Page 124 of What did you do?

Loud roars behind me seemed muffled. Somehow now only a few feet from Walter, I clutched the grass at my hands to keep the world from spinning.

He moved his eyes to mine and then to someone behind me, whom I could only assume to be Mendax by the way the shifter lifted the corner of his mouth in a pitiful, blood-covered grin. His eyes locked with mine again and he let out a soft nod, letting me know he was doing it for me, before he collapsed and his face planted against the hard platform of stone below the steps. His back rose slightly with one last breath before his body relaxed deeper onto the stone, motionless.

“Now—” The queen was cut off when I launched at her.

Eli still held his mother, obviously uncertain of what he should be doing.

“You will never take another loved one away from me! Never! I knew all along, you were really training me for this.” I grabbed the sides of Saracen’s face and snapped it to the right, feeling for the pop. Her C3 and C4 vertebrae cracked loudly.

“Caly! No!” Eli cried as he still restrained her.

I swung, burying the dragon’s claw in the side of her head as she dropped to the ground as Walter had.

“Mother!” Eli cried out. He pulled a small blade from his belt and charged me.

I stumbled backward onto the grass as he stood above me, ready to kill me. He stilled, panting, as his eyes moved down to his mother instead.

Princess Tarani stood behind him at the top of the stairs, her beautiful face covered in tears.

Mendax scrambled forward to grab Walter and pulled his body onto his lap with rough movements. Choking sobs ripped from him as he pressed his face into Walter’s chest.

The stones ripped at my knees as I crawled to them. My hands moved over the scruff of Walter’s face. His brown eyes stared out, cold and unrecognizable—no longer filled with warmth and the feelings of home.

“No. God, no! Please, no,” I said, running my now-bloody hands over his face and arms, certain I would find a warm space filled with life. “This is all my fault,” I cried.

My eyes sought the comfort of Mendax, but there was no comfort to be found. He clenched his jaw to stop from saying something, and I knew it would have been something awful.

A few of the Fallen had found their way back outside, growing rowdy with whoops and cheers as soon as they saw the queen’s limp body and the prince kneeling beside her, sobbing.

“You all should leave. They mean well, but they are still thirsty,” Tarani said to Eli before turning to me. “I understand why you did what you did, and I hold no ill will, but you cannot stay in Seelie. Humans, no matter how badass they are, do not belong in Seelie,” Tarani said, her citrine eyes latched on to mine.

She softened her voice as she spoke to Eli. “The castle will be yours to claim once you return. We will restore it within the month.”

He continued to kneel at his mother’s side, staring at the scene in front of him, frozen. He held the look of a man sleepwalking as his eyes went from the bloody blade in Walter’s head to the bodies on the ground.

“Yes” was all he managed.

“The Fallen are still claiming the throne in Unseelie,” Tarani stated.

Mendax didn’t move.

The crowd of the Fallen’s voices began to carry as they sang and danced. Several tried to pick up Saracen’s dead body, starting to fight with Eli as he pushed them away from her.

“Go now. You will not want to be here for long,” she urged us again.

Eli numbly walked over to us and looked at Walter. “I’m—I’m so sorry… He saved both my and Caly’s life,” he directed at Mendax gently. “His memory and good heart will not be forgotten in Seelie,” he promised.

Hot tears poured down my face as I leaned down and kissed Walter’s cheek one last time.

One last time.

Eli helped me to stand before he and I nodded a goodbye to Tarani and walked toward the forest’s edge.

Mendax grunted and struggled as he lifted Walter’s body, setting him as gently as possible over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You don’t leave people behind you care about. Walter will receive a proper burial,” he said curtly.

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