Page 156 of This Monster of Mine

Downcast, Cisuré mounted her laden horse. “I’ll see you then.”

She exhaled shakily, eyes pausing on Sarai. And for an instant the girl she’d known in Arsamea, before Aelius, before all of this, seemed to reappear. Sarai’s heart clenched, broke.

Cisuré smiled through her tears. “Goodbye.”

Without further words, she steered her mount around and set off on the winding road out of Edessa, past small towns and a curving river, to a place that might be the start of her journey.

Sarai wiped at the tear that ran down her cheek as Cisuré’s figure shrank to a dot in the distance. Robes shifted behind her as the vigiles guarding the gate stiffened, and she knew who approached even before his roughened hand wrapped around hers.

“What’s this I hear about six thousand aurei?” Kadra inquired gravely to Anek’s loud guffaw.

“That’s my cue to leave.” They inclined their head at Kadra. “She’s as bad as you these days.”

He looked amused. “So I hear.”

Shaking their head, Anek departed as the sun sank low on the horizon, Cisuré long having passed out of their sight. Something sat on the tip of her tongue, the blurred outline of a figure at the Stones Guild, and the warped shadow several paces from her. A breath and the thought winked out.

“Election results for the final Tetrarch should be out soon.” Kadra’s thumb stroked her wrist. “The Guildmasters’ pick is leading.”

Sarai sighed. “It’ll never end, will it?”

“No,” he said softly. “There will always be someone to fight against, great or small.”

She tilted her face up to his, resolute. “Then we’ll keep at it. You and I.”

The last rays of the sun illuminated his tired features, black eyes full of so much love that she couldn’t help but twine her arms around his waist.

“You and I,” he agreed with a wicked grin.

With quiet joy, Sarai kissed Ur Dinyé’s most vicious Tetrarch under a sky like blood and knew she had finally found her place in the land they would shape.

And the Sidran Tower Girl smiled.

THE END

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