Castle that wishes to fly

18. The Judge

"It's the end," Cassia's voice sounded calm. The weight of loss had finally shattered her stubborn, young spirit. She held onto her brother as if her hand was the only thing keeping him among the living.

Imber lay on the ground, his chest heaving fast, and his parched lips greedily grasping for oxygen, no longer capable of satiating. He lost warmth. The spark of life, sustained only by sheer force of will, faded away.

"I always knew what to say to you, and now all the words have flown out of my head. You taught me everything I know, but forgot to tell me how to say goodbye," Cassia murmured, lowering her head as shimmering crystal-clear tears cascaded from her lashes.

A rasp escaped Imber's throat. Mustering the last shreds of strength, he pushed away his sister's hand.

"How could I not know your wish? Yet still, I won't leave," Cassia declared, clinging to her brother's sweat-soaked tunic.

"May I stay?" Suri's question lingered in the air, unanswered. Carefully, she knelt beside the brother and sister. What had this person been like when he pulled her out of the Labyrinth? And why did he never look at her with the same gaze again?

"I never got the chance to ask him about it..." a thought flickered in her mind.

The eternal sleep descended upon the warrior's consciousness, and his breathing became more steady, calm.

"I must thank you," Suri broke the silence. "Oh, if only there was a way..."

Suddenly, Suri's voice trailed off, her eyes widened, and she stared at the bracelet. Most of the brown blood had been smeared onto her clothes or flaked off, revealing the smooth, snowy surface. At the center of the bracelet lay a pearl - the core of the neophyte.

"How did I not think of this right away? What if..." spun in her mind. The bracelet warmed, sensing its owner's attention. The thin white tendrils straightened out and hungrily reached toward Imber.

Suri recoiled as if scalded.

"Do you crave blood again?" she addressed the bracelet, pulling her hand as far away from the warrior as possible. And the Thorn coiled around her wrist.

"I must save him," declared the blood mage. Cassia whimpered, and a new pair of salty tears trailed down her velvet-sun-kissed cheeks.

As if anticipating those words, the Thorn writhed like a snake before the girls' eyes and pierced Imber's body. The man screamed in agony, his lips stained with fresh blood. Something searing penetrated his body, causing unimaginable suffering, surpassing any other pain. Yet, this pain soothed the warrior's consciousness. If he could feel it, he was still alive.

Cassia wasted no time; she aimed the dagger at the blood mage's throat, leaving a red streak before halting.

"What's the point of stopping me now?" Suri inquired. Cassia's hand trembled, and the tingling sensation on her neck made Suri uncomfortable. But she couldn't afford to distract herself.

The pulsating bluish flame, guided by the blood mage's gaze, roamed over Imber's body. His screams tore through the air, morphing into agonizing moans. The dagger flew aside, and Cassia threw herself onto her brother, writhing in agony. As the pearl reached his maimed hand, it ignited, finding a new sanctuary.

With a squelching sound, the Thorn tore itself from the wound, leaving a trace of fresh blood on Suri's hand.

Imber's heavy, gurgling breaths ceased. He lay motionless.

"What has it done to him?" Cassia whispered in horror, her gaze fixed on the crimson-stained bracelet.

"The Thorn gave something to your brother," Suri replied, pointing to Imber's rising chest. "Look, he's alive. Just unconscious."