I still knelt there, too shocked to speak, too shocked even for tears, when the first of the others reached me. I felt a hand on my shoulder but the words spoken behind me went right over my head. “Keza?” Only when he repeated himself I finally realized it was Eld'tide. I looked up at her briefly, barely registering that she appeared unhurt, before returning my attention to Kor'za's lifeless body. She followed my gaze and swallowed hard as she realized what had me in such a state. We hadn't know her for long but this was still a blow that shook us to the core. We owed her our lives after all. Probably several times over. And now she was dead. Possibly because I just shook off that female head hunter instead of killing her.

Kivilan stumbled past me in the darkness, dropping to his knees as well next to the body of his companion. It was as if he were a puppet that had its strings cut. He pulled her into a hug crying. He cried like I had never seen anyone before, his tears mixing with her blood. The sight tore my heart apart. Only then did I realize that I was crying as well. No sobs were wracking my body but the tears were flowing freely down my cheeks. There was no holding them back. On one hand I was glad that Eld'tide appeared unhurt. On the other hand that made Kivilan's loss all the more bitter. And in the deepest depths of my soul I felt ashamed for being glad that it was not my lifelong friend who lay there dead.

Neither of us dared disrupt Kivilan's grieving but Eld'tide tightened her grasp on my shoulder. “We need to get away from here. I think we killed all of the ones that came after us, but more might still come.” She turned to look at the bloody battlefield around us. “Let us gather everything that can be of use to us and get out of here.” Still crying I got to my feet, to do as she had suggested. We gathered arrows, crossbow bolts and knives as well as some other odds and ends. It wasn't much. It was the dead bodies of our enemies that really mattered. And in the end I wasn't sure if they could make up for our loss this night. No, probably not. Before long we were done with this grisly task.

As we had searched the bodies of the dead for things of use I had come to another realization. “We haven't gotten all of them. At least one got away. The one who took Kor'za's head.” I sounded as grim as my mood was. Eld'tide winced wordlessly. Without her head we wouldn't be able to properly perform any funerary rites. Sure, we could build a pyre and burn her remains, but without her head it just wouldn't be a proper funeral. Her spirit might even become a restless soul instead of joining her ancestors as was proper. I swallowed hard. We had to get it back.

As we returned to our fallen comrade and the young darkelf grieving for her he had passed out and lay slumped over her body. Maybe it was for the better. I looked at Eld'tide. “You carry him. I will carry Kor'za.” she nodded and picked up the young darkelf. She slung him over her back. It obviously took some effort, but she would manage. I in turn picked up his gorgon companion's headless body. She was heavier than she looked. Heavier than I had expected as well. I had to shift her weight about a little until I could be certain that I wouldn't accidentally drop her along the way. She didn't deserve such humiliation. No. She would have deserved to live a long and happy life. Instead that life had been snuffed out under an ominous new moon by one of The Devourers servants.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to let out all the anger that was boiling in my heart. But I swallowed down those screams to cry in silence instead as I followed Eld'tide. We probably left plenty tracks. Our hideout wouldn't remain a secret for much longer this way but I was beyond caring. I was in a daze. I barely even noticed as we reached the cave entrance. Eld'tide made a sound like an angry tree cat. Something I wouldn't have recognized until a few days ago. It was the signal we had agreed upon. From within the cave Kaele replied with her own not quite as accurate interpretation of the same sound. She was safe. A wave of relief washed over me, followed by more guilt and shame.

Kaele came hurrying outside to greet us. She paled as she realized that the two of us were carrying the others. She failed to realize the true extent of the drama though. She hurried to Eld'tide to check on Kivilan. “What is with him? Is that blood? Is he hurt?” She looked first at Eld'tide then at me for answers. Neither of us felt ready to provide those answers yet though. She was panicking and I couldn't hold it against her. Only once she realized that Kivilan still had a pulse she calmed down at least a little. Not by much though. She turned towards me again. Stopping after a step though as she began to ever so slowly realized what was wrong.

I wanted to say that Kivilan would be fine but that would have been a lie. I shook my head and sighed. “He has a broken heart.” I slipped the dead gorgon's body off my shoulder until I carried it in a princess carry. “Kor'za is dead. A head hunter got her.” I could see Khuzan at the entrance of the cave now, with his arms around the shoulders of the children. He paled at my words as well and the little boy started sobbing while the girl tried to hold back her tears. I walked towards them. None of us were truly strangers to death after the last few days. I stopped next to Khuzan and the children, addressing the girl in a soft tone. “Don't hold back those tears. Let her spirit know that you cared for her with every tear, every sob and every cry. She deserves no less.”

With these words I walked past them, still cradling Kor'za's body in my arms. One by one the others followed me back in. I set her down at the sleeping spot furthest from the rest, arranging her body as if she were just sleeping. At least as far as anything like that was possible. With her head missing and the ragged cut where it had been removed there was no doubt about the gruesome fate that had befallen her. I looked at the others as they gathered around us. Even Kivilan was back on his own feet, although he looked like he could collapse again any second. My sister was supporting him. “Tonight we cry and mourn. Tomorrow we build a pyre for her. We will get her head back and we will avenge her. We will make the hills run red with the blood of our enemies.”