’d imagined. His blows were heavy and fast, and whenever Tia countered, he’d slip into the shadows.
Why isn’t he breaking off? The demons are gone!
They were lost in their own world, exchanging blows, shouting insults at each other. Even their verbal battle had broken down into something more fitting for children than fully grown warriors.
“Why won’t you just stop!”
“I’m gonna kill you, filthy demon!”
“You couldn’t kill me if you tried, Tia.”
“Shut up, chal!”
Maiya cringed. This is so embarrassing.
Haymi and Vason apparently felt the same—the warrior wasn’t even interfering anymore.
Then it happened.
Tia deflected Vir’s katar and feigned a retreat. Vir pursued, and Tia reversed course, driving her spear forth. It found the small gap in Vir’s armor between his leg and torso, and penetrated, plunging deep into his abdomen.
Vir roared in pain, and the room froze.
Maiya expected Vir’s injury to force him to retreat. But instead, his anger redoubled. He drew back his katar, and Maiya could almost feel his bloodlust.
If Maiya was honest, she’d sleep alright at night even if Tia died here. She’d be happy to stand aside and let it happen.
But there were two reasons why she couldn’t. For one, she knew Vir would never live down the guilt of having acted in rage. Whether justified or not, he’d feel like he’d done something wrong.
The other, more pressing concern was that if Maiya allowed Princess Tiyana to be injured here, it may very well spark an international incident. It could undo Kin’jal’s plans for Matali, turning them from a pawn into an enemy. Moreover, it would thwart Princess Ira’s efforts.
Not happening.
Maiya rushed in, shielding the princess with her body and deflecting his katar with her dagger—at least, it should have deflected it. But this was no ordinary attack. Empowered by some invisible Talent, Vir’s katar sliced her dagger in two.
Where did he learn that? He’s way too strong. I can’t stop it!
Time seemed to slow as Maiya watched the blade touch her armor—and then effortlessly pass right through. Handmaiden armor wasn’t designed to be especially thick, favoring mobility over pure defensiveness.
It stood no chance. The katar punched through, and pain bloomed in her stomach.
Vir froze in horror, realizing what he’d just done.
“I… I didn’t. No!”
“You’ve made your point, demon,” Maiya choked out through the pain. “The prisoners are gone. Retreat, or suffer the full consequences.”
She could have explained herself, but that would reveal his connection to her, and for his own sake, she wouldn’t let that happen.
Vir backed away, nearly stumbling. Tears welled up in his eyes. “Why?” he asked, eyes flitting between Tia, Vason, Haymi… and Maiya.
Please! Don’t look at me like that. If it was anyone else, she might’ve borne it. But not Vir.
Then he was gone, escaping through the hole in the wall.
I want to cry… Though she didn’t, despite the pain. But she did fall to the ground. Blood flowed from her body, staining her gambeson skirt.
“Haymi!” Vason cried.
“On it!” Haymi replied, kneeling beside Maiya to administer her Life magic.
“Where do you think you’re going, my liege?” Vason said, barring Tiyana’s path. The princess looked about to storm off after Vir.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going after him.”
Maiya was just about done with this overgrown child.
“Miss handmaiden,” Vason said, “would you consider ordering your Balarian Guard to restrain our princess, should she step outside this room?”
“I would.”
Tia halted in her tracks. “Vason? Don’t you dare.”
“And, in your report to the esteemed Princess Ira, will you mention how Tia disobeyed orders, actively working to foil Kin’jali plans?”
“What in the realms are you trying to pull?” Panic crept into Tia’s voice.
“Absolutely,” Maiya replied, understanding Vason’s intent.
“And,” Vason continued, locking eyes with Tia, “will you mention how her reckless behavior led directly to Princess Ira’s right-hand incurring a mortal wound?”
“But of course.”
“You’re serious. You’re both abandoning me?” Tia said in disbelief, turning to Haymi.
The mejai—her friend—looked away.
“Only doing what we should’ve done a long time ago, princess. Because you’re too blind to see for yourself.”
Tia dropped her spear, allowing it to clatter to the ground, before sitting cross-legged. “Fine. Whatever. I see I have no friends here. Have it your way.”
You truly are blind. You can’t even see how much they care for you.
“I gotta go,” Maiya said, rising to her feet. “I gotta make things right.”
“You’re not fully healed, handmaiden! Please, rest!”
If she wasn’t drowning in a million thoughts, Maiya might’ve realized her chalface voice had dropped, and that her face showed her emotions like an open book.
“Go where?” Vason asked. “Make things right with whom?”
The warrior never got an answer. Maiya was gone.
Vir stumbled through the mists as if in a waking dream, half-conscious, and with only a vaguest idea of where he was.
“Brother, you have returned,” the gray demon said with open arms, but then he saw Vir’s limp. “You’re wounded! Quickly, let me see to you!”
Vir lay on the grass and allowed the demon to apply antiseptics and bandages, keeping the wound compressed. Luckily, it’d been clean, and the damage looked worse than it was. He’d sucked the blood away from the wound, leaving just enough to clot it, but that did nothing for the agonizing pain. “The demons are safe?”
“All fifty. They’ll need nourishment, but we’ve already given them enough water for the journey home. I’ve patched you up the best I can. We’ll want to replace your bandages and get you to a healer when we land for our first break.”
“Then let’s go.”
Badal placed a hand on his shoulder. “What you did must have been hard. Of that, I’ve no doubt. Take pride, at least, in knowing that you personally saved the lives of those souls this night.”
“I will,” Vir whispered, accepting the demon’s help to climb onto the Acira, his mind a maelstrom of anger, guilt, and sadness in equal parts.
This is a nightmare, Vir thought. His focus ebbed in and out due to the wound, and his mind ran rampant. Delirious.
He’d lost everything. Why couldn’t he just wake up? But there was no waking from this nightmare. No euphoric release. He was trapped, crushed under a mountain from which there was no escape.
He needed someone. Someone to talk to. Someone to listen while he poured out the chaos in his heart. Even Neel would’ve sufficed. In the past, Maiya played that role. Perhaps Tia. Now, Vir was alone. Lost in his mind for hours as the wind deafened his ears and chilled his cheeks.
A fitting mirror for how he felt inside.
Vir’s thoughts shifted nonsensically from one to another, spurred by the pain of his wound. Replaying events over and over again, despite his best efforts to avoid exactly that. He tried coming up with scenarios where things could have played out differently. Tia was one thing. Her words had burned him, though at least he knew where she came from. He’d gone through something analogous, hadn’t he? How could he blame her for her hatred of demons when Vir harbored the very same hatred toward knights?
But Maiya…