Only minutes after Alaric proposed, Epharis arrived and collected her in her stunned state. This most recent development squashed her anger in an instant.
Halfway back to the castle, she broke. She turned, screaming and raging at him, punching him and kicking him, clawing his face and breaking several parts of him.
It lasted several minutes until she sank to the ground and screamed in pain at the loss of her friend.
Finally, the anger vanished, and all that was left was her loss. Her screams resounded in those who heard them, unearthly and broken.
Epharis wrapped her in his arms, enduring her struggles and repeated hits to his chest and shoulders. He endured everything she gave him, still holding her when she succumbed to tears and cried into his chest.
Her entire body heaved, her fingers ripping holes in his costume as she clung to it for support. Head bowed between her arms, her tears fell freely onto the cobblestones and the length of her hair that pooled between them.
"What am I going to do?" she pleaded of the lich, unable to lift her head.
"I don't know," he said, sounding as though he were in great pain.
She did not care about his pain.
Clenching her eyes shut, she sucked in a huge breath of air and screamed her pain into the void, dissolving into crying once she ran out of breath again.
She did not know how long she stayed there, kneeling in his arms. But it was nearly morning before she finally stopped.
Empty, she curled herself into Epharis's side, her cheeks stained. The blood had long since dried and flaked, and much of it had fallen off.
Her chin lifted, and she looked up at the sky, staring up at the stars and trembling.
Arms tightened around her and she snuggled closer to the warmth of him. She no longer cared what he had done or who he was, she simply wanted someone to hold her and comfort her.
Shifting, he tucked one arm around the back of her knees and one around her back, lifting her up off the ground.
She did not budge, her eyes still lifted to the sky.
***
Three days later she went hunting for something, anything, that would give her something that would serve as a reminder of the princess. But the rooms in which the princess had stayed had been stripped clean and polished. There was nothing.
Standing in the room, tears trailed down her cheeks, and she stood wrapped in a blanket and a dress she had been wearing for days. Her bare feet padding softly.
With her hair loose around her shoulders, she hugged the blanket tighter and crouched down.
The guards assigned to her moved to see what she was doing, but she ignored them.
They had been assigned to be with her at every moment of every day by order of the prince, and they obeyed.
"Princess, there is nothing left," one of them said, his voice echoing in the helmet.
Epharis had been smart enough to insist they wore their helmets too, after she had kissed the first guard to follow her in a fit of anger.
Ignoring the two men, she slid forward onto her knees, sitting on her heels as she looked around the empty room, searching for anything. Even a hair from one of the maids would be enough. But the cleaners had done their job well.
Pushing herself back up, she padded into the bedroom and found it empty, blank, and sterile.
Turning back towards the guards, she stared at them for a moment, having forgotten they existed in her mini-mission.
They shifted uncomfortably, knowing the odds of her exploding into a death machine were fairly high. But then she looked away from them and headed back in the direction of her rooms.
Walking into her rooms, she glanced at the door that the lich had ordered be installed, linking their two suites together.
Stopping in the middle of her room, she looked around in confusion, not sure what she was looking at.
Something was different, something had changed in the time it took her to get from her room to the library and Yish's rooms and then back.
A loud growling and then two crashes had her turning slowly, her eyes falling on Cain.
He smiled at her as he stepped over the two guards, blood pooling under them.
Looking down, she watched the blood even as Cain approached her, his hand reaching to curl in the hair at the back of her head. He jerked her face to his, the point of his sword pressed against her stomach.
"Cain?" she whispered, finally registering his face.
He blinked, momentarily taken off guard by the little girl voice and lost look in her eyes.
"What game is this?" he snarled, the point of his sword cutting through her blanket and then her dress.
"You're here…" she sighed, relieved.
The sword withdrew slightly, and he looked shocked by her relief. "You aren't going to fight?" he demanded, seeming to be annoyed more by her lack of resistance.
"Why would I?" she asked, confused.
A sound from their right made Cain jump and when the door opened, he slid smoothly behind her. The hand that gripped her hair only tightened and jerked her head back. The sword blade brushed her throat, blood welling where it touched.
Epharis stepped into the room and froze at the sight. Etani stood limply, clutching her blanket as though it would save her, her neck bent back against the man's shoulder, the sword ready to lop her head off or slit her throat open.
"Who are you?" Epharis barked, lowering his books onto the table. He had been trying to get her back to herself by using the books.
"Cain of Ceress," Cain snapped back, pulling back his hood to reveal his face.
Recognition showed on the lich's face and he looked between the two of them.
"Very distant cousin," Etani said dryly, earning her head a painful jerk, and new blood trickled down the blade.
"I'm not related to any mongrel whores," Cain almost yelled. "What's wrong with her? What did you do?"
Epharis looked indignant at the accusation. "She lost someone close to her. This is why you are here? To kill her?"
"Yes, this mongrel has been on my list for almost a millennium," Cain replied, taking a step back and pulling her along with him.
"Is that right?" Epharis said slowly, his face going carefully blank, the look he got when he was thinking.
"Yes, now if you'll excuse us, we have to be going." He backed away with her back pressed to his chest, and she met Epharis's intense stare with her own empty one. She did not care if he killed her, she just did not want to hurt anymore. Maybe she could stay in the spirit world for a few years? No, that cursed sword, Orenmir devoured souls just like any good Celestrial. She would be really dead if he did that.
"Then we'll go visit Letari and Avadari, and maybe I'll take your head with me."
It was the wrong thing to say, and he knew it was wrong the moment he said it. Her body went rigid against his and he realised his mistake when he had not tried to restrain her.
Her elbow drove back into his ribs and she turned, ignoring the stabbing pain in her throat. The sword moved away from her neck and he staggered back. Pivoting on her left foot, she turned and lifted her right leg, slamming her heel into his chest.
He fell backwards and vanished over the side of her balcony.
Making her way out onto the balcony, she looked down and then jerked back when Orenmir was thrust up at her face. Stepping back, she looked down to see fingers clutching the edge of the balcony. The man was quick to climb up before she could nudge his fingers off with her toes, as she had been about to do.
He landed hard on the balcony and she stepped back from him, her need to protect her sisters kicking in.
"How did you even get inside?" she asked, an inkling of curiosity demanding an answer to the question.
"Been here since the ball. Security was dropped to let everyone in, so I simply walked in."
"Your brother underestimating people again," she said dryly to the lich.
Epharis grunted his agreement. Clearly, Alaric had not expected the assassin to be so bold as to simply waltz in through the front doors when that was the only way in or out. The opening in the barrier had only been as wide as the front gates.
"Brother?" Cain asked, and Epharis nodded.
"Prince Epharis of Ayathian. Brother to King Alaric of Ayathian," Epharis said.
Reaching out, he placed his hand on Etani's shoulder and drew her back. Cain's eyes locked onto the gesture and his lip curled even as she retreated.
"Gone so far as to bed a lich, Etani?" Cain sneered, glaring at her.
"No, Cain, I have gone so far as to never have bedded anyone," She retorted, and Epharis twitched slightly.
Cain's face screwed up as though the thought of her still being pure revolted him, but it was likely anything she said would have revolted him.
"Why don't you come back tomorrow?" Epharis asked, but Cain was working himself up towards another attack.
Reaching into his robe, Epharis drew out the hilt of a sword that had no blade, holding it at his side while his other hand pushed her back behind him.
She was more than happy to let the two men fight while she sat and watched.
Cain sneered at the handle and shook his head. "Going to take more than that, lich."
In response, Epharis swung the sword down, point facing the floor. As it swung, the handle grew into a large, ornate black frame and the blade began to form, chipped in places.
By the time the arc stopped, the sword had fully formed, so completely black it seemed to suck in light.
"I'm afraid you will have to go through me to get to the princess," Epharis said.
"Very well, lich, prepare to die."
Cain lunged forward, swinging hard. Sparks flew as the two swords met, the silver sword catching in the grooves in the black sword and allowing Epharis to twist the sword out of the way and plant a solid punch against Cain's face.
Settling herself in a chair, she tucked her knees up to her chest and watched, unable to decide which would be better, an eternity with Epharis or death to Cain.
Swinging again, the tip of Cain's sword scored Epharis's arm and his fingers went slack. In response, he switched arms and struck back with a heavy blow that sent Cain staggering back.
The fighting continued for several long minutes and, though not a whole lot had happened, she decided that the two were very closely matched.
Epharis had the upper hand, given there was nothing behind Cain but open air. Epharis took advantage of that, throwing heavy blows and knocking the smaller man back time and time again. Finally, he planted a kick to the man's midriff and Cain doubled over. He drove his knee up while Cain went down, the man was flung backwards, and this time he fell off the balcony properly.
A moment later they heard the crunch as he hit the ground far below.
Making her way back out onto the balcony, she rested her elbows on the railing and looked down.
"Think he's dead?" Epharis asked, looking down dispassionately.
"I heard he's like me. Dies but doesn't stay dead," she said, sounding just as uninterested.
Watching the form below, she was irritated to see the man roll over and then limp away.
"He'll be back up here as soon as he heals," she said, watching the form vanish around the corner of the castle.
"No doubt," Epharis said dryly, standing beside her to watch.
"You're quite the swordsman," she said finally, glancing up to him and noting that some of his long silver hair had been lopped off. "Would you like me to fix that?" she asked, not sure why she asked, but they had a bit of time to kill before Cain got back to the room.
He looked down at his hair, then back to her and gave an awkward nod of ascent.
Leading the way back inside, she picked up a chair and beckoned him into the bathroom with her.
Opening the window and curtains to allow in plenty of light, she sat the lich down and picked up a comb.
It had apparently been a while as his hair was matted, but she worked her way through it slowly, using oil when the knots got stubborn.
Moving to stand before him, her fingers were gentle as she placed them under his chin to lift his face, tilting his head slowly so that his jaw was level.
He stared up at her, his eyes showing his confusion and then alarm when she picked up a pair of scissors.
But she did not try to stab him; instead, she knelt down between his knees and caught the long ends of his hair.
With her eyes on her work, she tugged and pulled his hair, carefully cutting away the longer pieces. By the time she looked up, his face had become a blank mask, careful and empty.
Moving behind him, she pressed her palm against his back and one against his shoulder, straightening his spine and forcing him to sit up straight so she could cut it all in a straight line.
***
It took some time, her need for it to be perfect leading her to take longer than the average person, but by the time she was done, foot-long strands littered the floor around them.
His hair now came to his mid-back, and she found herself running her fingers through it slowly.
Feeling his eyes on her, she flushed and turned away only to have him stop her.
Looking into his eyes, she tried to read him, but he was too good at hiding his feelings.
Leaning down slowly, ever so slowly, her nose was a mere inch from his when her body shuddered, and she gasped. Blood splattered Epharis's face, and they both looked down to see an arrow sticking out of her chest. It would appear that Cain had come back much sooner than expected.
Staggering to the side, Epharis stood and went after the man, the fight loud and angry. Etani, however, blocked them out, trying to figure out what to do with the arrow. She was certain it had hit a lung; she could taste copper.
Curling her fingers around the protruding shaft, she gave the arrow a tug and gasped in pain, unable to get it out on her own.
She could not help but feel that the situation was funny, the intensity of their moment in the bathroom, the near kiss, then an arrow through her chest.
As blood filled her lung, it was suddenly hard to breathe, and she decided that the left one had collapsed. She wheezed, trying to suck in enough air to compensate.
Looking first to her chest and then the wall, she decided that she either needed to break the thing off or shove it out; either way, she was running out of time.
Staggering to the wall, she stopped long enough to cough up a large amount of bright red blood and then turned her back to the wall. Sucking in a difficult breath, she shoved herself back against the wall and the arrow jerked forward, protruding further from her chest.
She wheezed a happy little 'yay' before she sank down the wall to sit on the floor.
"Epharis..." she breathed, blood bubbling at her mouth as she grabbed the arrow and yanked at it again.
She thought the end of the arrow was now somewhere in the region of her lung. She gave it one last yank and threw the wretched thing to the ground.
Her body worked furiously to try to heal the damage, even as the loss of the arrow increased the speed at which she bled into her lung.
Dropping onto her side, she hacked up more blood and her vision went wobbly, the room spinning.
Gasping in air as her lung inflated once more, she forced herself to cough up the last of the blood and looked towards the door, but she could not see anything.
Shoving herself off the floor, she moved to the door and glanced around to see what was going on. Nothing, the room was empty. They were on the balcony.
Following them out, her eyes narrowed at the sight of Cain's sword against Epharis's throat.
Bending down to pick up the leg of a shattered table, she silently moved up on Cain.
Epharis must have seen her, but he made no move, even when the leg rose into the air above Cain's head.
"Sorry you won't get to taste Celestrial flesh," Cain was saying.
"There will be time," Epharis replied, leaning back out over the balcony railing.
The table leg swung, and her hands vibrated as it struck and rebounded, the man staggering to the side.
Her hand went automatically to Epharis, gripping the front of his robe and dragging him forward to keep him from falling off the balcony.
"Sword?" she said, turning to give Cain another solid beam to the head with her table leg.
"Fell," he said, touching his throat where blood had welled up.
She gave a soft huff and lifted the leg again, preparing for another blow when Cain turned on her, earning her a very well-placed uppercut to the solar plexus.
Air left her recently healed lungs, and she crashed back into the wall of the balcony. Cain turned back to Epharis, who backed off slightly.
Sucking in air through her teeth, she glared at Cain, frustrated that this man was in her way all the time.
Turning back on her, she was shocked when he caught her around the waist and pulled her close to him, her entire form going stiff.
Fingers in her hair, he turned her face to his and planted his lips down on hers.