Disclaimer: All characters, places, and occurrences are the property of Tamora Pierce. I claim ownership of nothing except the wording of this fiction and the choice to name Buri's mother, who is never mentioned by name, Pattani, which is the name of a Cambodian province.
Special thanks to Lady Silvamord for being willing to beta this drabble.
Sarain, the palace of Adigun jin Wilima
c. 438 H.E. – Summer
The light breeze carried away the last haunting notes of her death chant, leaving Kalasin standing on the edge of her tower balcony. She knew the moment was near, yet as she looked down from the tower at the crowd gathered beneath her, she froze, her heart beating swiftly. Gods, she couldn't do this. Then there came the sounds of men running up the stairs of the tower, and she knew that Pattani and Pathom were dead. They would never have let Adigun's men get by them unless they forfeited their own lives first.
A deep fury burned in her mind, as she thought of the two brave K'miri. She couldn't let their deaths be in vain. She had endured too many wrongs against her people to let more K'miri die and be forgotten.
And Thayet…Kalasin had always said that she would give her life for her daughter. In dying, she could give Thayet and all the other K'miri the undeniable voice of protest that Adigun had stifled countless times. Kalasin only wished that before she died, she could see her daughter one last time, even though she knew that Thayet would be safest as far away from the palace as she could get.
The sounds of Adigun's men were growing louder. Time was running short.
Thinking only of Thayet and their people, Kalasin jumped.