Dart had traveled this path before, albeit hidden in the back of a wagon. Now, he thought it a great comfort to have his friends by his side. Glancing up at the massive structure of Hellena Prison, his heart beat just a little faster as he considered what they were walking into. This place was notorious for its inhumane treatment, and Dart had seen much of it firsthand. Still, he'd managed to escape with two prisoners last time. How hard could it be to snatch one more?
Leaving their horses in the cover of the nearby trees, the group of five dismounted and eyed the black tower, sheer and shiny in the moonlight.
"Not to be the downer in this situation," said Haschel, "but that place looks completely impenetrable."
Indeed, it seemed so. There was only one way into the prison, and that was through the front gate, across a great ravine only traversable by the lifted drawbridge. From this distance, Dart could make out two dozen keeping the metal bars safe, not to mention the dozens more guards probably waiting for them inside. After his escapade a couple months prior, they had surely increased security on every level of the prison, and it could only have intensified upon learning of the dragoons' approach. On top of this, their prize would likely be kept at the top of the tower, through all the extra bloodshed.
"After what Lavitz did back there, I'd say we have nothing to worry about," interjected Rose.
"She's right," Dart admitted to Haschel, who looked back at him, slightly skeptical.
Lavitz's forceful demonstration had been enough to scare anyone, and if the guards at the prison had seen it, they may have already been willing to surrender. But even if they hadn't, Lavitz was just one of four dragoons in this group, and Dart knew that nothing would stop them from reaching the top of the prison.
"The plan is simple," said Lavitz sternly. "Get to the top and kill anyone who gets in the way. King Albert will not spend another day in this hell."
Everyone nodded, and they left the cover of trees and marched toward the prison, weapons at the ready. Despite the darkness, they were spotted a moment later, and a shrill whistle sounded. As they approached the cliffside, Dart gazed down at the rocks below only to feel his legs quiver. He backed away.
"Ideas on how to cross the distance?" asked Dart.
A volley of arrows shot out at them, but without more than a glance up, Lavitz blew them off course, and they fell harmlessly into the ocean.
"The mechanism for the bridge is over there," said Lavitz, pointing up at a thick rope sixty yards away. It reached from the end of the drawbridge to a pulley mechanism attached to the outer wall. "Burn the rope, we get in."
"There's another on the other side," Haschel pointed out.
"Easy," nodded Lavitz. "Dart, can you burn the rope from here?"
"Uh…" Dart hesitated, eyeing the distance to his target. "Maybe?"
Holding his hand out, he focused on the rope, but nothing happened.
"Next plan, then," hurried Lavitz. "Dart, light one of Shana's arrows, and she can shoot the rope with it."
"I'm not sure I can make that shot," said Shana.
"I'll help," urged Lavitz. "Let's go."
Shana glanced at Dart with concern as she loaded an arrow and held it out for him. He wrapped his hand around the point, and a moment later, a tiny fire blazed on the shaft. Shana drew back her bow, aimed, and fired, and the arrow sailed toward the prison. Just as Dart thought it would veer off course, Lavitz corrected with wind, and the arrow pierced the rope. A mere second later, the flames leapt onto the target and began to burn brighter.
"The other," urged Lavitz with a nod, and they repeated the process on the other side of the drawbridge. Then as they waited, a breeze whipped through, feeding the tiny fires until the ropes snapped.
The grinding of gears sounded, and the great wooden bridge fell to the earth. The group stepped back, and as soon as the bridge crashed into place, Lavitz was bounding across.
"Lavitz!" called Dart.
Shaking his head, he followed with the others on his heels. Another set of arrows flew toward them, but Lavitz swept them away and quickly disposed of the two guards on this side of the metal gate. Then Lavitz knelt and began testing the lock.
"I can't get it," he said, frustrated.
"Hang on," said Dart, easing forward. He sheathed his sword, grabbed the lock, and pulsed heat through his hands. Concentrating, he held nothing back, willing the metal to give beneath him. Eventually, the bolt began to glow red, and then yellow, and he jerked back hard. The entire locking mechanism was removed from the door, glowing white-hot in his hands, and he cast it over the side of the bridge. Then after tentatively testing the gate, he swung it open.
"Shall we?" he grinned. Flashing a toothy smile in return, Lavitz charged through the door, and Dart followed closely behind.
Instantly, they were engaged with a dozen guards, each bewildered by the open gate. In terror, they died within a minute, and the group paused and glanced around.
They stood in the large entrance hall of Hellena Prison. The black stone beneath them had been worn by years of heavy carts running over the floor and was now rough and grayed. The tracks led off the main hallway, through the doorway into the room that Dart had first stepped into all that time ago. Clearly, Lavitz remembered the layout as he charged ahead toward the stairs, still just out of sight through a distant doorway.
Just as they were about to bound out of the main hall, six guards appeared before them, forcing them to a stop. Drawing his sword, Dart raised his left hand to summon a flame as Lavitz bared his lance. Behind him, Dart heard the stretch of a bowstring and the slide of metal leaving a sheath.
"Did you really think it would be that easy?" said a voice behind them.
Dart whirled and saw another fifteen guards herding them backward. Casting a knowing glance toward Lavitz, they shifted their feet and prepared to attack.
The guard nodded to another, who placed his hand on a lever protruding from the wall. A sinking feeling caught Dart's chest, and he glanced down; they were standing on a drainage grate.
"Wait!" he cried, but it was too late. He shot an arc of fire toward the guard, but he had already pulled the lever. A click sounded below them, and all five fell into darkness.
Dart's stomach lurched, and he braced himself for impact. A powerful blast of wind blew into his face, and a moment later, he heard five hard thumps as each body slammed into the floor. He opened his eyes, and his heart raced when he saw nothing. All around them was empty black. Craning his neck to look up, he could see the distant torchlight through the hole above them, now at least fifty feet away.
"Is everyone alright?" called Lavitz's voice.
Shana and Rose acknowledged him, but Haschel only grunted. Holding his hand high, Dart conjured a flame, casting an orange light about them and letting it hover over their heads.
"I see Dart is alive as well," said Lavitz.
Looking around, Dart saw his companions, bruised and aching but alive. About them their weapons lay scattered, and Dart said silent thanks that none of them had been injured or killed.
"Did you slow our fall?" he asked Lavitz breathlessly.
"I tried," he shrugged. He seemed tense and nervous, glancing around at the walls as if he were being trapped and suffocated. Surrounded by earth, Dart noted regretfully.
"Oh, it worked," said Haschel, struggling to his feet. "Otherwise, we'd have quite a number of broken bones among us. Thanks." He nodded to Lavitz.
"Shana," said Dart. He couldn't help but step nearer to her. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she nodded.
He tapped her shoulder awkwardly before turning to assess their situation.
"Where are we?" he asked. "Or more importantly, how do we get out?"
As he peered around, he found that he could only see about twenty feet in any direction. Surrounding them was a rough-hewn rock wall, very different from the polished stone in the rooms above. He couldn't see far enough to make out the edges of the room, something that reminded him of their time in the cave east of Bale.
Great, he thought.
"Shana," said Rose, her voice echoing about them. "You can make a light for us to see by. It would be much more effective than Dart's fire."
"How?" she asked doubtfully.
"The same way you healed Dart. You can do it."
Shana glanced around nervously before closing her eyes to focus. Only a few seconds later, a white ball bloomed high above them, showering them with a blinding light. Laughing, Shana opened her eyes and held out her hand, feeling the intense rays before allowing the light to dim slightly.
"Wow!" exclaimed Dart.
Now, the entire cavern was illuminated, almost as if sunlight itself flooded through it. Letting his flame die, Dart walked around, searching for anything suspicious along the walls. A large boulder lay on the far side of the room, and he stepped around it before stopping short. Before him was a pile of bones, stained red and pocked with teeth marks. The walls and floor had been colored a deep crimson.
"Guys," he said breathlessly.
"What is it?" asked Haschel and Lavitz simultaneously.
"Bones... There's a... pile of bones over here. All human, I think."
"What?" breathed Shana, and the light wavered for a moment.
Tearing himself from the gruesome sight, Dart marched back over to them and said, "They didn't just send us down here to trap us. They want us to be killed. To be eaten."
"That's horrible!" said Shana.
"Makes sense, though," inserted Rose. "Too bad they sent a bunch of dragoons down here."
"But where is this mighty beast that we now have to defeat?" asked Haschel.
"Must be down here somewhere," muttered Rose. "If it was sleeping, we would have woken it by now."
Quickly, Dart grabbed his sword off the ground and waited. Only a moment later, something heavy slid across the stone floor just out of sight, and Dart glanced around, trying to pinpoint the sound as it echoed. Shana tapped his arm and gestured behind him, and he turned to see a dark passage at the far end of the cavern. A low growl issued out of it along with heavy footfalls.
The beast lumbered into the light as if it had never seen before. Its tiny eyes blinked rapidly at them from its great head, armed with four giant tusks framing its mouth. It hobbled forward on all fours, and its sharp claws ground against the stone. As it eyed them, Dart noticed its thick, leathery skin, and it bared its teeth at them, revealing four rows of sharp fangs.
"What is that thing?" asked Haschel.
Then the beast roared and charged.
An arrow whistled toward the creature, piercing its chest and eliciting a cry. As it tumbled through their group, they darted to either side, and Dart slashed at the creature's leg. It swung wildly at him with its arm, but Lavitz and Rose stabbed it from the other side and gathered its attention. Dart lobbed a heavy ball of fire at the creature just as another arrow pierced near its eye. Then he sunk his sword into the creature's side, and it squealed. Rose leapt onto its back, using its arm to pull herself up, and perched above its neck. Then lifting her sword high, she imbued it with dark power and brought it down into the creature's skull.
With a loud cry and heavy thud, the beast fell, dragging Rose with it. Her body thumped to the ground, and she eased to her feet wincing and holding her arm.
"Are you okay?" asked Shana.
"I'm fine," she said, but Dart could see several scratches on her leg, arms, and face.
"You don't need to be so tough all the time," huffed Shana as she wrapped her bow around her torso and hurried over to Rose. Then with healing light, she dragged her hand just above Rose's skin, healing each of the cuts. During the process, Rose seemed intensely uncomfortable but afterwards muttered her thanks.
"So much for their trap," said Dart, stepping up to the corpse and retrieving Shana's arrows.
"The guards always threatened to feed me to a monster," breathed Lavitz. "I'm glad they never threw me down here. I don't think I would have fared so well on my own."
"That thing wasn't the only problem, though," said Haschel. "We're still trapped down here."
"Think you could buoy us up on a gale to get us up there?" Dart asked Lavitz, gesturing to the ceiling.
"Not that high..." he answered regretfully.
"There has to be another way out of here."
"I hope so," muttered Lavitz. "I'm starting to understand how you felt that day in the marshes."
"We just need to find it," assured Shana.
"Maybe it's through the creepy passage where the beast slept," added Haschel.
Sighing, Dart replied, "It's worth a shot."
The group moved toward the dark tunnel silently, still at attention. Shana carried the light with them, but it only slightly alleviated Dart's fears. The silence was almost complete.
"What if there's a nest full of baby monsters?" whispered Haschel.
"What?"
"I'm just saying, would we still kill them? They're only babies, after all. Seems kind of cruel if you ask me."
"And let them grow up to eat more people in the future?" asked Rose.
"They're just babies!" protested Haschel. "They don't know any better!"
Rolling his eyes, Dart whispered loudly, "There's no nest of monster babies! So just relax!"
"You don't know that," muttered Haschel, but Dart ignored him. Lavitz chuckled.
They creeped into the passageway, ready for something terrifying to jump out at them in the dark. When nothing came, Dart relaxed slightly and pressed forward. As Shana's light moved into the wide tunnel, he could see that the walls here were covered with claw marks. The sight unnerved him, and he tried to ignore their existence as they came to the end of the passage, where they were met with little more than a pile of rubble.
Sighing, Dart announced, "Dead end."
"Wait," said Lavitz suddenly. "Shana, turn off your light for a moment."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yeah, I feel… air over there. Slipping through the rocks."
She complied, and darkness swept over them. Blinking, Dart tried to let his eyes adjust, but they fought back stubbornly.
"Rose," said Lavitz, "can you see any light through the rubble?"
Dart felt someone shift past his left arm and heard Rose's soft footfalls as she neared the boulders. A moment later, her voice drifted out from somewhere before him.
"Actually, yes." She was mildly impressed, and Dart felt a spark of envy. "We just need to move these boulders to get out," added Rose.
Shana's light flooded the room once again, dazzling Dart for a moment, and the group immediately went to work. One by one, they shifted the rocks away from the wall, revealing more and more torchlight from the other side. At last, they had enough space to move through, and Lavitz once again headed up the charge, Dart close behind.
They emerged from the cavern into a narrow hallway barely big enough for two people to walk astride and lit only by a few waning torches lining the walls. Almost immediately, the path curved to the left, leading to a set of stairs. Lavitz charged up them until they came to a landing, when he turned right and followed another narrow hallway butted up against another stairwell. At the bottom stood a single guard, who had frozen, pale-faced before them as he watched their approach.
"Stop," he squeaked, but Lavitz had already attacked. A second later, the guard crumpled to the floor, and they were moving again.
Climbing the spiral staircase, Dart realized that they were beneath the center of the prison and that these same stairs would take them all the way to the top. They just had to keep going up. As they came to the next landing, he recognized it as the first level and saw the entrance off to the side. However, all the guards that had trapped them were now just past the doorway, talking and laughing about their successes.
As quietly as they could, they inched past, but one of the guards noticed the movement and shouted an alarm. Swords were drawn, and the guards closed in.
Dart, Lavitz, Haschel, and Rose put their backs to each other, surrounding Shana as the onslaught began. Three guards attacked Dart, but he grinned to recall his last visit when he'd survived the attacks of twelve. This time, he was faster and stronger.
The third guard jabbed as the first swiped toward Dart's leg. Dart blocked the attack and leapt off the floor simultaneously, then brought his sword down on the first guard, cutting across his neck and sending him to the ground. A moment later, another took his place.
Lifting his left hand, he spouted a fountain of flame, pouring it over all three enemies. They shrieked as their garments caught fire, burning their flesh, and Dart killed each of them in turn. Their bodies continued to burn, slowly catching the clothes of others around them, building a wall between Dart and the rest of the guards who watched in frenzied terror. He glanced around, noting that each of his companions were still unharmed, and a white-faced guard slowly backed away and ran up the stairs.
"Lavitz, clear this out!" he called out, and a second later a hasty gale swept down the hallway, starving the growing flames of air and leaving Dart's path clear. He set his eyes on the two remaining guards and leapt toward them over the fallen bodies. In two clean swipes, he relieved one of his head and the other of his innards, and they fell in sickening thuds.
"Look out!" shouted Shana, and Dart turned to his left where a guard fumbled with a bow and arrow. The arrow had just been raised, and the bowstring was tightening when Lavitz hefted his lance across the room. It sunk into the guard's chest, and he fell to the ground, his bow resting beside him.
"What would you do without me?" grinned Lavitz as calm filled the room. He stepped over to retrieve his weapon.
Dart shrugged. "I'm sure I could manage."
With a heavy yank, Lavitz pulled it free his weapon and said, "Yeah, but you'd probably lose a few more limbs. How many times have I saved your life now?"
"Not as many times as I've saved yours."
Rose suddenly interrupted and said scathingly, "Can we move? We have a king to save."
Dart huffed before following Lavitz to the stairs. Alarm bells began to ring in the distance as they made their way to the next floor, and Dart felt a wave of nausea as that horrid smell greeted him. Somehow, it seemed even worse than it had during his first visit. Part of him wanted to stop and free all the prisoners, but he understood that King Albert was the greater prize. Perhaps, after they had secured the king, they could stop on their way back.
At the second-floor landing, several guards met them, only to be cut down in mere seconds. Almost without breaking stride, they were making their way to the third floor and beyond. They didn't stop to make sure that all the guards were dead, although several tried to slow them down as they made their ascent. But everything changed when they reached the sixth floor.
Yet another whistle echoed about the tower, and several others replied. The group stopped for a moment to listen, and Haschel's heavy pants filled the relative silence. The crashing of many footsteps and creaking of metal sounded as a dozen cells were opened. A moment later, Dart drew in a horrified breath as screams began to echo among the levels. The guards were slaughtering the prisoners.
Just as Lavitz was about to turn onto the landing, Rose shouted, "We have to keep going! The king is more important!"
Lavitz hesitated and looked at Dart. As much as Dart hated it, he knew that she was right. They couldn't save all the inmates, but they had to get to the king before the worst happened. He nodded, and Lavitz clenched his jaw.
The screams continued as they hurried up the next several flights of stairs.
Six guards tried to make a final stand on the ninth level, but Lavitz blew them back, allowing him and Dart to pick them off. A moment later, they emerged on the tenth floor, where a natural wind buffeted their faces.
They stood clustered together on some sort of balcony looking out over Serdio. No railing protected from a deadly fall of over a hundred feet, but seven wide pillars supported a ceiling to protect from rain. In the far distance, the first rays of the morning sun were peeking out over the vast ocean.
Immediately before them, however, was a much less pleasant sight. Three guards waited in front of them, watching them in trembling fear and trying to hold their weapons with confidence. To the left, the brutish head warden stood holding a battered King Albert with one arm and pressing a sharp blade against the king's throat with the other.
Instead of the healthy, regal man Dart remembered from Bale, Albert was weak and bruised, tossed about by evil. He was shirtless, wearing only trousers that were bloodied from a seeping wound on his left thigh. Cuts and bruises adorned his skin, and his hands were bound to a heavy chain behind him. His hair, which had been well-kept at the castle, was now disheveled and frayed and beat about his face.
The instant Lavitz saw the king, a seething rage took hold of him. Dart was reminded of facing Greham in the dragon's nest, but something much stronger and far deadlier than revenge had taken hold of the knight.
"Release him," he said, baring his lance, his voice a threatening calm.
Behind him, Dart felt the rustle of Shana as she reached for an arrow.
"Now why would I do something like that?" asked Fruegel, grinning widely. "I hold all the cards in my hands. Just one little slip—" He twitched his wrist, and a shallow bead of blood appeared on the king's neck. "—and your precious king is gone."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," replied Lavitz.
Dart had never heard him sound like this before. His voice had always been kind and unwavering or, on a rare occasion, wild and angry. This was something entirely different; Lavitz was calm, collected, almost aloof, but entirely threatening. Dart was reminded a little of Rose.
"Is that so?" mocked Fruegel. "One knight and his merry little band don't scare me."
"We should."
Lavitz raised his hand clenched his fists, and the three guards gasped, reaching for their throats. They tried to breathe, but appeared unable to draw in air, and Dart realized that Lavitz had pulled the air from their lungs. In their panic, they stumbled, and Lavitz shouted as he forced a gale over them. The wind lifted the guards from their feet and flung them over the edge of the tower, sending them screaming to a painful death.
"Whoa…" whispered Haschel.
"What... what was that?" cried Fruegel, glancing between Lavitz and the empty space where the guards had stood a moment before. "What did you do?" Even King Albert's eyes grew wide as he watched the display of power, but he dared not move or speak.
Shana's bowstring drew tighter.
"You just witnessed the true power of a dragoon," said Lavitz coolly. "Do you really think you can make it out here alive after what you've done?"
"You fool!" cried Fruegel, but Dart heard the fear in his voice. "I control this situation! One more move from you, and I cut his throat!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it."
"Now," breathed Dart, and with one swift movement, Shana raised her bow and let loose the arrow. It whistled past Dart's ear and landed in Fruegel's arm, forcing out a scream as the knife clanged to the floor. Albert took the chance and stumbled away from his captor, but in his weakened state, he tumbled to the ground.
Rushing forward, Lavitz screamed a charge and attacked Fruegel as Shana rushed over to help the king. Lavitz's attacks were wild and uncoordinated, and Dart leapt forward to aid him. Fruegel swung his club, but they were far too fast for him. In a desperate attempt to regain some leverage, Fruegel reached out to grab Lavitz's arm, but Dart brought his sword down and detached Fruegel's hand. Lavitz sliced the back of his knee, sending him to the ground, and thrust the lance through Fruegel's heart. With the strength of a dragoon behind him, Lavitz's lance pierced through to the other side of Fruegel's body, and he collapsed, lifeless.
"No!" shouted Shana. "Oof!"
Dart whirled to see a flash of light, but Shana had been pushed to the ground. She held her head in pain as she pushed off the floor, and beside her, the king knelt, his hands still bound. Behind him stood a man in a dark, hooded cloak with his hand wrapped tightly around the king's neck. Even as Dart watched, the man thrust his other hand into Albert's back, and the king screamed. Then the hooded man retracted his hand, and Albert collapsed to the floor, but Dart could discern no wound. In the assailant's hand, a fist-sized object glowed.
Lavitz screamed in rage and wrenched Dart's sword out of his hand. Then he ran and leapt into the air, wind whipping about him as a green flash lit the tall balcony. Fully transformed, he hovered for a moment before diving, calling all wind to him and forcing it toward the hooded man. Dart squinted through his arms as Lavitz's magic buffeted him, and he was barely able to see the hood fall backward and expose silvery, platinum hair. A burst of air came from Lavitz, and Dart, Rose, and Haschel fell to the floor.
Then the storm settled, giving way to the gentle breeze that had greeted them when they'd arrived.
Leaping to his feet, Dart stopped and stared. Lavitz hovered before the man, his glittery wings fluttering in the wind, sword raised over his head. But then it clattered to the ground, and Lavitz's arms fell limp at his sides. He slumped forward, leaning on the man's chest.
The man with silver hair.
Dart finally recognized him.
With a sickening sound, Lloyd ripped a sword made of flame out of Lavitz's chest, and the knight collapsed.
"No," breathed Dart as he stumbled forward. "No!"
He sprinted, thrusting a ball of fire at Lloyd, but he ducked and then leapt from the tower. Confused, Dart stopped again. Then Lavitz coughed, and all thoughts of Lloyd fled.
The world spun slowly as Dart tried to move forward, closer to Lavitz. He heard nothing but his own heartbeat, slow and pulsing within his body. He was vaguely aware of King Albert struggling to his knees. Metal clinked somewhere, and the king's hands came free as he reached for Lavitz.
But it was his fault. If the king hadn't been captured, this wouldn't have happened. Finally reaching his friend, Dart forcefully shoved King Albert in the chest, knocking him back as Dart fell to the ground.
"Lavitz," Dart said, his voice trembling.
Why wasn't he moving? Dart turned him over and pulled him onto his lap. His chest still moved; he could still be saved.
Somebody said something, but Dart didn't hear it. Lavitz's eyes flitted open and connected with his, and Dart felt tears fill his eyes. Glancing down, he saw the wound, wide and gaping, spilling fresh blood every second. He felt the hot liquid soaking his trousers as it oozed from Lavitz's back.
"Hey, hang on," he said, touching Lavitz's face.
"Dart," said Lavitz weakly.
"Yeah, it's me, buddy. It's me."
"Is he safe? The king..."
"Yes," said Dart as a lump formed in his throat.
"Lavitz," whimpered Shana. She knelt and placed her hands over his wound. "I can—"
"No." Lavitz placed a weak hand over hers and smiled. "It's okay."
"No, it's not," she pleaded as her tears fell. "I can save you."
"You did that a long time ago," he said quietly.
His breath was leaving him.
Shana broke into sobs, and she held his arm gently. Dart sensed Rose and Haschel gather behind him, and then Shana reached back and helped the king off the ground.
"Albert," whispered Lavitz, and the king took his hand. Dart wanted to bat it away, but Lavitz spoke again. "You're all here. My friends…" His eyes grew distant, and Dart jostled him.
"No, stay with me," urged Dart.
Lavitz's eyes focused again, and he turned his head slowly to Dart.
"No matter what," he struggled to say, "it's not... It's not your fault. I made—" He coughed once, spilling blood onto his lips. "I made my choices." He smiled.
"No, no, no," muttered Dart as Lavitz's eyes began to close. He wasn't sure that he could keep breathing without Lavitz, and he shook him slightly, grabbing his gloved hand and pulled it against his chest. "Lavitz, you stay with me." He felt helpless, struggling to hold his reality intact as his entire world was consumed by fire.
"Dart... End the war. I know you can... You're... strong." He squeezed Dart's hand. "It's not your... fault."
"No!" shouted Dart.
He tried to will his own life force into Lavitz's body, to give him strength to survive. He wished with everything in him that they had never come here, that they had left the king to die. Lavitz's grip faltered, and his eyes closed once more, never to open again. The body hung limp in Dart's arms, and his breath caught. He tried to pull in air, but it wouldn't come. As Shana and the king began to weep, he sat, unmoving, watching Lavitz, waiting for him to stand. To get up and say that it was all just an elaborate prank. To hug him and celebrate their victory over Hellena Prison. To laugh and talk. To live.
But he did not stir.
"Lavitz," he said quietly, placing a hand on his sleeping face. His lip trembled, but he jumped when a light started to glow from Lavitz's chest. A glimmer of hope rose in him but was crushed a moment later as the jade dragoon faded, leaving nothing but a lifeless corpse behind.
"No," he whispered, tears blurring his vision. He blinked, and they fell, only to be replaced by fresh ones. "No," he said again, touching Lavitz's chest. Without his dragoon armor, he seemed more at peace. He wanted him to wake up.
"Lavitz, please," begged Dart. "Please, don't... don't leave me. Not like this."
He bent down, hugging the lifeless body, swallowed by his own agony. Sobs broke through his staggered breaths, and his body shook with grief. Rocking back and forth, clinging to what remained of Lavitz, he wept as his heart shattered.