Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
Traditional nish thatsha betrothal vow:
My heart and loyalty are yours for this life and the next.
MALACH
I’ve failed my mission.
The madness in S’lach’s brown eyes hasn’t abated in hours. He’s exhausted himself, tearing into me with all his strength. Instead of calming him as it usually does, he’s only become more frustrated. I’m not breaking properly. Not giving him the satisfaction he seeks.
He won’t stop until he kills me, and we both know it.
I believe it’s morning. The hum of lights outside my cell turned on a few hours ago, a sign that the rest of S’lach’s household is beginning a new day while I prepare for my last.
My magic is dead inside me, nullified by the runes etched into the walls, but there’s nothing to numb my disappointment. I failed her, I failed myself, and worse yet, I failed us, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Through swollen eyes, I watch as S’lach approaches me, his mottled wings coated in red splatter. My blood. It doesn’t provoke the same horror that it did a few hours ago.
My agony faded during the night. At first, it was a blessed relief, but now I recognize it for what it is: the end. The eternal beyond is calling my name, urging me to leave this life and embark on the next.
I should want it. But I’m not capable of wanting anything without her. The eternal beyond may be paradise or blissful nothing, but it holds no appeal if Celine isn’t by my side.
“I’m going to be late,” S’lach mutters. “But I have one more test for you, Judgment. If you survive until my return, perhaps I’ll find more use for you.”
Despite myself, I hang on his words. If there’s a chance to live, I must take it. I’ve proven I’m strong enough to withstand his abuse. What more could he possibly do to me?
S’lach pulls something from his pocket and splits it in half, holding a piece in each hand. With the press of his fingers, a red line appears, buzzing, unbroken, and stretched between his hands as the device calls to its other half.
Ice rolls down my spine.
It’s a cutting device. I’ve never used one before, but I’ve seen them at work in the lower echelons. They’re most often used to cleave large chunks of stone from the realm itself.
Every instinct I have screams at me to break free from my restraints and run, putting this place behind me forever. But I’m stuck, unable to plant my feet on the floor, much less tear through my bindings.
S’lach grins, and the urge to close my eyes is difficult to ignore. I’m at his mercy, and he knows it. Then he’s behind me.
I smell something burning. Pain consumes me.
Something hits the floor with a thud.
I tip forward, the weight of my body unfamiliar.
My vision swims.
S’lach laughs.
And I lose my battle to stay.