My body moved before my mind could process, and in seconds, I''d leapt down the steps of the apothecary and positioned myself in front of her, shielding her from any threat.

    Our threat came in the form of possessed soldiers. And no small number. There were five, each with glowing eyes and mouths that lent a ghastly visage, one out in front of the others, sword out, approaching Lillian before I''d stepped between them.

    Their uniforms strummed an odd chord in my mind. Something I should have remembered, but couldn''t.

    "Unexpected guests?" I asked, feeling a frigid chill as Lillian huddled behind me.

    "They''re trying to hurt me," she hissed, terrified.

    The possessed soldier at the front raised his sword, glinting steel pointed directly at Lillian. "The soul means to escape its cycle. This is forbidden."

    "Oh," I responded, keeping careful watch on the soldier. Other than the one in front, the other four were oddly passive. Nothing like the way bandits aggressively positioned, looking for any opportunity to stick a blade through. Their weapons were drawn, two bows among them raised and pointed, but the posture among the melee fighters was decidedly defensive.

    "Draw your blade. Draw it. They could attack at any moment!" Lillian urged.

    I appraised the group again. "Why? They haven''t advanced. Our friends seem more wary of us than we are of them."

    "At least put the tea down," Lillian hissed.

    Stupidly, I looked down and realized that in my haste, I''d brought the cup with me. It seemed a shame to throw away something so pleasant and familiar, so I brought it to my lips instead, intending to drain it.

    "Don''t... drink... that," one of the possessed guardsmen croaked.

    I removed the cup from my lips. For a brief moment I considered doing the opposite, more out of petty defiance than anything else, before tossing the cup to the side where it shattered on the stone. "And why have I wasted my tea?"

    The guardsman remained silent.

    "Give her to us," the guard on point repeated.

    The cold, rational part of my mind returned first. "They''re convinced you did something wrong. You didn''t?"

    "Nothing other than wake up and follow you home," Lillian answered in a panic. I could feel her nails pressing into the fabric of my tabard, digging into my skin.

    "What is it you expect me to do? They clearly outnumber us. I have a single sword to their three, and they have arrows to spare," I carried on, feeling cold and artificial.

    "Cairn... please," Lillian begged, sobbing into my back. "The connection. My missing piece. It''s real. Whatever lies you choose to tell yourself, you feel it too. You have to feel it. Whatever their reason, the gods spoke our fate into being."

    "Isn''t it time? To let this go and move on?"

    "While you went gallivanting on adventures, I died screaming," she spat, all venom, the mask entirely off.

    Something inside me went cold. "Oh, that trespass will be returned. Sevenfold."

    "You can''t." There was something strange in her dark eyes. A secret. "Even if you live a hundred years and forget everything that happened between us, you''ll never be free of me."

    "Maybe." I half-shrugged, feeling more numb than anything else. "Grief isn''t linear. You don''t just wake up one day and find the regrets gone. It moves in cycles. But letting it control you only leads to more sorrow. I can''t let mine sway me anymore." I walked some distance away, clearing the line of fire.

    "You absolute bastard. I wish I could be here to see the look on your face, when you finally realize what''s coming," she shouted after me.

    "More empty words from the wretch talking out of a dead girl''s mouth."

    I looked to the possessed guards, raised my hand, and gave the signal.

    Lillian smiled and closed her eyes, as the guards raised their bows and prepared to fire. "You never stopped maligning the king. Waxing poetic over every trespass and sin. Yet here you are. His very image. In more ways than one."

    The possessed guards fired.

    Everything went black.

    /////

    Thwip

    The stench of sewer overwhelmed my senses. The distant glow of torches came into view, but I couldn''t move. Something constrained me, binding my arms and legs tightly.

    As more arrows hit their target, the lithid''s grasp slackened enough that I managed to draw my sword, ignite it, illuminating the dingy passage with violet light.

    There was enough light to make out Lillian’s visage, swimming in the formless, oily mass.

    You’d never hurt me, right?

    I plunged the sword home.