Vaela’s fingers fumbled to the neck of Timura’s cloak and pulled it open. She undid the clasp and Timura dropped it behind her. Timura’s sleeves ended just above the elbow, covering the cut. Vaela grabbed the bottom of Timura’s tunic and Timura’s eyes widened, her breath hitching. She nodded and Vaela lifted her shirt up. As the bottom edge rose over Timura’s stomach, Shadow wrapped around her body, covering her chest and down the sides of her arms. Vaela pulled the shirt all the way off and threw it to the ground beside them. Timura hugged her arms around her stomach, her upper body Veiled in Shadow. Her eyes radiated desire and Vaela leaned forward. She pulled Timura close to her and kissed her. From the periphery of her vision, the Shadow melted back into Timura’s skin. Timura moaned into Vaela’s lips and the rest of the Shadow disappeared.

Vaela’s heart pounded with reluctance. If she broke off the kiss, it would be a betrayal. A sign, even if Timura never knew, that Vaela hadn’t trusted her.

But she had to know.

Vaela jolted back and whipped around to look at Timura’s right arm. Timura let out a yelp and her arms flung around her body. Her hand flew to her shoulder as Vaela focused on the area. A horizontal scar, scabbed over. It was perfectly straight. Vaela’s left hand throbbed with memory and her chest panged. It was the same. The exact same–though far fewer–as the scars Adyr had on her right arm.

Vaela scrambled away, staring at Timura. “You. You’ve been telling them.”

Timura snatched her cloak and draped it around her shoulders, hiding the scar. She wrung her hands. “It’s not what it seems. Vaela, I can explain.” She reached a hand out to Vaela.

Vaela flinched away and crawled back. No. Everything was wrong. The Church, always finding them, regardless of how they ran. And the entire time, Adyr blamed herself. Thought that her presence, her worthless blood, had betrayed them.

She had been right–the Church had been after her, but she hadn’t led them.

Vaela grabbed her stick and thrust it in front of her, the point stopping in front of Timura’s chest. “What have you done?”

Timura raised her palms and shook her head. “Listen to me.” She swept a hand over towards the camp. “All of this is a lie. The Created? The Twisted? Come on, Vaela. Those are just fairytales.” She clenched her fists, Shadow erupting from them like flames. She extended her hands out towards Vaela as if offering the warmth of the dark fire to her. “This. This is the only thing that’s real. Our Power. And the ability to decide our own fates.”

Vaela jolted to her feet, using the stick to press up. “No. Hermit told me–”

“Hermit?” Timura jumped up and closed the distance with a quick step. She grabbed Vaela’s shoulders and peered into her eyes. Shadow swirled in the depths of her own. “You can’t trust him. You know that. He’s powerful, but deranged.”

Vaela twisted, breaking from Timura’s grasp. “He might be strange, but at least he’s not with the Church.” Vaela spun back and tapped the head of her stick on Timura’s chest. “And you’ve been with them the whole time? Is that…?” Vaela let her stick fall back to her side. Of course. Timura had come back much stronger, learned how to use her Power. Her progress had been explosive, similar to Vaela’s own in the past few days. Taught by one with incredible command of their Power, with unmatched fighting prowess. “Kalverna. No–Incus. Is that who taught you?”

Timura stepped back and raised her hands overhead. Shadow sprung from the ground and twisted around her like a black tree growing up to her waist. “The Shadows dance at my command. Hermit? He didn’t think I would be strong enough. So yes.” She closed her hands and the Shadow melted away. “Kalverna taught me. She believed in me, in my potential.” Timura waved her hands with a snort. “Incus. Alnea. Jace. Twisted, Created–they don’t exist, mere delusions. But even if they did, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Vaela struggled to breathe as if all the air had been burned away. A lifetime of pain, a lifetime of Sacrifice. Adyr had run away to that, thrown herself at the mercy of the Church because of her belief–that Vaela was a Champion. That the Twisted and the Created were real. To her, it had mattered.

But Timura was right–it didn’t matter. Vaela’s chest loosened and she took a deep breath. It never had.

She turned away and walked towards the camp. Timura ran to her and put a hand on her shoulder from behind. “What are you going to do?"

“Leave.” Vaela pulled away from Timura and took another step.

Timura raced around her and planted her staff in the ground. “No. You can’t do that.” She cut a hand through the air. “The Church is dangerous. Kaverlna–she’s not stable. I won’t let you go back into danger.” Timura put her other hand on the staff and stepped back into her fighting stance. “I’m here to protect you.” She lowered the tip into ready position. “From yourself, if I have to.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Vaela shied back and raised her stick. “I don’t want to fight you.” She had improved her fighting skills drastically in the past couple days, but Timura was a fierce fighter. They were close to evenly matched. Vaela batted at Timura’s staff, the wood clacking off of the metal. The sound carried through the forest around them.

Timura flinched back, then her hands tightened on the staff. “I won’t let you go.” She tilted her chin down and her face sharpened into the intense expression she had while fighting.

Vaela’s eyes darted to the tree line. In the distance, Surah and the others were sitting, not too far away. If they heard the sounds of fighting, they’d run over. To her aid? No, their help would damn her.

They’d subdue Timura, but also stop Vaela from riding after Adyr. Vaela stepped to the side, lowering her stick. If she truly wanted to rescue Adyr, she’d have to get past Timura quietly. Timura stepped to the side, staying in front of her. Vaela spun and stabbed her stick at the horizon. “You can’t See like I can, but there’s something important out there.” If only she could make her understand. Vaela reached behind her and grabbed Timura’s staff. She jerked her forward, pulling Timura next to her, and jabbed her stick at the horizon again. “Try to understand. Can you feel it?”

Timura glanced at the horizon, her staff lowering. Vaela tensed her legs and Timura snapped back at her. “I’m sorry, but–”

Vaela released her stick, letting it tumble towards the grass. Timura’s head turned, tracking it as it fell down. Her eyes were wide, brow furrowed as she watched in confusion. Vaela jumped to the side, behind Timura, and wrapped her forearm around her throat. Timura’s neck muscles tensed under her arm, but Vaela choked her before her scream got out. Vaela clamped down and caught her wrist with her other hand, cinching tighter.

They fell to the ground, Vaela pulling Timura back by the neck. Vaela slammed into the ground with Timura’s weight on top of her. A grunt exploded from her as pain shot through her back. She refused to let go and used the impact to whip even tighter around Timura’s neck.

Timura writhed and her nails raked into Vaela’s arm. Blood erupted from the gashes and Timura caught purchase on Vaela’s wrist. She latched on with both hands and strained like a pinned animal. Vaela’s arm was forced away and Timura wheezed in a hoarse gasp.

No! She couldn’t lose. No matter the cost.

Vaela jerked her body left and right. Her back rocked against the ground as she pulled her arm over and over, ratcheting against Timura’s grip. Timura’s heart pounded through her chest so hard Vaela could feel it. The pounding like pleading–desperate cries to stop. The throb of Timura’s blood screamed at Vaela as if her Power were beating against Vaela’s senses. Every pulse sent that blood–that Power–through the vessels of Timura’s neck underneath Vaela’s arm. She could feel the artery, that small tunnel, as she crushed it closed. Just a little more. A little more to cut off the flow.

Vaela thrashed, every movement tightening her arm down against Timura’s throat. Blood from the gashes slickened her arm and Timura’s fingers slipped. Vaela slammed her feet into the ground, leveraging her body upward, and jerked her arm with all her might. It slipped under Timura’s fingers, her nails scraping away skin, and Vaela drove her forearm deep into Timura’s neck. Timura’s writhing weakened, her clawing turned to pawing then flopping then nothing as she fell still.

Vaela shuddered, her heart rattling her body so hard she felt sick. She rolled Timura off of her and Timura landed on the ground, her breathing eased with unconsciousness. Oh, Timura…

Vaela pushed to her hands and knees, sobs wracking her chest. Timura. So sorry, didn’t want to.

Her arms trembled and barely kept her up. Vaela sat up, breath heaving, and wiped her face. No time for remorse. Had to leave.

She grabbed the discarded wineskin and brought it over. Her fingers trembled as she used the cord to bind Timura’s hands behind her back. After she cinched it down, she rolled Timura back over. A dot of blood stained Timura’s cheek. Vaela blinked tears out of her eyes and stroked the blood away with her thumb, leaving a red smear. She’d be okay. She wasn’t hurt–just unconscious. Please let her be okay after this.

Vaela pushed back to her feet, her breathing coming in spurts. She found Timura’s tunic and tore a long strip off of it. It had to be done. Couldn’t have her screaming when she woke up. Every second was precious. She balled up the strip and she parted Timura lips, the ones she’d just been kissing, and shoved the gag in.

They’d find her. She’d be okay. But for now, the longer she could keep Timura from following her or alerting the others, the more time she had to go after Adyr without them catching her.

She laid Timura’s head back down and one of Timura’s eyelids lifted half-open. The vessels of her eye had burst, leaving angry red streaks. Vaela shuddered, hot guilt stabbing through her stomach, and she gently closed Timura’s eyelid.

Time to go.

She picked up her stick and stumbled back towards the encampment. Surah’s and the others’ laughter bubbled up from the distance through the trees. Vaela crept to the horses, left untethered for the night, and grabbed her saddlebag. Her shield was strapped to the pack and she lifted it all as quietly as possible. She retrieved an apple and coerced her horse to follow her away.

The sounds of the group faded behind her and she crept until she couldn’t hear them. Once clear, she strapped her saddle onto the horse and kicked up into the seat. Who knew how long before Timura woke up? Vaela shook her head and pointed her horse down the road that they had traveled from. There was no telling–she’d have to ride as fast as possible.

Three days riding since they parted with Adyr. But they’d ridden at a leisurely pace, so it might only take her a day or so to ride back if she didn’t stop. She kicked her horse into motion and ducked down, squeezing her stick in her left hand.

Hold on Adyr. Just a little longer.

She was coming.