Arinya did not remember how long she knelt there, Kelan's head cradled in her lap. The world blurred, fire roaring, people screaming, muskets cracking and yet it all felt distant. Muted. Irrelevant.
Her entire world had just ended.
Again.
Heavy boots approached through the marsh.
She dragged Kelan's body into the tall grass, her hands shaking violently. She pressed her forehead to his, whispering words she didn't understand:
You find me too… in the next life.
A torchlight swept over the reeds. Arinya bit her lip until it bled.But for reasons she never learned, the soldier turned away.
Perhaps the smoke blinded him.
Perhaps Kelan's body shielded her.
Or perhaps some small mercy in the universe still existed, even for star-crossed souls.