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M aris’s hands trembled as she patched another wound. Her tear-damp face turned just as another pained scream issued somewhere in Prospero’s main square. Wiping blood from her hands, she walked aimlessly, surrounded by broken cries. Taking a deep breath, Maris turned back to where the deceased had been laid.

Melvian’s body was on top of countless pieces of fur, covered with a thin sheet. Maris had removed the last arrow as soon as they were far away from the chaos. The babies were safe. Coral volunteered to take care of them. Being that she was still lactating, she was more than happy to feed them.

A soft hand touched hers, pulling her gaze away from the person who used to be her best friend. A Sealian woman showed her wounded leg. With forced smile, she kneeled to have a better look. Another hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to find Eyphah.

“I got this. You need a break,” Eyphah said, squeezing her shoulder.

She couldn’t take a break; she needed to heal as many people as she could. She needed Asclepius’ blessing now more than ever… if she ever had it in the first place. “I can’t—”

“You must,” Eyphah snapped, her grip on Maris growing taut.

Maris’s jaw clenched tightly. She needed to keep her mind busy, or it would go back to Melvian. She couldn’t afford to be emotional, not now.

“I can help,” Eyphah whispered, giving her a rueful smile .

Maris nodded as she stood. Walking around, she tried to filter the screams, the cries of grief, and the physical pain. Maris walked amongst her people, failure pressing hard on her shoulders and chest. Failure. She had failed every single one of them yet again.

She swallowed the knot in her throat and took a deep breath. A soft welcoming rub pulled her from her thoughts. Looking down, Maris watched Cerberus, staring up at her with adoring eyes. Her black fur was disheveled, dirty, and slightly singed. But she’d survived, and she was here, giving Maris some much needed moral support.

“Where were you, girl?” Maris asked, lowering to touch her head and rub under her chin. Suddenly, her attention was caught by a young man leaning against a destroyed wagon’s wheel.

Cai sat with his legs bent, his forearms resting on each knee. Blood stained his hands crimson and his entire body quivered with every ragged breath. Maris scrambled to him, kneeling before the young boy and cupping his blood splattered face. His eyes were dark and dazed. He wasn’t there.

“Cai?” Maris tried to connect their gazes. “Cai, it’s me, Maris.”

The young boy turned to Maris the third time she said his name. Maris struggled to suppress the shocked gasp that threatened to escape her throat, but it was inevitable. Cai, the young happy Cai she knew, wasn’t there. Instead, a husk peered back at her.

“What happened?” she asked, holding his face steady. He tried to pull back, but she wouldn’t allow it. “Cai!”

“I — I pr- protected them,” he stuttered.

Maris frowned, trying to hide the fear creeping up at the back of her neck. “Who?”

“Coljar, Lia, and Kimmi,” Cai whispered, finally breaking away from Maris’s hold and shaking his head as if trying to clear the fog from his mind. “Skylians, they were going to hurt them and I k—” A sob quaked through him, his gaze falling to the ground.

Maris placed a gentle hand on his back and rubbed the guilt away. “You protected them,” she rectified. “You did well.”

“I’ve never…” Cai inhaled a sob and choked on his breath. He racked, his hands forming tight fists.

“This is your first time? Taking a life?” Maris asked.

Maybe talking about it might help the boy come to terms. Cai nodded, facing away from her as if he was ashamed of his actions. Maris gathered him in her arms, pressed her lips to the top of his head, and allowed him to cry .

It wasn’t his fault. Cai was no older than sixteen. He was doing what he thought was right.

Maris pulled back and cupped his face again. His features were painted with regret, and Maris couldn’t help but see Valda reflected in Cai’s expression.

Interrupted by a wave of gasps, Maris’s attention went from Cai to the city gate as Eyphah and Valda dragged Isen inside.

The smell of blood hit Isen’s nose the second he made it to the square. He wasn’t the only one injured. Chaos unfolded before him as he took in the people crying and holding each other. Then, he noticed the wrapped-up body of his mate lying at the far end of the center, and his heart shattered again.

Isen held on to Valda’s shoulder and muttered Melvian’s name. Eyphah tried her best to hold on to him, but as Valda lowered him, his heavy body fell against the ground.

Eyphah cursed before wrapping one arm around his waist and helping him sit. As he straightened, Maris walked to him, kneeling to check over his injuries.

His eyes never left his mate’s body, which lay away from everyone else. He stared, unaware of Maris touching his shoulder to check for injuries, of his sister calling his name. His mission to bring everyone to safety had been pushed to the far corners of his mind. The only thing he saw, was Melvian, covered in a thin sheet dead.

He never thought the silence within him or the sudden emptiness would feel like literal suffocation. His injuries were nothing to the horrible, deafening muteness within him.

Maris shook him, snapping him back to where he was. He wasn’t alone, he was still with people that cared for him. His sister, his queens. They held on to him, grounding him. But still, it was as if the air couldn’t reach his lungs…

As Maris stood to go around his back, he grabbed her wrist tightly, earning a pained groan from her and a snarled warning from Valda.

“Isen! You are hurt—”

“Where are my children?” Isen asked, turning to look at Maris, her image coming in and out of focus. “Are they— ”

“They are with Coral,” Eyphah answered, grabbing his arms, and unhooking his grip from Maris’s arm, who hissed and rubbed her skin. “They are safe, they were fed, they are warm. No one touched them. They are waiting for you.”

Isen released an anxious sigh. They were safe, and alive. That’s what mattered now. Leaning forward, he felt the injuries on his back stretching out, but he didn’t utter a single word of pain. This was punishment for not keeping Melvian safe, for not being near her.

“Let me help you,” Maris whispered, touching his shoulders, but Isen shook his head.

“I am fine,” he lied.

He blatantly lied. He wasn’t fine. If anything, he was sure he wasn’t going to survive. Not without Melvian. Not with this emptiness.

“You are not fine. Look at your back—” Desperation washed over Eyphah, and Isen didn’t blame her. He would be overprotective of her too, were the circumstances reversed. Even so, he didn’t have enough time and needed to say a proper goodbye to his mate.

“A bomb exploded behind me, but the blast was weak. I can assure you.” He groaned and stood straight, towering over Maris and Eyphah. “See? I am fine.” He hit his chest twice, then peered back at Valda. “I am fine.”

At first, Valda looked at him with concern, but then her gaze softened, and her jaw tensed. It was almost as if she knew what he was doing. She slipped her hand over his shoulder and squeezed him before she turned to Maris. “Let him be.”

“Valda…” Maris shook her head, but Valda’s raised hand silenced her protest.

“I need to say goodbye to my mate,” Isen muttered, swallowing the knot in his throat. “Allow me a moment to be with her. Please?”

Maris took a deep breath, peered at Eyphah, and then back at Isen. “Fine,” Maris muttered before pointing a finger at him. “Don’t leave your sister’s side. If a bomb went near you, we must keep an eye on you.”

Isen gave her a rueful smile and nodded. “Yes, my queen…” He attempted to bow, but pain shot from his lower stomach all the way to his chest.

Maris’s chin trembled, and before he could walk away, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing a tender kiss to his bearded face. The embrace was warm, sisterly even, and Isen returned the affection with an overbearing hug.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Pulling back, Maris stared at him one last time before allowing Eyphah to walk next to him. His steps were heavy, more so now that he was trying to hide how severe his injuries were. Thankfully, and by the looks of it, Eyphah was slightly better, strong enough to walk on her own. She would survive this war, and if the gods allowed it, she would be a great aunt to his children. He never said it to her, knowing how she always got when talking about her feelings, but Isen was proud of the woman his sister had become, regardless of the fights that separated them.

Eyphah gave him a knowing look, and he couldn’t help but smile as he touched his tattoo. “Mine is prettier.” Eyphah said, and he knew damn well she was trying to alleviate the situation as she had done when they arrived in the Sky Kingdom years ago.

“It is,” Isen said, a chuckle emanated from his chest before it changed into a coughing fit. Eyphah quickly grabbed on to him, rubbed his back and got him closer to his mate. She helped him settle down next to the corpse but yet, she didn’t move away.

“I will be alright. I just need to be alone for a moment,” Isen said, tilting his head upwards.

“Alright. Call me if you need anything.” Eyphah touched his dirty cheek, kissed the top of his head, and walked far enough away to give him some much-needed space.

Finally, Isen turned to his mate’s body. He could make out her soft and beautiful features through the cloth, and his chest tightened with the emptiness that weighed him down. His blood-stained hand pulled down the sheet, revealing his mate’s clean face. Of course, Maris had cleaned her up. Those two seemed inseparable…

Melvian looked as if she was sleeping. As if at any second, she would open her gorgeous eyes, look at him, and smile. She would probably fight with him, tell him to clean up or to join her in bed.

Gods, he would give anything to be laying in a warm bed with her. Touching her, keeping her warm, their children between them. Isen swallowed hard. A sob broke from deep within him, and he groaned as the pain moved throughout his body. Isen parted his lips, but the emotions swelled his throat, and he could barely talk. He bit his lower lip and leaned over her, his mouth touching over the cold skin of her forehead.

“I am so sorry,” he muttered, pulling back and brushing the back of his hand against her cheek. “I am so sorry I couldn’t protect you.” He sighed, looked past her, and turned to see his sister talking to a Vulcanian soldier.

“But the babies will be fine. They will be well taken care of.” He knew it. Valda, Maris nor Eyphah would allow any harm to fall on their children and yet, why did he feel so much guilt?

“I am sorry we didn’t have enough time to see them grow, I am sorry I…” He pressed his forehead to the furs and sighed. “I am sorry I couldn’t take you to the Sea Kingdom. You would’ve loved it there. The beaches, the islands… You would’ve loved all of it.”

Isen straightened, his hand still on her cheek, his eyes still roaming her beauty. “I will find you, Melvian,” he whispered, only for him to hear. “I will find you, and I will make you fall for me. We will have children, we will raise them, and we will grow old.” He nodded at his words. “We will have all the time in the world, just for us. The gods can’t be this cruel… Not to you.”

He leaned forward once more, the pain coursing through him was not enough to stop him from kissing his mate one last time. “I love you, Melvian. We will see each other soon.”

Exhaling, the pain dissipated as he closed his eyes, never to open them again.

Valda sat down next to Maris, wondering when would be the right time to tell what had happened with Eris. If anything, her weak and drained body would’ve been a dead giveaway of the battle she had just been a part of.

Instead, she looked at Maris, noticing the dark circle under her eyes. Her heart ached for her. She had never seen Maris so tired.

She had no words of solace; she could only offer her presence and pray that it would be enough for Maris. Leaning against the wooden crate behind her, Valda propped her arms over her bent knees and sighed when Maris leaned her head against her shoulder. Valda welcomed the closeness with a soft kiss on Maris’s head.

Valda closed her eyes for just a second, taking in her lover’s scent. She was here, she was alive, and she was with her. She couldn’t even imagine if it was Maris wrapped up in the thin white sheets. The thought alone was enough to squeeze the air right out of her lungs. Maris surely felt her uneasiness, she squeezed her thigh affectionately before pulling back to inspect her face.

“I am fine,” Valda said, brushing loose strands of hair away from Maris’s face.

Yet Maris frowned, her hand trailing to press over Valda’s chest. “Are you?”

“Isen! ”

Both Valda and Maris turned towards the voice, finding Eyphah, shaking Isen’s unconscious body on the ground. Valda’s stomach dropped. She was the first to stand, but it was Maris who rushed to the captain’s side, kneeling next to him and pressing her fingers to his neck.

Maris’s face darkened as she shifted her gaze to Eyphah. “What happened?”

Eyphah shrugged as she shook Isen again. “He was fine! He was saying goodbye to Melvian!” Eyphah sobbed. “Isen! Wake up!”

Valda frowned, her mind drifting to the memory of Isen’s charred back. She moved Maris’s hands away and ripped the captain’s shirt, exposing his torso. His skin had changed color. His abdomen had a dark, blotched spot, moving from his back to his flank and reaching his lower stomach.

Valda shuddered in a breath in disbelief, her hands trembling in realization.

The bomb…

It had exploded behind him.

He had internal injuries…

“Do something!” Eyphah begged, cradling Isen’s face.

Maris’s gaze jumped from the dark skin on Isen’s torso to Valda. “Get me some Sealian water. We can fix this.”

Valda blinked, startled. She nodded and pushed herself off the floor. Stumbling across Prospero’s square, her eyes drifted through what was left of the attack. Damaged wagons laid out on the ground. Inside them, cracked water barrels. Valda inspected one by one, her hope of finding a sip of water diminishing as the barrels broke under her instigation.

Valda shook her head as she checked the last wagon. There was no Sealian water. How could she return and tell Eyphah they couldn’t help Isen?

Valda clenched her fist at her side, swallowed her desperation, and ran back to Maris. The other woman was using her entire body weight to give Isen compressions, while Eyphah cried quietly, resignation on her face.

As Valda got closer, Maris lifted her gaze, her face slightly hopeful. “Did you get it?” she asked, never stopping her attempt to bring Isen back.

Valda’s lower lip quivered as she shook her head. “There’s none left.”

Maris slowly stopped her compression while Eyphah demanded why she was stopping. “What? No. That can’t be right.” Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, turning back to Isen, her hands still on his chest.

“There is none left,” Valda muttered, tightening her jaw .

Eyphah’s shoulders dropped. She leaned over Isen’s corpse and enveloped the body in a tight hug. Her face pressed against the crook of his neck as she released a pained howl. Maris fell on her bottom. Her hands trembled as she looked past Isen and Eyphah, her gaze falling on Melvian’s corpse.

“They couldn’t stay away…” Maris whispered, Eyphah’s cries drowning her voice. She turned her head to Valda. “They couldn’t—”

Valda silenced Maris by falling on her knees and wrapping her in a tight embrace. Her mate’s entire body quaked, as she cried onto Valda’s shoulder.

Squeezing her tightly, Valda looked down at Captain Hurley’s body. She closed her eyes tightly and tried her hardest to stop the gathering of her tears.

“They have been blessed with death together,” Valda rasped, her hand rubbing warm circles over Maris’s back. “They will find each other soon enough.”

The night brought an eerie quietness to Prospero. The houses, once filled with bombs, were now used for shelter for the Sealians. The square was cleaned out, leaving only a steady and ever burning pyre. Its heavy flames consumed the bodies of those who lost their lives in the attack.

Maris sat near a destroyed wagon, watching the fire. In her arms, Ciel fussed, her tiny hands reaching to grab something, anything.

Moments ago, Maris and Eyphah had walked inside the house Coral and the babies were taking refuge in. The woman had fallen asleep, her child on her chest while the two babies rested in an improvised crib, made from wood and furs. Eyphah, broken and destroyed, released a heavy sob as she walked to the crib and picked up Struan. Although the baby’s hair was dark like a Skylian, she commented on the resemblance between the child and Isen. Maris allowed her to have a moment with her nephew before she picked up Ciel, who slept peacefully, wrapped in warm blankets.

Now, Maris stared at the burning flame. The crackling and popping kept her mesmerized by the notion that her best friend, along with her mate, had been consumed by the fire. Combining their ashes would help them find each other faster in the afterlife. Maybe. Hopefully .

Melvian… She was more than a best friend. That woman had appeared in her life and made it worth trying again and again. She was never afraid to speak her mind, to let Maris know when she wasn’t being sane…

She lost a sister.

A knot formed in her throat, and she swallowed hard to keep herself from crying again. A soft bump stole her attention. Cerberus’ shadowy figure sat beside her, rubbing her head against her side before lying next to her. A set of footsteps approached her, and as she raised her gaze, she found Valda highlighted by the fire’s light. In her arms, Struan slept peacefully. Not uttering one word, the other woman sat next to Cerberus, her face wet with tears.

It was strange seeing Valda cry, then again, she and Isen must’ve become close in the past months.

Suddenly, Struan fussed, his soft cries incited Ciel’s. Both babies wailed gently, their tiny hands reaching to grasp something.

“I took him from Eyphah, she was crying with Coral when I found her,” Valda said, cooing at Struan and rocking him in her arms. “Do you… think they know their parents are gone?”

“Perhaps,” Maris whispered, pressing her forehead to Ciel. The baby girl hiccupped, whined one last time, and then settled in Maris’s arms.

Valda leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Maris watched her through her own exhaustion. The silence brought some comfort. And so did the sounds of the nightly creatures, and the crackling and popping fire.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Valda’s deep voice broke the silence. “Only Eris and Arwin’s.”

Maris tensed, her eyes drifting to Ciel’s face. The baby girl’s uncanny resemblance to her mother made Maris’s heart ache even more. “I couldn’t help her,” she muttered, her lower lip quivering. “And I didn’t notice his injuries.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Valda’s tone was final, and there was no space for Maris to disagree. And yet, she did wholeheartedly. If only she had been blessed… If only she had listened to Melvian... She would’ve still be alive along with Isen and many others more.

Everything happened so fast. Maris shuddered in a breath and closed her eyes tightly. The flashes of pandemonium hit her with full force. The blood, the screams, the cries. She remembered Cai and what he had told her. She could already see Coljar and the rest running for safety, Cai’s hesitance to kill. He was just a boy and had taken it upon himself to play the role of a soldier. Maris imagined his soul cracking as his sword plunged into a traitorous Skylian.

A child, forced to do things he didn’t want to do…

Maris’s eyes fluttered open, and she turned to her mate again.

A child forced to do things…

A child.

Valda’s tired eyes drifted from the infant in her arms to Maris. Confusion raked through her as she tilted her head. “What is it, Seashell?”

Maris swallowed hard as fresh tears covered her cheeks. “I forgive you.”

Valda’s frown disappeared as the realization settled in her features. “Seashell—”

“I forgive you for what you did to my father. It wasn’t your fault.”

Valda even her breath, trying not to be loud as she struggled to breathe. “Maris… I— Why?”

Maris scoffed and shook her head. “I thought you would be happy that I forgave you. Instead, you ask me why?”

“Of course…”

Maris rolled her tongue over her lips, tasting the saltiness of her tears. “Cai killed today, for the first time. It... changed him. He wasn’t himself and I couldn’t help but see you in him. You were young, you were following orders, you didn’t know what you were doing.” She shrugged. “You did what you thought was right.”

She glanced at Valda, who nodded at her words. A heaviness in her chest lifted, as well as Valda’s. She could feel how the other woman breathed easily. “Valda, if we ever get separated—”

“We won’t.”

“If we do—”

“Maris,” Valda interrupted, her large hand gripping Maris’s thigh in warning. Her eyes pierced through Maris’s tear-clouded gaze, and she said, “We will stay together.”

Maris swallowed the lump in her throat. Forgiving Valda was important to her, especially now, she could feel how close death was to them. If she lost Valda without forgiving her— Maris shook her head, going back to Ciel. The baby slept soundly in her arms, warm and protected. Valda moved closer to her while Cerberus stood and curled up in front of both women. Valda pulled Maris into her, sharing warmth together while Struan cooed. And for a moment, the pain in Maris’s heart diminished.