“I can’t!” She swung at me again.
I pulled Lady Mary from my belt. The sound of our blades clashing rang against the walls.
“Go! All of you!” I barked at the others.
“I’m not leaving—” Meridan said.
I shoved Dahlia away from me and gave Mullins a fierce look. With a nod, he grabbed Meridan's arm and dragged her back toward the exit passage with David and James close in tow.
“Dahlia, listen to me. I—”
She gave me no leeway to finish before she was swinging her blade again. I knocked it aside, realizing that had I not, my guts would be on the floor.
“Kill him, kill him,kill him!” she screamed. “It is all I can hear.”
We circled each other, two killers who didn’t want to hurt one another. I knew I was the better swordsman. I knew I could win in that regard. Dahlia had her teeth, but she was at war with herself. I had the upper hand if I wanted it, but never had I dreaded victory so much.
“You don’t want to kill me,” I said.
“You did not want to kill your father. But you know as well as I that free will is the biggest lie of all. Deep down, you know it.”
“Then why are we here if not by our own free will?”
“Because he drew us here.” Her words spilled out of her, pain and regret woven into every syllable. “What if this was his plan from the beginning and I never had a choice? Every dream. Every fear. It was all leading here in the end. I am my mother after all.”
“You are not your mother. I am not my father. Blood does not define us. What we have done—what we have been through—thatis what defines us. We have defied every expectation this world thrust upon us. We found each other through all the strife and chaos. We can find each other again. You can come back to me. He can bend your mind, Dahlia, but your heart is mine. And your soul is yours.”
She gritted her teeth, pressing the heels of her palms to her temples as she staggered.
“I brought you all here to die,” she muttered. “I thought I was fighting him, but I’ve just been doing everything he wanted me to do.”
“No.”
“His sons. The Kraal. Why did they not follow us into the temple? Theyletus come to this place and we ignored that fact.Just like a part of me ignored it in Dornwich. And the Kroans? Since then, they’ve been quiet. Even they are hiding from all this. Don’t you see?”
I moved closer to her and as if that caused her more pain, she screamed like a dying animal.
“I can’t!” she cried, throwing her cutlass across the chamber so hard, it bounced off the opposite wall. “You knew where this could lead. Kill me. You had the strength to do it once.”
“No,” I repeated. “This is not the same.”
“You said you would.” She pointed, her eyes black, all traces of that rich gray color swallowed by shadows. “You promised to protect yourself, even against me. He is ripping my mind apart as we speak. I will be no better than my mother. If you could hear what he wants me to do to you. I…”
Again, the pain seemed to overwhelm her and she bit her tongue, running her hands through her hair and pulling at the strands. She stumbled like the room was tilting beneath her and nearly toppled over. I rushed to her side, unable to bear the sight of her misery. The moment I touched her arms, she righted herself, slowly lifting her head to look at me.
“Why?” she whispered. “Why can we not keep our promises to each other?”
As soon as I heard the question, a sharp and sudden pain struck me like lightning. My gaze locked onto her dark eyes as I watched the realization wash through her. Our attention slowly dropped to the bone knife gripped in her fist, the length of which was buried between my ribs. Hot blood flowered against the fabric of my shirt.
“No,” Dahlia breathed.
Slowly, I took her wrist in my hand, groaning as I pushed it away and the knife with it. The way the rough edges dislodged from my muscles unveiled a truth I didn’t want to accept. One I thought I was prepared for until that moment when I felt completely caught off guard. I pressed my hand to the wound and staggered back.
“No,” Dahlia said again, her shaking hand unfolding until the bloodied bone knife fell to the ground. “No… Vidar, I’m sorry.” She rushed forward, cupping her hand over mine in a panic, her voice cracking. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I—”
“Can’t do anything about it now, love,” I grunted.
“We can leave.” She hoisted my other arm over her shoulders and began to walk me toward the arch. “There is nothing here but pain.”
