Moriana emerged from the alley's bend, barely upright.
Her weight sagged between Gord and Vida, boots dragging against the stones. Each breath scraped out of her chest, shallow and uneven, sweat clinging to her brow despite the cold night air.
She tried to straighten—and failed.
"Yuli…" Her voice came hoarse, barely lifting her head. "What happened back there?"
Yulia turned. A mask of calm settled instantly over her face, flawless and cold.
"Did those idiots get into a fight again?"
"Hyran refused to pay Zarius his bet," Yulia replied evenly. "It ended like any brawl between two drunks."
Moriana smirked, though it looked more like a grimace.
"I guess that's karma."
Yulia's gaze flicked sideways—just briefly—when she noticed the fourth figure.
"…Vida? You too?"
Vida answered softly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I had nothing else planned. Thought I'd help."
Yulia looked Moriana over with a cold, clinical assessment, like a ledger being reviewed for errors.
"Two weeks," she said flatly. "And you can barely walk. Still… you're upright. That's something."
Gord finally spoke, his deep voice steady, almost proud. "She held her ground by the end."
"Wonderful."
Yulia took one step closer—then stopped dead.
Her nose wrinkled. She stepped back sharply, covering her mouth with her sleeve.
"Dammit… You all smell like piss."
Moriana groaned weakly, letting her head loll against Gord's shoulder. "He wasn't kidding about the dog then."
Gord only shook his head. One of his rare, faint smiles slipped out as he adjusted Moriana's weight effortlessly.
A smirk touched Yulia's lips as she turned, falling into step a pace behind them as they headed toward the Evandriel Inn.
"Oh come on, Mori, you're such a burden," Yulia said coldly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. "Can't you push that ass a little more? We can't afford losing another year."
Moriana let out a strained sound, halfway between a groan and a laugh. "Shut up… bookworm."
Vida chuckled quietly. "That's harsh, Yul. Can't you see she's trying?"
Yulia's gaze slid to Gord, walking with the same solid, unshakeable stride as always.
"And you," she added, dry as dust. "Enjoying your role as the royal porter? At this rate, your shoulder is going to fossilize."
Gord's lips curled, but he said nothing. He merely shifted Moriana's weight again, as if she were made of feathers.
"It already has," Moriana muttered, eyes half-closed. "Feels like leaning on a wall. At least Vida's shoulder had some mercy."
Their tired, fractured laughter echoed briefly through the twilight alley—a thin warmth pushing back the dark.
They continued their way toward the inn, mocking each other as the sun finally dipped below the horizon, leaving the city to the night.
**************
By midnight, the inn had fallen into a heavy silence.
Only the rhythm of slow, deep breathing lingered behind the closed doors. Darkness choked the corridor, broken only by a thin blade of moonlight slicing through a half-open window.
Zarius stood paralyzed before Moriana's door.
His heart slammed against his ribs, loud enough—he feared—to wake the floor beneath him.
He gripped the handle. He turned it with agonizing slowness.
Click.
The sound tore through the silence like a gunshot. He froze, waiting for a reaction. None came.
He pushed the door open just enough to slip inside.
Moonlight washed over Moriana's face. She slept peacefully, unguarded, her lips parted slightly as she took deep, steady breaths. She looked fragile. Too fragile.
Zarius closed the door behind him but didn't latch it.
His hands were trembling.
He stared down at them, pale and ghostly in the dim light.
Can these hands truly do such a thing?
I've sentenced thousands to die with a stroke of ink. It was clean. Silent.
But this... why is it feel this hard?
He took a step. Then another. The floorboards seemed to scream under his weight, though they made no sound. His breath shook violently in his chest until he stood directly beside her bed.
His long shadow stretched across the room, swallowing the light behind him.
Slowly, he raised his hands. They wouldn't stop shaking.
Just calm down…
All I have to do…
is place these hands firmly on her neck…
press my thumbs into her throat…
and with that being done…
I'll save everyone.
No… no…
I'll save the world.
Zarius's trembling fingers hovered, now just millimeters from the warmth of Moriana's skin. The air between his hands and her neck felt impossibly heavy.