Page 76 of The Warrior's Oath
Korvin and Nyota hugged hard, each wincing from their injuries.
“You okay?” she asked, worry and love in her gaze.
“I will live. And you, my love? Are you injured?”
“Nothing I won’t survive, thanks to you.”
The two stood there, quietly happy, satisfied they had won the day. Halvax, however, looked concerned. Concerned andangry. He rushed to examine Nimmix’s inert body. He pulled the knife free and threw it to the ground at Korvin’s feet.
“You killed him,” he said with a marked chill in his voice.
“I did,” Korvin replied calmly.
“The only one who might know where the general is. And you killed him. What were you thinking?”
Korvin glanced at Nyota then back to his friend. “She was in danger. There was no other option.”
“But the general!” Halvax exclaimed, his exasperation almost palpable, his anger rising behind his frighteningly calm gaze. “Nothing takes priority over him.Nothing. And certainly nothing as inconsequential as an escaped human prisoner.”
Korvin was clearly upset by his friend’s words, but rather than rush headlong into an argument, his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. He looked at Nyota once more, then back to his comrade.
“As I said, there was no other option. I did what I did for her. And I would do it again without hesitation.”
“What has gotten into your head? I have been at your side through countless battles and never heard such nonsense. This is not you speaking. What have they done to you?”
Korvin’s expression was pained, but unapologetic. “They did nothing. But things have changed.”
He pulled off his bloody tunic in a single motion, his sweat-glistening muscles pumped from battle. It wasn’t that which caught his friend’s eye. It was the glow of his runes. A glow he had never seen before.
Halvax stared, unsure what to make of this. “Your runes…”
Korvin nodded. “Yes.” He then reached out and gently shifted Nyota’s top, exposing her Infala rune. The transformation was complete. Both of them now possessed identical glowing Infalas. They were bonded for life in a way only death could end.
Halvax’s demeanor flipped a full one-eighty at the sight. Suddenly, all was clear. No matter your duties, no matter your obligations, your Infala matealwayscame first. It was just he’d assumed Korvin would never find his, as was the case with so many professional soldiers. Especially members of the elite Bohdzee Guard.
“I had no idea.”
“I know.”
“Many apologies for my tone, my brother.”
“You did not know. How could you?”
Halvax dropped his blade and gave Korvin a fierce hug, his anger replaced by nothing but happiness for his comrade. “This is monumental. Absolutely monumental. Many happy days and warm nights to you. To you both.”
“Thank you, my friend.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Nyota added. “I’m Nyota, by the way. We kind of skipped the formal introductions, what with the whole battle and all.”
Halvax chuckled, amused mirth in his eyes. “She has wit. Wit and fire. I can see she will be a perfect counterpart for you. I am Halvax. A dear friend of your mate. And now a dear friend of yours as well.”
A throat cleared nearby. “Uh, I’m Steve,” the spear-toting human chimed in. “Just in case anyone was wondering.”
The other survivors, freed from their pens, gathered round as well, grateful for their rescue and unsure what to do now that they had their freedom. Korvin’s answer was simple.
“We take all we can then leave at once, putting as much ground between ourselves and this place as we can.”
“Okay, but what then?” the injured human asked.
