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VIII: Savior

He watched her from the safety of the shadows. She had been tossing and turning for a quarter of an hour now. She looked troubled. He knew how she felt. He mourned for her.

She woke up suddenly, sitting up with a scream strangled in her throat. Her long hair was disheveled and the raw-silk nightshirt stuck to her like a second skin with cold sweat. She leaned forward, clutching the bedclothes to her breast, gasping for breath, her knees drawn up against her. She sat there, waiting for her breath to calm down, her thundering heart to ease. It was as though she were frozen, before she spoke.

"Kheyman? Are you there?" she called softly into the darkness. Her eyes saw nothing but the shadows around her.

He shifted, moving out of the dark, till he was only five feet from the bed. She turned to him, her eyes searching his own. Then her eyebrows furrowed suddenly and her eyes sparked hatred, and with a scream of rage she launched herself out of bed and at him. He caught her wrists in his hands, trying not to hurt her as she fought against him, screaming with the tears streaming down her face. He held her tightly until she finally gave in, collapsing in his hands. He knelt on one knee, supporting her as she wept silently, clutching his coat loosely in both hands.

"I can't do this anymore, Kheyman. I've lost too many loved ones already. I don't want to say goodbye anymore. Please. Don't make me do this any longer..." She pressed her face in his coat, the tears staining the fabric over his chest. His right hand stroked her long tawny hair in a way meant for comfort. "My father. My sister. Darce. Everyone. And I don't want it to happen anymore, not to anyone else."

"I know. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger though," he said softly.

"I'm afraid it will kill me," she whispered.

His arms enveloped her, and she clung to him like a child. His face expressed his true sadness. He sighed deeply. Her small shoulders trembled with silent cries. "I'm sorry. I had sincerely hoped I didn't need to kill him, to cause you anymore pain than I already have."

"Just, please, set me free," she whispered.

"I can't do that. Not yet," he told her softly.

But she didn't respond. Kheyman picked her up and laid her on the bed, pulling the bedclothes around her gently. He stood back in the dark, watching her sleep.

"I will set you free. Soon. I promise you that."

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