Commander Zebelon and Jeci's fight was nearing its conclusion. One of them moved slower with every passing exchange, limbs dragging as though the air had thickened around her.
While the other regarded her with contempt, ease, and disgust.
No one joined the battle. Of course, simply because Revant had asked them not to and Jeci herself had demanded it. Lynus was locked in his own fight with another thrall, this one different from the rest. Easy enough to deal with on any given exchange, but the bastard kept coming back.
If he were to count how many times he had struck it down, it would probably number around a hundred. And yet it kept standing up. Kept healing. Kept grinning that hollow grin.
The dawn was rising. Golden light poured out of the horizon and the sky stretched into something glorious, radiant enough that it almost seemed to carry the sound of victory on Ryugan's behalf.
Although that sound was rather silent and somber... could it have been the sound of defeat then?
