“Forget about that.” Lucy waved a hand dismissively. “Right now we just have to get out of here! Can you stand? Do you need to lean on my shoulder?”
“No—I can manage. I don’t want to crush you.” T’zaren winced again.
“Don’t be silly! I’m a lot stronger than I look. Here, put your hand on my shoulder.” Lucy helped to lever him to his feet and after a few steps, the big Monstrum started to get stronger.
“My body heals itself almost immediately,” he explained, when Lucy exclaimed over how much better he already looked. He shook his head. “I just don’t understand why it took so long to heal when you were fighting the snake!Ishould have been protectingyou—not the other way around.”
“Pleasedon’t get all macho about this,” Lucy begged him. “We really don’t have time for it. Come on—we need to get out of here!”
She had him by the hand, tugging him towards the Throne Room door when T’zaren stooped to pick something up off the floor.
“Thedimriel,”he explained, showing her the fist-sized piece of blood-red crystal which glowed when he touched it. “It’s what we came for in the first place—we cannot forget it.”
“Oh, you’re right!” Lucy reached down and snatched a chunk of the red crystal herself. She felt the familiar tingling in her arm as the crystal began to glow and nodded approvingly. “Yup, this is the real stuff! Okay, now can wepleasego?”
“Yes.” T’zaren nodded. “Let’s leave this place and never come back.”
“My plan exactly,” Lucy said fervently. “Come on!”
FORTY-EIGHT
T’ZAREN
Lucille seemed to be afraid that the guards would pounce on them and try to kill them to exact revenge for the death of their Mistress. If it had only been Lady Twa’linda they wanted to avenge, that might have been true, T’zaren thought. However, they had all just been cruelly and painfully branded by the evil half of the Twainer. No one was going to miss a sadistic bitch like Mistress Shin’dara and nobody seemed interested in avenging her either.
T’zaren, for his part was preoccupied with his shame. How could he have left Lucille to fight the monstrous snake all by herself? It was a black mark on his honor—a Stri’vor maleneverabandoned hisS’renthaduring a conflict. He was sworn to protect her or die trying. But T’zaren had been weak—he had allowed the snake to take him out of commission, leaving Lucille to take it on all by herself. How could he have done such a thing?
He barely noticed when they finally made their way outside the stronghold. Lucille had him by the hand and was leading him, an anxious look on her pretty face.
I put that look there,T’zaren thought as fresh shame filled him.If I had been stronger—more able to withstand the snake’s attack—she wouldn’t have had to fight it on her own! Gods, what’s wrong with me—abandoning my S’rentha like that? And after we took the Unbreakable Vow together! What must she think of me?
“Look—the cart!”
Lucille’s words drew him out of his self-castigation and he saw she was pointing at the green cart they had taken across the chasm.
“Thank God it’s still here, on this side!” Lucille exclaimed. “God, I never thought I’d be happy to see it again but here we are!” She tugged at his hand. “Come on—before I lose my nerve!”
T’zaren let her lead him to the cart and they climbed in together—though he winced as he did so. His ribs were still healing.
Just as it had before, the track rose in the air with the green cart at its peak. T’zaren felt Lucy grip his kness, which were propped up on either side of her, since the cart wasn’t long enough for him to stretch them out. And then, with a rush they were crossing the chasm once more, leaving the stronghold where so much had happened to them and between them—leaving it all behind.
T’zaren only wished he could leave his guilt and shame behind as well, but he feared they were here to stay.
FORTY-NINE
LUCY
The village was deserted again and Lucy looked around fearfully to see if there were any bandits or slavers around. But everything looked clear and even the bodies of the lizard men T’zaren had killed yesterday were gone.
God, had it really only beenyesterday?Lucy could scarcely believe it. So much had happened between now and then! They’d been through all kinds of crazy situations—had made love to each other in the strangest ways—and had somehow decided to start dating.
Yesterday she’d been determined to keep her distance from the big Monstrum because she thought he was a grumpy stick in the mud. Since then, she’d learned differently.
T’zaren might be stern, but he wasn’t humorless. He was fearless and loyal andextremelyattractive.
And also very quiet,whispered a little voice in her head.At least he has been since you left the stronghold together.
Which was true. The big Monstrum hadn’t said two words since they’d finally gotten free of the Twainer’s mansion. He had an inward, troubled look on his face that worried Lucy—worried her a lot.