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Jemel just stares at him through the veil. And Xan realises something. Jemel is his prisoner. He dragged him down here. “You could have run while I fought. Why didn’t you run?”
“I could not leave you to fight seven men.”
Seven? So there were seven? The blood of seven Azurians covers his hands. “What were you going to do? Translate their final words for me?”
Any reaction Jemel intended to make to this dries as a man who Xan had assumed was dead staggers to his feet with a roar. He has a savage gut wound, but he still comes for them with a sword drawn, screaming something in Artemian.
Xan feels a desperate spike of fear inside him, sickening. He is down. He is exhausted. He tries to move, but before he can Jemel turns, pulling the pearl handled dagger from his robes and sticking it right into the attacking man’s neck.
The man falls dead.
Jemel turns back to Xan. He is shaking but Xan is sure he can detect a distinct smugness to the way Jemel is standing, looking down at him.
Xan raises an eyebrow. “You surprise me. My Baraboo has claws after all.”
Jemel nods. His final words were, “Fuck you, filthy savage.”
21
JEMEL
Jemel looks at Xan. His forearms and chest are bloodied, but he thinks all the blood that soaks him is the blood of the guards. The only blood spilt that was Xan’s own comes from a small cut on his cheek. What he just did is quite extraordinary.
Jemel’s heart is beating furiously. They are still both breathing hard.
“We have a destination, I believe?” Jemel says. He bends down over the body of one of the dead guards and takes a bunch of keys from his belt.
Xan nods. “Is it far?”
“No. We are almost at the dungeons, but two of the guards fled while you were fighting. When it became clear you were undefeatable. You killed seven, there were nine. We must be fast.”
Xan nods again. They do move fast, through a low narrow corridor, finding themselves at the cells. A row of doors with small hatches in each for viewing the prisoner inside.
Jemel peers in through several of the small observation windows, before he finds the right cell and calls out to Xan, “This one.”
Xan races over and Jemel stands aside so he can peer into the cell. “Trysta?”
A raspy voice returns, “Xan?”
“Here, let me,” Jemel says, stepping forward with the keys.
Xan moves away from the door. “Where did you get those?”
“From one of the guards' bodies.”
“You’re right, you are useful in a fight.”
Jemel makes a scoffing noise and pulls open the cell door.
Xan rushes inside. Jemel follows.
Xan is embracing Trysta, speaking in hushed Plumian, saying, “Did they hurt you? Did he send anyone to hurt you?”
“No.” So this is Trysta. “But they have been counting down. They come by and tell me it is not long now. They will be back. We cannot stay here.”
“They are dead, sister. I have killed the prison guards.”
“Not all of them, sadly,” Jemel says. Trysta looks to him, seeming to notice him for the first time. “And the ones who ran will bring more down on us in moments.” He looks over his shoulder anxiously.
