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He didn’t have his skeleton creatures, and she didn’t wait for anyone to help her either. This was one on one.

“It would be a shame for you to finally have everything you want, your immortality, your people, your mate, just for me to end you with this sword,” Synick said as she approached.

“It would be, but that’s not going to happen.” She swung and their blades hit with a spark. With a hard shove, she knocked him backward into the body of a dead dragon.

Now that she was immortal, she was physically stronger than him. With a downward hack, she went for his head. He dove to the side and her blade cut a streak in the dragon’s flesh.

This was retribution. This was his judgment day, and he’d been found guilty.

She swung with the might of all the burning stars.

An ice storm began to swirl around them, tearing at her hair. Shards hit her skin but bounced off. Frost covered her armor but the drop in temperature didn’t affect her. She fought back with her vines; they ripped out of the ground thick and strong, breaking up his winter fury.

She swung and he parried, knocking her blade aside, the Sword of Truth sliced through her armor like butter and cut into her lower right rib cage. The pain shocked her for a moment, and she whirled.

Her vine punched out of the ground, aiming straight for his chest. An ice shield formed to block it.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Hel moving in and shook her head.I’ve got this.

With a hard swing, she shattered his ice shield and cut off his decayed arm. He stammered backward, and held up the stump, then he gave a deranged smiled. “Doesn’t hurt.” He charged again.

She ducked under another slash and sidestepped a kick to her bleeding side. They went back and forth striking, magic whirling all around. His black mask fell revealing the decay, showing what he truly was inside.

They hit swords and pushed against each other. Then he made the mistake of puckering his lips, of losing focus to taunt her. She slammed her forehead into his mouth. With a hiss, he stumbled, and she kicked the Sword of Truth from his hand. It flipped end over end until it landed somewhere in the charred grass and amongst the dead.

Zythara hummed, warming her hand.Let us end him, it whispered to her.

Another kick to his gut and he backpedaled. She quickly followed with a stab straight to his heart and slowly shoved Zythara through his armor and bones. The crunch was as satisfying as his gasping. He clutched at her blade squirming as it sunk deeper. His mouth opened but nothing came out.

“I will never think of you again,” she said. “I will even forget your name, but I’m certain you will never forget me. Say hello to the demon princes for me.”

She jerked her sword free and watched him crumble to the ground. It was only moments later that his body decayed, and he was nothing but crusty old skin and bones wrapped in armor.

Over her shoulder she watched the flags of Villhara move toward the woods, chasing the last of the council’s forces. The sounds of battle began to fade as the enemy soldiers died or surrendered.

With the Sword of Truth in hand, Hel walked toward her full of pride. “He will not haunt you or your sister anymore.”

No, he wouldn’t. A sob shook her body, and she slowly sank to her knees. It was done.

Hel dropped before her and wrapped her in his arms. “It’s over, love. It’s over.”

Finally. After two thousand years and dying and being reborn too many times, it had come to an end.

She cried harder.

We are free,Hel said. And vengeance is ours.

I wish vengeance didn’t have to cost so much.She peered over his shoulder at the death and destruction. The acrid smell of burning bodies and dead made her nauseous. The moaning sounds those in pain and close to death was all around them.

With a sniffle, she wiped her cheeks with her palms then took his hand. “Let’s find Katana, Thane, and the others.” She hadn’t seen Leif or Piper since Ronan took them during the commotion.

They didn’t have to walk far to come upon Thane shuffling through the rubble of the dead. Katana stood next to him with a hand over her mouth, looking across the landscape with moisture lining her eyes.

It was always strange after something like this. There was the thrill of victory. Some of the archers on the wall cheered and celebrated, soldiers on the ground boasted about saving the city while others wondered who the army was that came to save them. Few had started looking amongst the dead or helped the injured.

A hundred yards or so away she spotted Piper, Leif, and Ronan marching toward them and relaxed a little. They were covered in soot and Leif’s shoulder still bled but he was up and that meant he would be alright.

Valeen stopped beside her sister and tapped her arm. She whipped toward her and the frown at the corner of Katana’s mouth threatened to turn upward. She threw her arms around her and quietly sobbed in Valeen’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re alright,” Katana said softly. “I saw you fighting Synick and wished I could help but I can barely stand right now.”