Just as Talia reached for her staff, the arrow split in half and landed helplessly on the ground.
"Gods, they must be close," Talia remarked as she withdrew her quarterstaff strapped to her back. She looked over her shoulder at Ulma and the other Gur warriors, "You may want to remove your weapons, just in case."
Ulma nodded. "Good idea."
Talia rushed toward the battle with Astarion at her side and the Gur warriors following close behind. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest, and a wave of deep-seated anger rose inside her as she saw Cami Nita's Gur tribe locked in combat with Astarion's other siblings.
"Godsdammit, the fucking bastards," Talia spat, before glancing over her shoulder at Ulma and her warriors again. "Spread out, pick a target, and take them down."
Without further instructions, she rushed ahead and raised her staff, taking aim at their foes. The air crackled as she summoned a bolt of lightning, forking as it struck two nearby Gur warriors who were heading for Violet and Yousen. The Gur warriors cried out in pain as they were electrocuted, before falling motionless to the ground.
"How many warriors are there?" Talia shouted over the din of battle.
"Fifteen, twenty at least," Yousen answered, his fists bloodied.
"They came out of nowhere," Violet added. "We barely responded in time."
"Are the children and non-combatants safe?" Talia inquired.
"Yes, we hid them in the usual place," Yousen replied.
"Good," said Talia. "You two should go help your other siblings, while Astarion and I deal with the leader."
"Do you know who that is?" Violet asked with a raised brow.
"I do," Astarion answered as his blades twirled restlessly in his hands.
Talia could feel the rage radiating from him and she nodded. "We'll handle it. Just go help the others."
Without another word, Violet and Yousen nodded and complied with Talia's instructions. Talia then cast a sideways glance at her lover.
"Let's go end this once and for all."
"Right behind you, darling," Astarion purred.
As Talia sped around the battlefield, Astarion followed her closely as he kept an eye on the chaos of the battlefield; vampire spawn and Gur locked in battle, each wielding their dangerous weapons.
Gods, we were too late, Astarion thought. Hopefully, we can take these fuckers down sooner rather than later.
"There," Talia said, pointing her staff in the direction of a Gur warrior woman wielding a greatsword facing off against Dalyria and Pale. While Astarion's siblings held their own, this Gur warrior gave as good as she got.
"Are we going for the usual modus operandi?" Astarion asked.
"Sure, why not?" Talia replied.
A predatory grin lit up Astarion's face as he twirled his daggers. "Excellent."
He rushed forward as the Gur warrior woman knocked Dalyria and Pale backward, with Astarion avoiding her greatsword in time.
"Astarion," his siblings shouted as he reached them.
"Astarion Ancunin, we meet at last," the Gur woman decried, drowning out the shout of his siblings.
"Darling I'm not sure that's a good thing for you," Astarion replied as he twirled his daggers again.
"It is, actually," the Gur leader said, as she raised her greatsword. "Because now I get to kill the person responsible for allowing my ancestor's murderer to walk free."
"That was centuries ago," Astarion said, watching Talia raise her staff in his peripheral vision. "Things have changed since then."
Cami threw back her head and laughed. "As if! I know who you are, Astarion. You don't care about the consequences of your actions, and damn anyone who suffers them."
Before Talia, that was true, he thought.
"Perhaps, but not anymore," he said as Talia sent a lightning bolt at Cami.
Astarion watched incredulously when Cami sidestepped the lightning bolt wearing a wicked grin as she adjusted her grip on her greatsword.
"While I might not be able to kill you, I can kill what matters most to you," Cami said.
She turned from Astarion and charged at Talia. Astarion could sense her plan and sped toward his lover in an attempt to intercept Cami. However, but Cami reached Talia first and struck the drow through the chest with her greatsword. Talia shouted in pain as her staff fell on the ground beside her and blood gushed from her wound. A bottomless rage filled Astarion as Cami turned to him with a wild grin.
"See, I did—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Astarion cut her off with a single graceful, yet furied, swipe at her neck with his daggers. Blood immediately sprayed from the wound. Foregoing his usual elegance with his blades, fuelled solely by his anger at the pain she'd inflicted on Talia he stabbed Cami twice in quick succession.
"You will never hurt anyone ever again," Astarion snarled as he lowered his voice. "In a thousand years when I die, I hope I come to whichever of the hells you are in so I can kill you all over again."
He followed up the taunt by stabbing her twice in the chest in quick succession and her body went still. A feral satisfaction filled him as he wiped his daggers, sheathed them, and turned his focus on Talia, whose hands were pressed to her chest.
"Shit, fuck-" said Astarion as he rushed toward his lover and bent down by her side. "Hold on, love, we'll get you some healing."
"Astarion," Talia gasped.
"Just hold on," he replied, looking back at the fighters around them. "I need a healer, NOW!"
"Sofia, we need you," Ulma called.
She and a dark-haired Gur woman rushed toward Talia and Astarion as the white-haired vampire reached for Talia's hand and gently squeezed it.
"Hold on, my darling," he murmured. "Help is on the way."
Talia felt her body grow heavy as blood continued gushing from her wound, with Astarion remaining close as Ulma and someone else stood over her.
"It's going to be all right, I promise," Astarion murmured, concern evident in his eyes.
"Astarion," Talia groaned.
"Save your strength, darling," Astarion said.
His expression was one Talia hadn't seen before: fear.
"Everything will be all right…." Talia croaked.
"Astarion, you need to step back," said Ulma. "Or else Sofia can't do what she needs to do."
"Don't go," Talia murmured as she reached for Astarion.
Were it still possible, Astarion's heart would've broken at seeing Talia reach for him. With the last of his strength, Astarion turned toward his siblings as they huddled together in a group, their hands and faces all bloodied.
"Where are the rest of Cami Nita's tribe?" Astarion asked, looking between the four of them.
"They fled once their leader was dead," Aurelia replied, as her tail swished behind her.
Well, that's one small favor I suppose, Astarion thought.
"Good," he said with a nod. "Go take care of their bodies while I inform the rest of the colony what happened."
"What about Talia?" Dalyria asked with a concerned expression.
Astarion's heart did a summersault as he briefly glanced over his shoulder while Sofia and Ulma tended to Talia. He shifted his gaze back to Dalyria and his other siblings.
"They're doing what they can for her, but she's too weak and can't be moved right now," Astarion answered. "Move out."
He said the last part more forcefully than he'd intended but it got the others moving and that's what mattered. Although every cell in his body screamed for him to remain at Talia's side, Astarion knew it was vital that the rest of the colony be informed of what happened.
I'm so sorry, my darling, Astarion thought. I promise this will never happen again.