Maybe she got lucky, maybe Dhíanvhúr lent her a little extra power, maybe she was stronger than she thought or maybe Beren just never predicted her plan. Whatever the case, they fell onto the ice spike behind them. It pierced him through his clothes, his muscles, everything, and continued stabbing through his captive.

The sensation of the spike digging through her body, widening and splitting her flesh, was maddening. Feeling the point strain against the skin of her shoulder from the inside almost made her pass out before it pierced through, emerging from her body. When their movement finally stopped, there was nothing left to do but scream. Her voice tore from her as she kept her eyes shut tightly, afraid to look at the bloody point of the spear she had thrust herself upon.

She did not have the presence of mind to determine whether Beren was dead, dying or barely staying alive, no clue whether other people had arrived or they were still alone, she refused to see anything and could hear nothing over the sound of her own shrieks. If she moved her body, unimaginable pain seared through her.

Her body was shaking from the struggle of keeping herself still, and her muscles were clenched in agonizing spasms.

All the power from Dhíanvhúr was seeping from her along with the gush of blood from her wound, and she was getting weaker by the second.

Eventually, the screaming stopped as she became too exhausted to continue. It registered in her mind that someone was stroking her hair, making soothing noises. They were saying something, but she was too unfocused to hear the words. Suddenly, the pain flared up again and she could no longer stay conscious. The last feeling she had was a pressure disappearing from her shoulder, and a voice mumbled in her mind:

You did well, red one. Now rest.

* * *

“What do you people think you're doing?” Lyari asked, fuming.

She glared at the muscular man sitting in front of her, with her arms crossed over her chest; he seemed to be impatient with her accusatory tone.

“No one expected Cappola to be killed by a damn human. It seemed like an easy grab and run. But at least people are waking up to the real threat.”

She hissed.

“Falos is looking for an excuse, any excuse to tear into us like rabid dogs, and you're practically gleeful about starting a civil war?”

He shrugged, but his gaze was unwilling to meet hers as he took a swig from his mug.

“You think the opposition to your little 'cause' won't grow as well?”

He scoffed and shifted.

“It wasn't my order, okay? Beren caught wind that she'd be there and just took some of his buddies along. Why does it matter to you? You hate her just as much as us or not?”

“Don't put me in the same boat as your pathetic group. If I thought her death was necessary, I would have killed her on the ship and laid the blame at exhaustion after her little fireball stunt.”

She gestured to Tiller.

“And thanks to you guys I might as well have.”

“Are long-term plans really your strong suit, Nessaia?”

She glared at him, but he was unmoved and just stared back.

“The essence she carries was supposed to belong to Ezeas. I consider her a thief and a burden. However, I'm not so foolish that I'll destroy one of the best weapons we have.”

“Then why the animosity?”

“The very first thing she did was convince Ezeas to chase off her pursuers. No matter how much he insists, I can't be sure that he won't allow her to influence him.”

“Are you still in love with that guy? Move on, already. It's been almost a century since you two were at Licka.”

She shook her head, feeling the familiar stirring of irritation at having to explain herself yet again.

“You still don't get it. You remember the scandal with Miralise, that Vadran bitch?”

Tiller nodded.

“She was my best friend, and I introduced them. Ezeas was so in love with her, he ignored his duty to his people and brought the entire country to the brink of a coup. Of course, he remained loyal to the high councilor, in the end. But the aftermath was brutal on him.”

She sighed.

“He lost the trust of everyone around him, Niranne treated him like a criminal and she sent him on several unimportant, yet extremely dangerous missions as 'punishment'. I never want to see him go through something like that again.”

Tiller seemed to catch her drift.

“And if he were to fall in love with a human, odds are he would be betrayed again and treated like an outcast.”

She nodded.

“I don't think he would ever allow himself to repeat that mistake, especially with an enemy race. Even so, he is the product of a pair of foolish romantics. Sethaernan and Harion still influence him, even if he tries not to show it.”

She pointed to herself.

“I was responsible for what happened last time, I will not allow it to happen, again.”

The man pursed his lips.

“You're not his mother,” he told her, while lazily scratching his ear.

“Do you honestly believe that acting like it will cause anything more than resentment?”

“He can hate me if he needs to. I will take that burden, just as I'll do what needs to be done about the human.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“Luckily for you people, I'll be the one to clean up your damn mess.”

“You can't just kill her outright without causing a bigger rift,” he reminded her.

She agreed.

“The best outcome would either be the human offing herself or hope she does something so scandalous, there's no actual choice but to condemn her.”

Lyari tried to think of a way to make either happen, while Tiller drank his beer. She was unsure what to do about the anti-human group, but hopefully, she would not even have to address that issue if she could turn the current situation to their advantage. She suddenly realized the answer, but the method was enough to make her hesitate. Tiller noticed.

“You don't seem happy about the conclusion you've reached,” he noted.

“I have to play this carefully. If I make a mistake, someone else will pay the price,” was all she would tell him.