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“Cut it out! Cut it out, cut it out, please. Now.” I shoved my arm toward him, screaming over another burst of pain, and I was certain he understood when he saw how it was pushing against the scar.

I writhed, falling to the side.

It was sharp. Piercing. Claiming.

I couldn’t tell if the others were still fighting. I thought I heard the singing of blades and saw their shadows circling us, but there were too many people.

All blurred forms.

Too much of Kakias’s power. We couldn’t match it.

Sapphire continued to whinny, a high and torturous sound and holy fucking Angels if Kakias touched my horse I’d cut out her unfeeling heart while she still lived.

“I—I can’t do that.” Tol’s voice sounded far away, but when I pried my eyes open, his fingers shook around the Vincienzo dagger.

“I need—I need you—ah—” My voice scraped up my vocal cords as if they were shredding, too. Every piece of me was disintegrating under these two warring powers. Bolts of Angellight against dark fire, too much for my mortal flesh to contain. “Get it out of me. Please. Tol, I need you to do this for me.”

Anguish twisted his features, tears rolling down his cheeks, too—the reluctance morphing to acceptance at what I was asking him to do. There was something tortured in his stare that broke both of our hearts. Something that said we both understood we were going to have to do horrific things before this ended, but it was a deeply-rooted nightmare to have to do them to the other.

I almost relented. Almost grabbed the blade myself so he didn’t have to do it because Tolek had suffered too much already, but nothing about my body was under my control.

Tolek gripped my wrist, his hands sure.

“Okay.” It was a low reassurance. “Okay, love, I’ve got you.” With the hand holding the dagger, he lifted my chin. Made this horrendous moment surrounded by bloodshed feel as if it was only us two. “Give me those beautiful eyes.” His voice shook, and I didn’t know why he sounded like he was carving out his own heart, but if this was what he needed, I would do it. “Don’t look away. Please.”

And he cut.

And I held my scream, bit my lip until I tasted blood, but I did as he asked. Eyes locked to his, the rest of the world gone. Blood poured over my arm, across the searing slices he left as that poisoned tar left my body in unspooling coils, solid and seemingly alive.

And the whole time, Tolek whispered shaking, soothing words to the both of us.

When it was done, purged, and the only pain left was from the new incision he’d had to give me, darkness edged around my vision.

But my body was lighter than it had been since Daminius.

A high scream pierced the fog. I thought I knew who it was but couldn’t remember.

“Close your eyes,” Tolek whispered. “I’ll get you out of here.”

I collapsed, Tol’s solid arms catching me. He scooped me up, cradling me, kissing the side of my head as he started to run.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he repeated in my ear, voice thick.

I didn’t know why. This wasn’t his fault. He’d been the one to take away the pain, not cause it. Tolek Vincienzo had saved my life again.

Bodies moved around us. It sounded like more than our horses and friends, but we were shadowed by the forest, and I couldn’t make out more than shapes.

I thought I heard a familiar deep voice saying my name. Thought something thudded against the crease beneath my elbow. Thought Tolek answered over his shoulder.

But I couldn’t be sure of any of it.

“Wherearewegoing?” My words were slurred.

“Somewhere safe,” Tolek answered.

Safe.

For every day I lived, I’d ensure he was safe from his own thoughts, his own past, as he did what I needed today to guarantee I was safe from the queen’s wrath. He was my safety as I was his.