The Banished

Chapter 36

Once again, the days moved slowly. This was more due to the fact that he was, once again, put on that seemingly probation like torture where he was unable to do anything at all, but sit around and wait. Vlad and Usha did not even come to check up on him. He was still fed regularly, but he doubted that that was for any reason other than they needed him to keep up his strength, if he was going to fight Regalia and whatnot.

His guard proved useless and boring, though he was not expecting much. He knew from experience that the best guards were silent and unresponsive. It was just as well, because Gregor really had nothing to say to the men. Or anyone for that matter. Nothing that would help his current situation, at least.

It was a many days later, or at least felt like it, when anyone bothered with him. And even then, it was just Vlad, rushing into the place they were keeping him, frenzied and fearful.

"Get up. Get up! Come on then. You must come with me. Now."

Gregor frowned, as he had been asleep in that moment, before looking up at the man. "What is wrong with you? I-"

"Get up before I beat you till you do."

Shaking his head, Gregor slowly got to his feet, still confused. "What is going on? Is it Luxa? What?"

Vlad did not answer him though, merely reached over to snatch the guy by his arm and take him from the stone building.

"What is-" Gregor stopped speaking as he saw it on the horizon. The sunrise…no. Of course not. He was being stupid. But it was some sort of procession of light on the horizon, coming towards them. What…

"They are coming?" Gregor asked with a look of shock. It had to be the Regalian army, come to get Luxa back, their torches lighting up the utter darkness that surrounded everything else. He broke out into a smile then. "Ha ah! Look at them. They're coming. They-"

"Come on," Vlad growled, forcing him to follow along. The guards were running off then, no doubt to take up position. Gregor doubted that they had any plan of attack for someone coming upon their camp. Err, rather they didn't have one for the army of Regalia coming for them. "Now!"

"No way," Gregor said, yanking back, pulling his arm out of his grip. When Vlad turned on him, Gregor lunged low, tackling the older man to the ground. Quickly disentangling himself from the other man, he started to jump up and make a run for it when someone appeared on the path in front of him.

"Not so fast, ghost," Usha taunted as she came towards them, Luxa in front of her as she held a blade to the woman's neck. "You're going to stand there and let Vlad bind you. Then you and your woman are going to come with us. Quickly. We will unleash the beast just in time to destroy your army."

Luxa, who was bound, but no longer gagged or blindfolded, called out to him. "Do not do it, Overlander. Let them kill me. She does not have the-"

"Quiet!" Usha pressed the small blade harder against Luxa's throat. Gregor glanced at them before back at the light on the horizon. God, so close…

Vlad was up by then and quickly grabbed Gregor, his hands gripping tightly as he was angry by that point, over the fact the younger man had bested him.

"Is there a flier then, to take us?"

"No," Usha said, shaking her head. "We must hurry, as I said. Let us go. Now!"

"Bullshit," Gregor said then, though he allowed Vlad to tie him up. "You told me that the monster that I am to awaken is not really a monster at all. That it is truly something to consume Nerissa. It-"

"The beast is very real," Vlad told him while Usha only looked away. It was clearly a point of contusion for them. "People such as my wife are foolish. They believe it to be some sort of…demonic force that will consume your soothsayer. It is not. It-"

"We can discuss this later," Usha said before shoving Luxa forwards, keeping the blade to the other woman's neck. "Now we walk."

"Try nothing funny, Overlander," Vlad told him. "Because it would do me nothing better than to rape your little whore right in front off you."

"Vladimir, if you wish to get caught up in the fighting with the Regalians, continue your line of thought. If not, let me get us to where we need to go. Quickly," Usha complained, clearly annoyed with him.

So began a long walk. They went in darkness, hurrying away from the light that the Regalian army was bringing with it. Neither Luxa nor Gregor mouthed off much, as Usha kept the blade pressed so deeply into Luxa's flesh that even one tug of the blade would slit her throat.

Gregor thought that they would take him to that place where they got their drinking water from, but they did not. Instead, Vlad and Usha led them towards a cavernous region where there were many rocky areas around. Luxa was having trouble seeing by that point and stumbled so much that Gregor was afraid Usha would accidentally cut her.

"Why can't you remove the knife? Hold a knife to me, Vlad. I can at least see," he told them as, once again, Luxa tripped over a rock in the darkness.

"She would kill you to escape," Usha said then, hardly glancing at him. "She knows that she would. Heartless. Just like her mother."

It happened so quickly then, Luxa flinging her elbow back. It made contact with Usha's nose, causing the other woman to let out a scream and release her. Luxa was left with nowhere to go though as Vlad easily pulled his sword and pressed it into Gregor's back.

"One move and he's gone," was the man's only threat. It was enough though. Even though all she had to do was run, run towards the dimming lightness in the distance and be safe and never be in harm's way again, Luxa stayed, her eyes locking with Gregor's.

"I am not going anywhere," she told him. "I only wish for it to be known that my mother was far from heartless."

"Let the record show it," Vlad agreed tensely, watching his wife then, clicking slightly in the darkness. "Usha, how do you fare? Blood?"

"Some."

"Rip the whore's shirt then," he told her, nodding over at Luxa. "Use it to hold against your nose and let us go."

"Use mine," Gregor readily spoke up, keeping his eyes on Luxa. "You won't touch her again. She does not need that against her neck. Leave your sword against my back, Vlad. She has proven that she-"

"Do you give commands now?" Vlad pressed the tip of the blade harder into the other man's back. "I am tired of-"

"We must continue," Usha told them, moving to stand once more, shooting Luxa a glance before going to cut some fabric from Gregor's shirt. Luxa could have made an easy run for it then, but she did not. She would never truly put Gregor in jeopardy.

They kept walking then, Usha holding the fabric to her nose, as if to stop the bleeding. Gregor could tell from Luxa's stance that she was proud of what she had done. Which was fine. Gregor honestly kept looking for an opening so he and Luxa could do far worse to Vlad and Usha than just give them bloody noses.

"The water is in a cave?"

"Keep walking."

"How do you know then?" Gregor continued as he walked in front of Vlad, feeling the sword pressed against his back. "It is not in the prophecies, is it? You could be having me swim down to-"

"Keep walking."

"I mean, what's wrong with me knowing a few things? I am putting my life on the line for you guys. I'm not too good a swimmer, you know. Ask Luxa. I can't hold my breath for shit. Can I, Luxa?"

She didn't look at him. "He can't."

"And what activities brought on this realization?" Vlad quipped, but Usha only shook her head slightly, still holding the cloth to her nose.

"You shall learn to live without breath in a moment if the three of you do not silence yourselves," Usha ordered them with a frown. Luxa snorted at that, but did not respond in any other way. She must truly be afraid for her life for her not to be fighting back so easily.

Gregor was not so deterred. He did not want any harm to come to Luxa, but he had a mind that was easy to reason. They could not kill Gregor, but to torture him, they could harm Luxa. That being said, they could not kill Luxa because Gregor would then stop helping completely and they would have to kill him. So basically, their whole system relied on how far they themselves were willing to push things. And Gregor knew that Vlad would had quite the temper, but by the same token, Usha was usually rather level headed. She would not let Vlad kill either of them. So really all Gregor had to do was wait one of them out to make a mistake and then capitalize on it.

The cave they took them into turned into many, many more cavernous tunnels the further they went in. It was so dark that Gregor knew Luxa could see nothing and that the rest of them were just using echolocation. It was a good skill to teach her, when it was all said and done. He knew she would be hardheaded, but that it was accomplishable.

"How stagnant is this water then?" Gregor kept it up. He was hoping that with all his talking, they would become distracted and slip up. It was worth a shot. Especially if he could get the two of them to fight. They both seemed to be on opposite ends of the spectrum and Gregor was certain that if he pushed a little, he could get them to break. "Is it free flowing?"

"You shall see, Overlander," Usha told him simply, dabbing at her nose as the bleeding stopped. "I think she broke my nose, Vlad."

"You shall live," he said simply, clicking again.

"And what of Zander then?" Gregor asked, taking in a shallow breath. If he pushed Vlad too far, he'd skewer him. "Is the boy okay? Your son?"

"He shall be fine," Vlad said. "Be quiet."

"I'm just worried, you know?" Gregor kept on. "When the Regalians sack the city, they will lay waste. Where did you hide him away?"

"He is fine," Vlad said, more then to assure his wife than anything. "He is. He is a child. They would not harm a child."

"We kill gnawer pups, at time," Luxa said then softly, as if she too was worried. "You people stole me and the Overlander. They will kill them all, if they cannot find us. Especially a banished prince."

"Stop it," Vlad ordered as his wife stopped walking. "Come, Usha. Do you not see their plan? Do not let them win. Do not-"

"I care for Zander," Gregor told Vlad then. "More than you do."

"Careful, Overlander. Before-"

"Would they hurt my son?" Usha asked then, more to Luxa than anyone else. "Would they…kill him?"

"They would slit his throat, if he were lucky. Smash his skull in." Luxa's voice was cold, but Gregor knew that she too feared that true. It was rare, that soldiers would kill children, even children of other species, but it was not unknown. Gregor remembered the time when Luxa asked York what Lennox would do, if he were still in power, and the man told him that he would order all banished killed, even the children. "Something less painful-"

"Bashing in a skull is little pain?" Usha asked in a strangled voice, clearly annoyed by the insinuations. "I wish to bash your skull in now. You-"

"Like you tried to mine?" Gregor accused then.

"Silence. All of you! I will slice you, Overlander," Vlad threatened, but to no avail.

"What do you speak of?" Usha asked, frowning at him.

"I hardly survived, that bashing of the skull."

"Why, I assume that poor Zander would surely die," Luxa mused softly.

"Alright! Alright. I had that man hit you with the hammer. I had one of your ex-generals help me with it, as well as get the information about-"

"Helix," Gregor breathed softly.

She shook her head. "Namus."

Luxa stopped breathing for a moment before saying, "How-"

"He came to us. He wanted revenge." Usha shook her head. "So tell me now, how I am to keep my son safe. I need to-"

"I would run," Luxa told her softly. "I would run to him now. Go. If it is not already-"

"I swear, I will kill him. All of you, stop it. If the child is to be killed, it is too late, Usha. If he is not, then you rushing back will do no good. Think of what you have to offer him, after we finish this. We have to finish this! For the good of us all. For the good of your son. So pull yourself together."

Usha just stood there for a moment before whispering, "Yes."

"Then come on, woman. Do you want this or not? Did your father die for nothing? Are we all going to? Did we come this far to lose now? These…Regalians, do you fear them? You shall not once we finish this. So let us go. Let us win back a home. Our home. That we shall rule together. Always."

"Always," Usha whispered then, nodding her head slightly. "Always."

So they began again. Gregor's opportunity had failed, but perhaps it was for the best. He figured that once he was swimming down in that pond, something would come to him. And besides, he needed them to figure out the whole prophecy garb anyhow.

They stopped to rest eventually. Or rather Vlad forced him and Luxa to sit while he checked on his wife's nose.

"What is the plan?"

Gregor sighed in the darkness, shaking his head. "I do not, love. Are you fine?"

"I will be better once our men find us."

"I fear them searching the city, not finding us, and heading home," he told her softly. They were having to whisper to avoid not being overheard. "Then it will all be for nothing, should we escape."

"You do not truly think they shall hurt the child…do you?"

"I do not know who leads them. Perdita? No. Mareth? Of course not. But Barrett? He shall be very upset over you being captured. He will do most anything."

Luxa only let out a slight sigh. "This is quite the mess that we've made."

We?

Shaking his head, Gregor mumbled, "Yeah."

"We have been in worse."

"We have."

"Your father was assumed dead and you found him in a cave, once."

"The cousin you loved above all tried to kill you, yet you lived."

"You were put on trial for treason for not killing a pup."

"You saved my sister's life and sacrificed your own tobe sentenced to the jungle to die."

"Your mother got the plague virus, you saved her."

"You survived in a jungle full of poison with a wounded bond."

"You fought cutters and lived, something my own uncle could not do."

"You bravely led a kingdom into war to save the life of those you knew could not help themselves, at the age of twelve."

"You killed a gigantic white rat only to be left for dead, clutching the claw of your dead bond and were found."

"You've lost everyone you've ever loved nearly and are soon to lose more."

"You loved me, even though I treated you horribly."

His voice caught. "Lux-"

"And now we are here," she told him softly.

"We are," he agreed.

"I should have never done this, Gregor. I should have squelched the threat from the beginning. I should have-"

"Hey, now, don't go blaming this all on yourself. A lot of bull was thrown at us all at once."

She leaned against his arm then, almost having to fall to her side to do so. "Do you hate me? If we were to die at their hands-"

"Luxa, I-"

"-I would want to know."

"I've hated you, Lux, before. In moments. But I've never stopped loving you. I just think that we got…complacent. Stagnant. And I resented you for being over me in rank and you resented me for holding you back from being married and happy and all of that."

"Gregor-"

"Even if this didn't all happen, the banished and stuff, we'd of still ended up like that. I've been with you since I was a kid, Lux. You know? And sometimes, yeah, I want to go home. Back up top. I hate it sometimes, that I've burned all my bridges up there, but it is what it is. You've given up so much for me too. You've ruined your reputation in many's eyes. I've fucked you up just as much as you have me."

She paused before saying, "I think that we have more important problems, now, than our own relationship."

"I think that I don't care. And I know how selfish it is, to say that, but I don't," he told her with a shake of her head. "I don't have a lot, Luxa, but I have you. And that's all I care about. Everything else can go to hell right now."

"You say that," she accused softly. "But you know as well as I that you worry for our friends and family."

He hung his head. "Tell me you love me."

"I love you."

Letting out a long breath, he said slowly, "You can't see in the dark. You will only hurt yourself, should we make a break for it here. We are going to have to go to this pond with them, this water. And when they take us back out, we strike. We will make it back to the Regalian army and they shall save us. Plan?"

"Plan."

He sat there for a moment before saying, "No matter what, I want to save Zander."

"I as well."

"And when we do…then what?"

"I think," Luxa began slowly. "I think that I would be more open to caring for a child with you after all you have done for me here, should it turn out well."

Gregor only stared straight ahead. "Should it turn out well."

Vlad finished with Usha about that time and forced them both to stand again.

"I have to piss," Gregor said then, forcing himself to his feet. "Untie my hands."

"Can you piss with a sword pressed into your back?"

"I could piss off the edge of a cliff. Now let me go."

"Let him go, Vlad," Usha whispered. She sounded rather defeated then, probably imagining all sorts of horrible situations her son was getting into. Part of Gregor felt bad, thinking of his own mother who thought the same things about him constantly. "We have his woman. He shall not run."

"I am going with you regardless, Overlander," Vlad told him harshly.

Gregor only shrugged, unaffected. "Lead the way."

He did not feel so good about leaving Luxa with Usha, but they only walked a short distance. While he moved to relieve himself, Vlad only stood behind him, ready to attack should something go wrong.

"Listen to me, Overlander, and listen well. My wife is not as strong as she appears. You will not mention the child again."

Gregor sneered at him though there was no way he could see it. "My woman is strong."

"Your woman is a whore."

"My woman has only heart for me. I think you need a refresher on what exactly a whore is."

It was Vlad's turn to sneer. "Your woman will be a whore when you see me fuck her in front of you."

"You'd have to have a cock for that and I promise you if you tried, you would lack that."

When they made it back to the women, Luxa was right where she had been left, but Usha was pacing back and forth. After shoving Gregor towards his girlfriend, Vlad went to say a few more things to his wife.

"What did you say to her?"

Luxa jumped slightly, having no idea due to the darkness that he had appeared next to her. Relaxing once the voice was recognized in her head, she said simply, "I told her that they might only stab him through the belly and allow his entrails to fall from his insides."

"Lux, just stop it, alright? That's her kid."

"She shall be dead herself soon enough," Luxa told him with a sigh. "And you must you always be so softhearted, Overlander? Honestly."

Great. They were back to him being weak and her being strong. But honestly, by that point, he expected nothing less of her.

They heard the water before they approached it. It was flowing from somewhere and readily obvious from the sound that it was rather extensive. Honestly, the first thing Gregor wanted to do was strip down and jump into the water, wash off all the sweat and blood and everything else. It had been so long since he and Luxa had done that. Go off to a secluded part of the waterway and just been alone for awhile. Not even just have sex, but just be with each other, in the water, naked and unafraid. It was one of the things that did not stop being thrilling after you turned seventeen, like most other things did.

Of course, that was neither the time nor place for thoughts such as that. He was with Vlad and Usha for once thing and also, the fate of practically everyone in the Fount and Regalia was kind of on his back. Not to mention he was pretty sure Luxa wasn't really down for skinny dipping at the moment. He would just have to add it to the list of things she owed him when they got back home. That and a lot of other…activities. A lot.

She had kind of locked him up and left him with an untreated head wound, after all.

"Untie him, Vlad. She will stay remained tied," Usha sighed softly as they came to a stop. Gregor clicked, checking out his surroundings.

"What exactly am I going to find down there? Or are you going to tell me of the prophecies yet?"

Vlad sighed as he moved to untie him. "There is not much to tell you. Currently. You are to-"

"What of my cousin?" Luxa asked from where Usha had forced her to sit on the ground, away from the water. "You mentioned her before. I remember. Tell me."

"Your cousin is not-"

"The Overlander will swim down there and place this stone," Usha reached into her pocket and produced a small gem. Probably something they had found in those caves that they apparently mined. "In the hands of the statue down below. It shall awaken the beast beneath the surface."

"The beast," Gregor mumbled.

"What of my cousin though?" Luxa asked, clearly concerned. Gregor made a face at her, as they both knew as well as the other that what they were speaking of was not only childish, but also impossible. Still, Luxa did care deeply for Nerissa. If she wished to make sure her cousin was safe, that was her prerogative. "What does any of this have to do with her?"

"She sees the future, yes?" Usha was speaking so softly that had they not been completely alone, she sure wouldn't have been audible. "The beast is a spirit. That is why the ghost must unlock him, yes? It shall travel through the ghost to the woman. Nerissa, you call her, yes? He will transfer it to her, it shall consume her soul. No one shall be able to oppose her might, her force. And she shall be indebted to us. So the prophecy foretells."

"So you idiots interpret it," Vlad snorted.

"What do you think then?" Gregor asked, rubbing his wrists as they were unbound. "Vlad?"

The man laughed slightly, shaking his head. "Visions ceased, is what it says, yes? The beast unleashed will destroy Regalia, yes? The entire city. Sandwiches' vision of a perfect city ruined by those such as your queen. When all lie together-"

"What are you implying? Incest?" Gregor asked.

"I assure you he is not," Luxa huffed from over where she was.

"Homosexuality?" Gregor suggested then.

"Gregor-"

"The bloodline is impure," Vlad told him simply. "It is also told to us, yes? From impure breeding."

"So it is incest."

"Overlander, I swear-"

"No," Vlad told him, not finding anything funny with him purposely misunderstanding their scripture. "It means the fact that they let the line just take in any one. They ruined the direct line. Abdicating and such. They have mixed genes into the royal blood that should never have been included."

Luxa snorted, annoyed then. "And your wife is a direct line? A Halflander?"

"And how long until one of those is in your belly then?" Vlad spit towards her. "Never now, but that is merely because of us interfering."

Gregor frowned before clicking and looking around again. "Then Nerissa is the true beast, yeah?"

"She possesses the ability to become one," Usha whispered.

"Oh? And you think so?" Vlad looked about ready to spit at her too. "I am the true Underlander. You are a half-breed."

"I am of royal descent. You are nothing without me, Vladimir."

"I am much better without you."

"Do we sound so overrated and childish when we fight, Lux?" Gregor shook his head, grinning. "Come on then. Let me swim down here to show you that there is nothing."

Vlad and Usha were fighting then though and did not pay him any mind.

"You were nothing, but a skilled fighter. And hardly that," Usha said, glaring at him then as her husband approached. "You are a brute. Not even a good one at that. You have hidden behind me since I have taken you in. I-"

"I don't need you anymore," he told her then, shaking his head slightly. "I truly don't. I have proven my worth as king and yet you have failed. Again. You told them to go into Regalia without the beast, I said not to. They believed you. You got them killed. I am the leader they need. Me! And yet you dare question me? You need me, woman, far more than I need you."

"Ha." She shook her head slightly. "I put that crown on your head, Vladimir, and I can take it right back."

"Uh, guys?" Gregor wasn't sure what to do. "I'm, uh, you know, ready or whatever. We have to hurry. Remember? Zander is-"

"His name is not Zander," Usha growled at Gregor then. "It is James! After my dead brother. He is a prince. He shall-"

"He is a bastard," Luxa retorted from her spot on the ground. "As are all of you. Your marriages are not valid. Your lives are not valid. You-"

It was so dark and all Gregor really had was outlines. It went all too fast for him to stop Usha from attacking Luxa. From what he could guess, she lunged at her, tackling her fully to the ground. As Luxa was bound and in complete darkness, Usha clearly had the upper hand.

Vlad pulled his blade as Gregor rushed over. "Careful now, Overlander, I-"

Gregor had no choice, but to tackle Vlad, he knew that though the man had far better echolocation than him, that it would not be nearly as useful while he was talking. So he rushed at him, narrowly avoiding being skewered by the sword.

He lifted up slightly, trying to punch Vlad, hoping to knock him out or something, but the man was stronger than he appeared. He easily bucked Gregor off. The problem was though that he had dropped his sword in the tussle and had to locate it then before Gregor. And unfortunately for Gregor, he did.

"Now what, Overlander? Ah?" Vlad held his sword out in front of him, shaking his head. Gregor was still on the ground, just clicking softly.

Okay, so Vlad was in front of him, Luxa was under Usha, who wasn't too far away. He had to get Usha off Luxa. But first he had to get rid of Vlad…

Click.

There. Vlad had another weapon on his belt. A dagger, probably. It was not favorable against a sword, but if Gregor could on get it-

"Get up then!" Vlad's eyes were blazing. "Now, Overlander. Forget the women. Fuck the women. You are going to get into that water and unlock my beast. Now!"

Click.

He would have to stand. There was no doubt about that. Then he would have to get close enough to Vlad to get that dagger.

"I must move to stand," Gregor said softly. "Let me stand. Do not attack."

"Slowly!"

Luxa let out a cry then as Usha hit her in the face. God, he needed to get rid of Vlad so he could go save her. He had to-

"Faster than that, Overlander."

"I'm standing, I'm standing," Gregor said, pushing up before holding his hands out in front of him. "See? Now get me the gem, huh? So I can swim down there, yeah? That's how we're doing this."

Vlad turned then, clicking, as if to look for the gem. It was enough for Gregor though, as he used his distracted state to rush forwards and pull the dagger. Vlad made a noise of shock, but Gregor had already jumped back, out of the way. Once he realized what had happened, Vlad merely laughed.

"What are you going to do then, Overlander?" Vlad assumed a stance, holding the sword in a diagonal way, defensively. "How are you going to kill me with a dagger? When I have a sword? Tell me this?"

"I will not have to tell you," Gregor whispered. "I will only to show you."

It was a fun game for soldiers, when gambling and womanizing got boring. You would take your dagger or knife and toss it, hopefully hitting your mark. It was kind of like darts, but better. Gregor had never been too great at it, but he was skilled enough. It was the thought of doing it in the dark that gave him the most fear, but it was his only hope.

It should be duly noted that, as the blade flipped swiftly through the air, Gregor never thought it would make contact with Vlad's eye. In fact, he had been aiming for his forehead. Still, alls well that ends well.

Vlad made the most sickening sound when the blade pierced his right eyeball, dropping the sword once more in shock. That was all Gregor needed, all that had to be done, for him to rush over and pick up the sword. He was in control then. He could have mercy. He could force Vlad and Usha back out of the caves.

But he didn't. Because no matter how much mercy he showed the man, he would always abuse it. Always. Because Vlad was nothing, but one of the filthy banished. And it was time that he paid for his crimes.

It felt so good, driving that blade through Vlad's stomach. Gregor kept eye contact the enter time. It felt even better when he removed the blade and saw Vlad bleed out, watched him die.

He had never felt better. He had never felt sicker.

It was then that he turned to Luxa and Usha, clicking slightly. Who was on top? Who was injured? Who-

"Luxa, no," Gregor yelled then. He could tell it was her, over Usha then, holding the dagger the woman had held against her throat hours before against her captures then. "We need her, Luxa. We need-"

It was too late. For all the animosity Gregor held for Vlad, Luxa had so much more for Usha. She easily slit the woman's throat, no doubt getting her jugulars. And Gregor just stood there, didn't move to help. And Luxa just sat there, breathing heavily. Neither spoke for a long time.

"How did you break your bonds?" Gregor finally asked as he went over to her, slowly helping her stand.

"She did on accident, when she drew her blade." Luxa was so disoriented in the dark that Gregor wondered how she had won out against the other woman. "Vlad is dead?"

"He is."

"You had no choice."

"No, I didn't."

"Neither did I."

She did. They both had. Hadn't they?

"Yeah," Gregor whispered.

"Are they really dead?"

So Gregor went and picked up the sword before stabbing Vlad a few more times, taking his sword belt and retrieving the dagger before putting them on. Then he went and stabbed Usha straight the heart, just to make sure. They always needed to be sure.

"Now their light is truly gone."

"I don't think either of them ever knew true light, Lux."

It was over then. It was really over. It was sinking in then, he thought, for both of them. No matter what the rest of the banished did, there was no hope for them. More than likely, the Regalian army had crushed most of them. And when news of their leaders' deaths reached them, they would no doubt abandon all hope.

Gregor and Luxa should have felt great. But they didn't.

"The gem," Luxa whispered finally. "Where-"

"Here." Gregor clicked around before locating it, discarded, on the ground. "Right here."

"So," Luxa whispered as he picked it up. "What do you…should you…would you like to…"

Gregor held it for a moment or two, just staring, thinking. Then, glancing at Luxa, he said, "Come on, Lux. It's time to head home."

And with that, he threw the gem into the water, where he had no doubt it would float to the bottom and be lost forever. Then, reaching over, he wrapped his arms around Luxa, knowing he would use the excuse that he had to lead her out of the caves, before giving her a kiss to the side of the head.

"Together," she whispered to him, the darkness hiding the bloody mess they both were from her.

"Always," Gregor agreed, hugging her slight frame to his. "Always."

Homestretch guys. Plan to be done by forty.