Dear Dahlia (Shadow And Bone)

Chapter 24

CONTENT WARNING: physical violence, murder

They had spent three weeks looking for Mal. Nothing.

Dahlia walked along the path, Saida behind her. She groaned for the third time that day.

"When are we going to find him? He better not have died," the former servant grumbled.

"It would be terribly inconvenient," Saida agreed, now walking side by side with Dahlia. "But still. No need to be so uncaring if he truly is gone."

Dahlia thought about the hopeful look in Alina's eyes, back when she'd last spoken to her. "I refuse to believe that."

A few moments later, Dahlia heard a quiet rustling. She whipped her head to the right. "What was that?"

Saida flicked her fingers the tiniest bit. Then, she whispered, "we're being followed."

Dahlia's heart began to pound. She squinted at the tree on the right. The sunlight hit it, and she saw the glint of an axe.

"Run," Dahlia said.

Before Dahlia could take a step forward, the man with the axe stepped in front of them. The heartrender pushed her otkazat'sya sister behind her.

"What are you doing here?"

"We're just searching," came the answer. Dahlia heard his thick Fjerdan accent and shuddered.

"Leave us alone, and we'll be on our way," Saida started. Behind her, Dahlia watched as four other soldiers came out of the woods.

"Uh...Saida?"

Saida glanced behind her. Her eyes widened. She whipped her head around. The five drüskelle stood in a circle, surrounding them.

"Suli," the axe wielder hissed. Then, he lunged.

Saida flicked her wrist, and the man fell. In a split second, Dahlia's eyes widened as she stared at the dead drüskelle on the ground. She then looked up at Saida. Why did you do that?! she thought. They know you're grisha now!

Saida only glanced at her before spinning on her heel and clenching her hand in a fist, killing one of the others.

Dahlia dove for the axe and managed to grab it. Wow, this is really strong, she thought.

Dahlia heard Saida exclaim, "look out!" and she spun on her heel, using the axe to block the bullet aimed at her. The bullet ricocheted off the axe's blade, right at her opponent's face, but he dodged the bullet. Dahlia internally cursed before gripping the axe tighter and swinging it. The drüskelle ducked to avoid the attack, then launched himself at her. Dahlia lurched to the side just in time. The drüskelle fell.

The man was sprawled out on the ground. Dahlia scrambled to her feet. Before the drüskelle could get up, Dahlia stepped on the man's back and brought the blunt end of the axe down onto his skull.

After countless bashes, he stopped moving. Out of the corner of her eye, Dahlia saw another man fall. The spear clattered beside her. Dahlia picked it up. Saida must be doing well.

Dahlia stepped back a few paces from the unmoving body and was considering bringing the axe down a final time when Saida screamed, "DAHLIA!"

Dahlia spun around. A drüskelle with a whip was holding Saida close to him, a gun to her head.

Dahlia wasted no time, closing the distance between them. The drüskelle started, "will you-", but didn't get a chance to finish the sentence. Without speaking, Dahlia wrenched the spear through his neck, then pulled it out with a sickening squelch.

Saida stumbled forward. The last drüskelle fell to the ground.

The two sisters looked around the scene. Three men lay dead without any hint of wounds, but the two men Dahlia had killed carried obvious signs of being brutally murdered.

Saida stared at the bloodied corpses, then shifted her gaze to Dahlia. Dahlia dropped the spear.

"How did-"

"I'm otkazat'sya. I had to do it."

Dahlia raised her hand to brush some strands of hair away from her face. Saida was watching her. Dahlia noticed and froze. The sisters stared at each other in silence.

"...Let's wash up," was the only thing Saida said after a few moments, and started walking away. Dahlia followed her.