The day crawls toward evening. Jaga is destroyed and remade in the same, tedious ways, burned with Dadzbog’s sunlight, crushed with Swarog’s hammers, and fried with Perun’s lightning. My allies are either unconscious or on the edge of it. Perun sucks magic out of them every few hours to make surenone can fight back. I don’t regain any power, the plants rooted in my legs taking it all.
It's late afternoon by the time Perun goes to Jaga again. She’s a steaming roast of a woman, her hair all burned off by now, her skin charred. He heals her with an impatient wave of his hand, and she comes to with a shocked gasp of air, instantly coughing when her newly regrown lungs can’t take the air.
“I get it,” Perun says impatiently. “You are strong enough to withstand torture. You proved your point. But can you do it day after day, through all eternity? The pain will never lessen, because your body will be remade over and over. You won’t get used to it. Is it really worth it? Give in, and I’ll let you go.”
She exhales wearily and shakes her head. “I’d rather burn forever than be yours.”
Perun fries her with lightning until her limbs flail helplessly, but he’s not focused on her. He watches my allies with a frown, and after a moment, I realize his gaze is on Chors. My son sits on his heels in the grass, his collar no longer burning, though he bears angry red scars all around his neck. His eyes are feverish, lips parted and swollen as he struggles to take in air.
“I should have woken my wife, after all,” Perun says with a grim smile. “She would have reminded me.”
He motions for the dragons guarding Chors to bring him closer. The remnants of my heart shatter into pieces. So this is how it will be. Both my loves will be tortured side by side, and I will be helpless to stop it.
“You don’t care for Weles or you would have given him your soul,” Perun tells Jaga with quiet satisfaction, even though she probably can’t understand him. Blood and drool drip down her chin, and her eyes twitch uncontrollably as she swings in the chains.
“But I remembered my wife’s stupid ravings just now. You fucked this one, didn’t you? Maybe you care abouthim.”
“No!” I cry out, struggling. “No! She cares about me! She loves me! Torture me to make her agree! Do it to me!”
Perun snorts. “Brother, I’ve tortured you all this time. Nyja said you’re the only one who can kill her, isn’t that right? I bet you’ve been in agony trying to decide whether to slaughter your whore or not.”
His response gives me pause, because it suggests he’s tried to learn some subtlety. Perun relied on brute force for everything when I knew him. His answer is unexpected. Also—wrong.
What makes me suffer isn’t the choice between killing her or not, because that’s already decided. I will do what I must.
I hurt because Jaga hurts. Nothing was ever simpler.
I laugh without mirth. “Was that your goal? I didn’t even realize you were torturingme.You should try harder, brother. That one was a failure.”
Come on! Take the bait. Forget Chors and hurt me.
Perun frowns, unhappy about my reaction, but doesn’t abandon his targets. I grit my teeth, defeated. All I can look at is Jaga and Chors, both in pain, both about to be flayed open. I want to shut my eyes so badly, but I can’t. It would be like a betrayal, a cowardly escape.
But what can I do? Less than little.
A tiny burst of magic surges in my chest, and I use it before the oak roots suck it out. I chip away at the chains binding my arms. If they are free, I’ll be able to dig my hand in the earth to reach my belt and the blade tucked there.
I’ll go down fighting.
“Now,” Perun says, standing in front of Jaga. “Either you’ll give yourself to me or I’ll torture him until he goes mad.”
He grabs Chors by the hair and pulls him up for her to see. Jaga’s eyes roll in her sweaty face, and she jerks her head to the side.
“So useless.” Perun tsks, shooting healing magic into her throat. “Talk. What will it be?”
“No. D-don’t hurt him,” she whispers with effort, too weak to speak up.
Chors makes a tight, ragged sound in his throat. Perun shocks his vocal chords with lightning, and he falls quiet, wheezing for air.
“Will you give yourself to me if I spare him?” Perun asks.
Jaga shakes her head jerkily, then nods. My heart freezes for a moment, then launches into a gallop.Oh no. No!
“Fucking finally,” Perun says with a weary sigh. “So tiring.”
So it’s time. I will have to kill her.
It’s like she hears my thoughts. Jaga’s unsteady, bloodied eyes tear away from Chors. Her gaze lands on me, heavy and expectant. I shake my head, tears gathering in my eyes.
