As soon as Talic saw Armita, his heart sank. She stood limply like a marionette puppet with her butterfly knives at her side; her possessed sister was right in front of her as she caressed her face. Surrounding them were twelve other cult members; they stood menacingly with their weapons. “Dammit no…” he whispered in disbelief.
Ithani tilted her head up and laughed. “Haha! I wonder when you were going to show up,” she guffawed, turning her head toward him. Her glowing red eyes gleamed with delight. “It looked like my comrades were able to slow you and your mutt down enough to allow me a chance to convince Armie to join my cause. Now she only cares about protecting her baby sister!”
“Armita, please wake up! It’s me, Talic! You need to fight her control over you,” he cried out, ignoring the Dalenthi. His attention was focused on his beloved, who still stood there in silence. Next to him, Cuzo growled and barked as if he was trying to help his master out.
The Dalenthi rolled her eyes. “Don’t even bother trying, Talic. She only listens to me. Isn’t that right, sister?” Armita nodded slowly. “So here is what I want you to do. That terrible Eireneridan is trying to kill me because he wants to keep you all to himself! You have to stop him!”
“Armita, stop! Don’t listen to her!” he began to plead, but she charged at him without any hesitation. He had no choice but to get out of her way; her knives just missed him by a few millimeters. Before he could have a chance to regain his footing, he saw from the corner of his eyes that one of the other Dalenthi lunging at him. Dammit! Ithani was using her to distract him while the others was going to attack him from behind. Luckily for him, Cuzo pounced and forced the cult member to the ground before tearing at his arms, which covered his face. After a few minutes, his would-be killer laid on the desert sands, dead.
“Good boy, Cuzo! Guard my back!” he praised. He looked at Armita, who refused to look at him and gripped his quarterstaff determinedly. Meanwhile, I’m going to find a way to wake her up from Ithani’s spell.
His loyal wolf did just that. Whenever one of Velscendus cult members tried to ambush him, Cuzo was there to protect him. They were always close call too, but luckily he would jump out of the way of Armita’s attack that very moment. Panting, Talic took a breather and wiped the sweat from his brow. He still focused on trying to bring Armita back to her senses, but whenever he tried to reach her, she backed away. “That’s right, Armie! Don’t let him come near you!” Ithani cheered, clapping her hands giddily.
Talic clenched his jaw. She was starting to get on his nerves! That was when it dawned on him. Instead of trying to reach Armita, he should focus his attack on her possessed sister instead. If he managed to defeat her, then he might be able to break her spell. With that goal in mind, he made his move. Dashing past Armita, he charged at Ithani, who seemed startled by his new course of action. “Stop him!” she shrieked just as he swung his weapon at her.
Thunk! Talic was stunned to see Armita standing right in front of him; her knives had blocked his attack. “I knew that I can depend on you, Armie!” her possessed sister said, clapping her hands. How was she able to get there so fast? He was still wondering about it when she abruptly pushed his quarterstaff back and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him down.
“Oomph!” Just as he was falling down to the ground, a fireball shot past him, barely missing him as it singed the front of his shirt. Talk about a close call! He turned his head just in time to see Cuzo leapt on top of his would-be assassin, who was lurking behind some rocks, and bit him in the throat. He didn’t even notice that there was one other Dalenthi left. If it wasn’t for Armita to kick him out of the way, then…
All of a sudden, he felt something pinning him to the ground and then something sharp and cool on his neck. Glancing up, he saw Armita was on top of him with her head still shrouded in shadows. She held one of her knives at his throat. “Good job, Armie! You got him where I wanted him!” He heard Ithani proclaimed as she came into view. She knelt beside Armita and smiled, baring her teeth. “Now finish him off before his mutt has time to stop you!”
“Armita…” That was when she finally looked up at him, and he saw it. Her eyes were not glassy unlike the previous time; they were lucid and alert. He opened his mouth to say something, but she winked at him before turning her knife on Ithani, who didn’t have time to react.
The surprised Dalenthi stared at the knife protruding between her bosoms. “Sister… but why?” she whispered. Blood trickled down her mouth as she stared at Armita in disbelief.
The older Culao sister didn’t answer at first as she slowly got off of Talic and turned to face her. She snarled, “Because my sister died a long time ago when you took her away from me. No matter how hard you wish, you will never be her. Oh, and one more thing…” She grabbed the hilt of her knife and yanked it out. “Don’t you ever call me ‘sister’!”
Before Armita could walk away, Ithani grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her back down. She then opened her mouth as if she was trying to say something, but no words come out except for her dying breaths. At first Talic thought she was trying to say something, but then he observed an eerie wisp coming out of her mouth. She knows that she’s dying and trying to possess Armita as a last resort, he realized and desperately got up to stop her just as the Dalenthi left her host’s body, which crumpled to the ground. However, it wasn’t necessary – Kejuta’s gift protected her.
As soon as the malicious spirit touched the necklace, it glowed brightly like the sun before it repealed the demon, forcing it back to her previous host. The demon could only stare at Armita, who stood stoically, as she gasped her last breath.
A relieved but exhausted Talic walked over to Armita, who hadn’t moved from her spot. She was still staring at her dead sister’s corpse. He suddenly felt somber because he knew that she was most likely devastated at what she had to do. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he started to say, “Armita, I’m sorry about…”
“I’m fine, Talic,” she interrupted as she patted his hand and took a deep breath. “My sister died a long time ago when that fiend took over her body. I realized that after I talked to Lady Alethea. Yet…” She turned to face him and he saw that tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Why am I still grieving? She wanted to kill you so badly, and I knew that I have to stop her. That’s why I have to kill her. I already lost my sister, and I didn’t want to lose you too. I should be content, knowing that Ithani is finally at peace, but…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence as she sank her head in Talic’s chest. He didn’t know what to say so he just consoled her by hugging her. When they were embracing silently, Talic stared at the distant battlefield. The sound and sight of explosions and fighting had begun to wane. It appeared that the battle was almost over. Finally Armita said, “I hope I didn’t hurt you with that last hit.”
“No, you didn’t though you did take me by surprise.” He then asked the lingering question that bothered him. “You weren’t under her spell at all, were you?”
The Isharan nodded. “I pretended the entire time to trick her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to retrieve my weapons.” She looked at him hesitatingly. “When I saw you coming, I really wanted to tell you, but I was afraid that I might reveal my deception so I kept silent. I did try to protect you by forcing you out of harm’s way. If I hurt you accidentally, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad that you’re all right,” he reassured her. As he was saying that, Cuzo trotted over and began to nuzzle his head against her hand. “See? Even Cuzo is happy to see you too.”
Armita smiled softly as she scratched the Kallian wolf behind the ears. “I’m happy to see you too.” She then looked at Talic uncertainly. “What should we do now?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. A part of me wants to be left alone with my thoughts right now, but I know that we need to find Owain and the others. The thing is that we don’t know where they are so…”
“Armita! Talic!” Both of them spurned around to see Owain waving at them as he ran toward them with Chiara and Lord Brenton following behind him. A relieved look was on his face. “Thanks the gods that you’re all right! Were you hurt at all?”
“No, we’re all right,” Talic replied. “And you?”
“Same. We would have come here sooner, but Lord Brenton said that…” The Lycian’s voice trailed off when he noticed Ithani’s lifeless body on the ground. “Armita, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right, Owain,” she said sadly. Chiara went over and embraced consolingly.
“I’m sorry about your sister, Armita. I wish there was a way to save her,” the witch commiserated.
She just nodded, and Talic knew that she didn’t wish to talk about it anymore. Changing the subject, the Eireneridan asked Owain, “Have you seen Tristé or Bobbas?”
Owain shook his head. “Not since the time we got separated. Lord Brenton said that he’ll help us find them.”
Talic turned his attention to the God of Knowledge, who was preoccupied looking at his book. “Do you know where they are?”
“Not exactly. I’m trying to determine their location based on what I see in the future. Unfortunately, there are so many possibilities so it will take time,” he explained apologetically.
“I understand. Just take your time. We don’t want you to feel rushed and accidentally give us the wrong location. Is there anything we can do?”
“Nothing at the moment. The only thing I can recommend is to wait until I locate them.”
He nodded. “Then we’ll wait.”
Toov 19, 2583
Tristé didn’t know how far she walked as she dragged herself through the Loredan desert. In fact, she was so out of it that she didn’t even remembered walking at all! She only woke up from her daze when she saw some mutouhs circling a small group of people as if guarding them. Squinting, she recognized all but one to be members of the Velscendus cult. All of them were lying on the desert sands motionless including…
“Bobbas!” she screamed and began to run toward him. As she scrambled down the dune, she stumbled so she just slide down until she reached the bottom. At that very moment, she didn’t care if the mutouhs were going to come and get her. Right now her focus was on Bobbas. If those beasts hurt him, she’ll… However, it seemed that the mutouhs didn’t seem to care for her because as soon as she approached them, they suddenly sank underneath the sands and sped away, allowing her to reach Bobbas safely.
Walking slowly toward him, she prepared her demonic fire just in case the Velscendus cult members woke up and try to attack. However, as she came closer, she realized why Bobbas’s captors didn’t move at all – they had killed themselves. Most likely they decided that suicide was a better death than being eaten by the mutouhs, or Shintra had forced them to perform the act. She muttered a quick prayer and continued on her way. Nevertheless, she was worried. What if those bastards kill Bobbas before they kill themselves?
Luckily, her fear was for naught. He was unharmed though still unconscious. Reassured, she knelt down beside him and shook him. “Hey, Bobbas! Wake up! It’s me, Tristé! We need to get out of here before anyone notice.”
He groaned as he began to stir. Sitting up, he rubbed the back of his head. “Tristé? Owww… what happened? The last thing I remembered was…” All of the sudden, his eyes widened and he scooted away from her. “Stay away from me! Don’t try to come near me!”
“What? But why?” she asked, confused. Was it because she’s a Duermon?
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m dangerous! You saw what I did back there!” he almost screamed. He quickly stood up and increased his distance between him and her.
She looked at him reproachfully. “Yes, I saw it, but it was understandable. That damned Kasama was trying to force his minion to possess you so you fought back. You were just defending yourself.”
“But I didn’t know how I did it! What if I lose control and attack you accidentally?”
“Pfft! I’m talking to you right now and you haven’t hurt me one bit! Well, except for my feelings, but I’ll live. Now come on! We better find a somewhere safe so we can rest.”
“Wouldn’t it be risky to have me live though?”
“It’s the risk I’ll take. You don’t dictate what I can or cannot do, Bobbas,” she said sharply but smiled. “Besides, we did promise you that we won’t harm you unless you go crazy, and right now you seem normal to me.”
The Ankan stared at her for the longest time and finally sighed. “Fine, we’ll do things your way. I think we should rest near those rocks. They look like a safe place to hide until it’s safe to travel again. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good to me.” The Possessor Duermon was about to walk when she suddenly lost her balance. Exhaustion had finally caught up to her and she could barely move. Before she could attempt to stand up, she felt someone grabbed her by the arm and helped her up.
“Here. Let me help you,” Bobbas told her as he placed her arm around his shoulder. She wanted to protest that it wasn’t necessary, but he already helped her on her way. Realizing that it would be a futile cause, she decided to let it slide. Now that she thought about it, there was no way she could take one step without any aid. They walked in silence until they reached their destination. After helping her sit down on a rock, he turned to face her with a serious look on his face. “Listen, Tristé, can you do me a favor?”
Rubbing her sore legs, she nodded even though she wasn’t fully listening to him. “Okay, sure. What is it?”
“It’s just…” His face turned pale as he let out a shuddering breath. He abruptly grabbed a large stack of papers and held it out toward her. “In case I don’t make it out alive, I want you to promise that you or at least, Adalynn, publish my research.”
Tristé stopped what she was doing and looked at him incredulously before she finally responded, “Don’t be ridiculous, Bobbas! You’re not going to die! We’re going to leave this damn desert alive so stop talking such morbid thoughts.”
“Just in case. So promise me that you’ll do that,” he pleaded, rattling the papers at her face.
She didn’t answer at first as she stared at the bundle for the longest time. However, Bobbas still stood his ground and refused to budge; an adamant look was on his face. Stubborn mule! At last, she sighed and relented. “All right, I promise,” she grumbled, snatching the papers from his hand and folding them. As she tucked them inside her vest, she continued, “I hope you’re happy no-”
“Watch out!”
Without warning, he shoved her off her sitting spot and wrapped his arms around her body. Before she could demand what his problem was, she saw something flashed by before she felt his body suddenly jerked before it became limp. “Bobbas…?” she asked uncertainly and looked up at his face. His eyes were still open, but they were glazed over. Tristé then placed her hand on his back and felt something warm and wet. Pulling her hand back, she saw that it was covered with blood. Confusion turned into horror as she pushed Bobbas off her and noticed a dagger impaled in his body. “Bobbas? Bobbas! Bobbas!” she screamed, shaking his body even though she knew it was futile. He was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Questions filled her head as she clutched Bobbas and rocked his body gently as she frantically scanned her surroundings. His body was slowly turning cold. How could this happen? Who did it? One of the Velscendus cult members? Or one of their creators’ successors? Just then she spotted the assailant lurking behind some rocks. It took her awhile to recognize who the person was, but when she did, she could only gasp one word. “You.”
Ithani tilted her head up and laughed. “Haha! I wonder when you were going to show up,” she guffawed, turning her head toward him. Her glowing red eyes gleamed with delight. “It looked like my comrades were able to slow you and your mutt down enough to allow me a chance to convince Armie to join my cause. Now she only cares about protecting her baby sister!”
“Armita, please wake up! It’s me, Talic! You need to fight her control over you,” he cried out, ignoring the Dalenthi. His attention was focused on his beloved, who still stood there in silence. Next to him, Cuzo growled and barked as if he was trying to help his master out.
The Dalenthi rolled her eyes. “Don’t even bother trying, Talic. She only listens to me. Isn’t that right, sister?” Armita nodded slowly. “So here is what I want you to do. That terrible Eireneridan is trying to kill me because he wants to keep you all to himself! You have to stop him!”
“Armita, stop! Don’t listen to her!” he began to plead, but she charged at him without any hesitation. He had no choice but to get out of her way; her knives just missed him by a few millimeters. Before he could have a chance to regain his footing, he saw from the corner of his eyes that one of the other Dalenthi lunging at him. Dammit! Ithani was using her to distract him while the others was going to attack him from behind. Luckily for him, Cuzo pounced and forced the cult member to the ground before tearing at his arms, which covered his face. After a few minutes, his would-be killer laid on the desert sands, dead.
“Good boy, Cuzo! Guard my back!” he praised. He looked at Armita, who refused to look at him and gripped his quarterstaff determinedly. Meanwhile, I’m going to find a way to wake her up from Ithani’s spell.
His loyal wolf did just that. Whenever one of Velscendus cult members tried to ambush him, Cuzo was there to protect him. They were always close call too, but luckily he would jump out of the way of Armita’s attack that very moment. Panting, Talic took a breather and wiped the sweat from his brow. He still focused on trying to bring Armita back to her senses, but whenever he tried to reach her, she backed away. “That’s right, Armie! Don’t let him come near you!” Ithani cheered, clapping her hands giddily.
Talic clenched his jaw. She was starting to get on his nerves! That was when it dawned on him. Instead of trying to reach Armita, he should focus his attack on her possessed sister instead. If he managed to defeat her, then he might be able to break her spell. With that goal in mind, he made his move. Dashing past Armita, he charged at Ithani, who seemed startled by his new course of action. “Stop him!” she shrieked just as he swung his weapon at her.
Thunk! Talic was stunned to see Armita standing right in front of him; her knives had blocked his attack. “I knew that I can depend on you, Armie!” her possessed sister said, clapping her hands. How was she able to get there so fast? He was still wondering about it when she abruptly pushed his quarterstaff back and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him down.
“Oomph!” Just as he was falling down to the ground, a fireball shot past him, barely missing him as it singed the front of his shirt. Talk about a close call! He turned his head just in time to see Cuzo leapt on top of his would-be assassin, who was lurking behind some rocks, and bit him in the throat. He didn’t even notice that there was one other Dalenthi left. If it wasn’t for Armita to kick him out of the way, then…
All of a sudden, he felt something pinning him to the ground and then something sharp and cool on his neck. Glancing up, he saw Armita was on top of him with her head still shrouded in shadows. She held one of her knives at his throat. “Good job, Armie! You got him where I wanted him!” He heard Ithani proclaimed as she came into view. She knelt beside Armita and smiled, baring her teeth. “Now finish him off before his mutt has time to stop you!”
“Armita…” That was when she finally looked up at him, and he saw it. Her eyes were not glassy unlike the previous time; they were lucid and alert. He opened his mouth to say something, but she winked at him before turning her knife on Ithani, who didn’t have time to react.
The surprised Dalenthi stared at the knife protruding between her bosoms. “Sister… but why?” she whispered. Blood trickled down her mouth as she stared at Armita in disbelief.
The older Culao sister didn’t answer at first as she slowly got off of Talic and turned to face her. She snarled, “Because my sister died a long time ago when you took her away from me. No matter how hard you wish, you will never be her. Oh, and one more thing…” She grabbed the hilt of her knife and yanked it out. “Don’t you ever call me ‘sister’!”
Before Armita could walk away, Ithani grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her back down. She then opened her mouth as if she was trying to say something, but no words come out except for her dying breaths. At first Talic thought she was trying to say something, but then he observed an eerie wisp coming out of her mouth. She knows that she’s dying and trying to possess Armita as a last resort, he realized and desperately got up to stop her just as the Dalenthi left her host’s body, which crumpled to the ground. However, it wasn’t necessary – Kejuta’s gift protected her.
As soon as the malicious spirit touched the necklace, it glowed brightly like the sun before it repealed the demon, forcing it back to her previous host. The demon could only stare at Armita, who stood stoically, as she gasped her last breath.
A relieved but exhausted Talic walked over to Armita, who hadn’t moved from her spot. She was still staring at her dead sister’s corpse. He suddenly felt somber because he knew that she was most likely devastated at what she had to do. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he started to say, “Armita, I’m sorry about…”
“I’m fine, Talic,” she interrupted as she patted his hand and took a deep breath. “My sister died a long time ago when that fiend took over her body. I realized that after I talked to Lady Alethea. Yet…” She turned to face him and he saw that tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Why am I still grieving? She wanted to kill you so badly, and I knew that I have to stop her. That’s why I have to kill her. I already lost my sister, and I didn’t want to lose you too. I should be content, knowing that Ithani is finally at peace, but…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence as she sank her head in Talic’s chest. He didn’t know what to say so he just consoled her by hugging her. When they were embracing silently, Talic stared at the distant battlefield. The sound and sight of explosions and fighting had begun to wane. It appeared that the battle was almost over. Finally Armita said, “I hope I didn’t hurt you with that last hit.”
“No, you didn’t though you did take me by surprise.” He then asked the lingering question that bothered him. “You weren’t under her spell at all, were you?”
The Isharan nodded. “I pretended the entire time to trick her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to retrieve my weapons.” She looked at him hesitatingly. “When I saw you coming, I really wanted to tell you, but I was afraid that I might reveal my deception so I kept silent. I did try to protect you by forcing you out of harm’s way. If I hurt you accidentally, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad that you’re all right,” he reassured her. As he was saying that, Cuzo trotted over and began to nuzzle his head against her hand. “See? Even Cuzo is happy to see you too.”
Armita smiled softly as she scratched the Kallian wolf behind the ears. “I’m happy to see you too.” She then looked at Talic uncertainly. “What should we do now?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. A part of me wants to be left alone with my thoughts right now, but I know that we need to find Owain and the others. The thing is that we don’t know where they are so…”
“Armita! Talic!” Both of them spurned around to see Owain waving at them as he ran toward them with Chiara and Lord Brenton following behind him. A relieved look was on his face. “Thanks the gods that you’re all right! Were you hurt at all?”
“No, we’re all right,” Talic replied. “And you?”
“Same. We would have come here sooner, but Lord Brenton said that…” The Lycian’s voice trailed off when he noticed Ithani’s lifeless body on the ground. “Armita, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right, Owain,” she said sadly. Chiara went over and embraced consolingly.
“I’m sorry about your sister, Armita. I wish there was a way to save her,” the witch commiserated.
She just nodded, and Talic knew that she didn’t wish to talk about it anymore. Changing the subject, the Eireneridan asked Owain, “Have you seen Tristé or Bobbas?”
Owain shook his head. “Not since the time we got separated. Lord Brenton said that he’ll help us find them.”
Talic turned his attention to the God of Knowledge, who was preoccupied looking at his book. “Do you know where they are?”
“Not exactly. I’m trying to determine their location based on what I see in the future. Unfortunately, there are so many possibilities so it will take time,” he explained apologetically.
“I understand. Just take your time. We don’t want you to feel rushed and accidentally give us the wrong location. Is there anything we can do?”
“Nothing at the moment. The only thing I can recommend is to wait until I locate them.”
He nodded. “Then we’ll wait.”
Toov 19, 2583
Tristé didn’t know how far she walked as she dragged herself through the Loredan desert. In fact, she was so out of it that she didn’t even remembered walking at all! She only woke up from her daze when she saw some mutouhs circling a small group of people as if guarding them. Squinting, she recognized all but one to be members of the Velscendus cult. All of them were lying on the desert sands motionless including…
“Bobbas!” she screamed and began to run toward him. As she scrambled down the dune, she stumbled so she just slide down until she reached the bottom. At that very moment, she didn’t care if the mutouhs were going to come and get her. Right now her focus was on Bobbas. If those beasts hurt him, she’ll… However, it seemed that the mutouhs didn’t seem to care for her because as soon as she approached them, they suddenly sank underneath the sands and sped away, allowing her to reach Bobbas safely.
Walking slowly toward him, she prepared her demonic fire just in case the Velscendus cult members woke up and try to attack. However, as she came closer, she realized why Bobbas’s captors didn’t move at all – they had killed themselves. Most likely they decided that suicide was a better death than being eaten by the mutouhs, or Shintra had forced them to perform the act. She muttered a quick prayer and continued on her way. Nevertheless, she was worried. What if those bastards kill Bobbas before they kill themselves?
Luckily, her fear was for naught. He was unharmed though still unconscious. Reassured, she knelt down beside him and shook him. “Hey, Bobbas! Wake up! It’s me, Tristé! We need to get out of here before anyone notice.”
He groaned as he began to stir. Sitting up, he rubbed the back of his head. “Tristé? Owww… what happened? The last thing I remembered was…” All of the sudden, his eyes widened and he scooted away from her. “Stay away from me! Don’t try to come near me!”
“What? But why?” she asked, confused. Was it because she’s a Duermon?
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m dangerous! You saw what I did back there!” he almost screamed. He quickly stood up and increased his distance between him and her.
She looked at him reproachfully. “Yes, I saw it, but it was understandable. That damned Kasama was trying to force his minion to possess you so you fought back. You were just defending yourself.”
“But I didn’t know how I did it! What if I lose control and attack you accidentally?”
“Pfft! I’m talking to you right now and you haven’t hurt me one bit! Well, except for my feelings, but I’ll live. Now come on! We better find a somewhere safe so we can rest.”
“Wouldn’t it be risky to have me live though?”
“It’s the risk I’ll take. You don’t dictate what I can or cannot do, Bobbas,” she said sharply but smiled. “Besides, we did promise you that we won’t harm you unless you go crazy, and right now you seem normal to me.”
The Ankan stared at her for the longest time and finally sighed. “Fine, we’ll do things your way. I think we should rest near those rocks. They look like a safe place to hide until it’s safe to travel again. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good to me.” The Possessor Duermon was about to walk when she suddenly lost her balance. Exhaustion had finally caught up to her and she could barely move. Before she could attempt to stand up, she felt someone grabbed her by the arm and helped her up.
“Here. Let me help you,” Bobbas told her as he placed her arm around his shoulder. She wanted to protest that it wasn’t necessary, but he already helped her on her way. Realizing that it would be a futile cause, she decided to let it slide. Now that she thought about it, there was no way she could take one step without any aid. They walked in silence until they reached their destination. After helping her sit down on a rock, he turned to face her with a serious look on his face. “Listen, Tristé, can you do me a favor?”
Rubbing her sore legs, she nodded even though she wasn’t fully listening to him. “Okay, sure. What is it?”
“It’s just…” His face turned pale as he let out a shuddering breath. He abruptly grabbed a large stack of papers and held it out toward her. “In case I don’t make it out alive, I want you to promise that you or at least, Adalynn, publish my research.”
Tristé stopped what she was doing and looked at him incredulously before she finally responded, “Don’t be ridiculous, Bobbas! You’re not going to die! We’re going to leave this damn desert alive so stop talking such morbid thoughts.”
“Just in case. So promise me that you’ll do that,” he pleaded, rattling the papers at her face.
She didn’t answer at first as she stared at the bundle for the longest time. However, Bobbas still stood his ground and refused to budge; an adamant look was on his face. Stubborn mule! At last, she sighed and relented. “All right, I promise,” she grumbled, snatching the papers from his hand and folding them. As she tucked them inside her vest, she continued, “I hope you’re happy no-”
“Watch out!”
Without warning, he shoved her off her sitting spot and wrapped his arms around her body. Before she could demand what his problem was, she saw something flashed by before she felt his body suddenly jerked before it became limp. “Bobbas…?” she asked uncertainly and looked up at his face. His eyes were still open, but they were glazed over. Tristé then placed her hand on his back and felt something warm and wet. Pulling her hand back, she saw that it was covered with blood. Confusion turned into horror as she pushed Bobbas off her and noticed a dagger impaled in his body. “Bobbas? Bobbas! Bobbas!” she screamed, shaking his body even though she knew it was futile. He was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Questions filled her head as she clutched Bobbas and rocked his body gently as she frantically scanned her surroundings. His body was slowly turning cold. How could this happen? Who did it? One of the Velscendus cult members? Or one of their creators’ successors? Just then she spotted the assailant lurking behind some rocks. It took her awhile to recognize who the person was, but when she did, she could only gasp one word. “You.”
