I should have felt hatred and disgust toward this Mage who would have killed me in an instant if we’d met in any other circumstance. But all I could conjure was pity.
Somehow, despite the horrific extent of his injuries, the man was clinging to life.
A guttural noise I could only describe as something a wild boar would make when skewered rattled from his chest. The lack of jaw and tongue made it that much more painful to listen to.
The Mage careened around aimlessly for a moment, bouncing off of trees and making that gods-awful noise every time his exposed face came in contact with the spiky bark. Eventually, he tripped over an exposed root, crashing down to the forest floor with another of those squeals.
A pang of pity zipped through my body.
No one should have to die like this, in this much pain.
I quickly glanced to my right beyond the line of trees. Sufficiently convinced that Solace was occupied and no one else was about to wander through, I sheathed one of my daggers before cautiously approaching the downed Mage.
He writhed on the ground, his hands flopping uselessly against the forest floor. He was missing a few fingers on each hand; bone was exposed in some cases, as if the flesh was stripped from his digit, while fleshly remains hung from the other spaces.
“Hey,” I said loudly, confident the sounds of battle would drown out my words. “I’m going to help you.”
The Mage made no indication that he heard me, though his body stopped rocking when he felt my hand against his neck. I watched as his back rose and fell in jerky movements. He was dying even without my help, but the long-dormant healer in me couldn’t let this man suffer any more than he already had.
Were we any better than Solace and our enemies if we left others to suffer in such a way? Compassion is what separated us; if we preached this virtue and planned to rule this way once Solace was removed, shouldn’t we practice it now?
Lodging my hands beneath the prone Mage, I heaved with all my might, muscles straining under his immense weight, until he was resting on his back. His shaky hands fell against his chest, the breath rattling in his lungs.
Up this close, his injuries nearly made me vomit; the sight only made worse by the leaves, mud, and bugs that stuck to his open wounds.
“Let me ease your passing,” I said, imploring the man to understand.
A low whine eased from his throat as tears built in his hazy eyes. The sound was different than what I’d heard previously, and I took it to mean consent.
With a deep breath that I held, I quickly pushed one of my long, thin daggers between two ribs, angling it upward to hit his heart.
I exhaled as blood dribbled from the wound and coated my dagger and hand, relief echoing in the man’s eyes as I watched his life fade away.
“What the fuck are we doing,” I mumbled to myself, removing my dagger and wiping it against my dirty pant leg. I shook my head in frustration.
This is not who we are, not what we stand for.
Anger bubbled in my chest as I continued moving through the trees, seeking Solace in the chaos of battle once more.
I need to end this now before we devolve even further into twisted wickedness with no return.
She’d moved closer to the tree line while I dealt with the disfigured Mage, and I quickly climbed the nearest maple, scurrying up the branches until I was perched high above the battle. Solace was fighting three of our Mages, a lazy smile on her face as if she were holding back.
I winced, wanting to call out to our soldiers to watch their flanks, but I was too late and my position too tenuous. In a move quicker than lightning, Solace stole the air from the three Mages, their attacks instantly abandoned in favor of clutching their throats as their faces slowly turned a deep shade of red, then purple.
Eyes bulging from their heads, they sank to their knees, bodies twitching with the lack of oxygen as spittle foamed at the corners of their mouths.
Do it now, while she’s distracted!
Gripping my daggers more firmly in my hands, I moved to the end of the branch as Solace took a menacing step toward the incapacitated Mages.
With a battle cry, I launched myself off the tree branch, landing solidly on Solace’s back. I jolted from the impact, crying out as it felt like my skin was on fire. Immediately, Solace began to paw at me, her long nails cutting into my face and neck, leaving deep gouges that bled profusely.
I cursed at the sting, grappling for purchase on her bony frame as I maneuvered one of my daggers high above her head. Without pausing to think, I plunged the dagger down, aiming for the area between her ear and forehead.
One strike, that’s all that it takes.
Solace twisted at the last second, causing my blade to miss the mark and sink deep into her shoulder. The goddess hissed in pain beforeflinging me off.
