February 12th 2021 8:57 AM

“Ailith.” Her name was drawn out with a casual drawl, as if they had merely met on the street and stopped for small talk. “‘Bout time you got here. We have some things to discuss.”

“Elijah. May I just say, you’re looking pretty good for a dead guy.” Ailith took in her surroundings, automatically searching for a other assailants, but there was only Elijah, her friends, and Ashrin, limp in Elijah’s grasp.

“Well, when you’ve got unfinished business like I do, there are certain… loopholes you can use to make sure you finish it.” Elijah was a truly grotesque sight. His skin was a sickly ashen colour, his head twisted to the side, neck bulging from where Ailith had broken it months prior. It was enough to turn a person’s stomach. “Now, enough small talk. My business is simple, Ailith: I want you you dead.”

Ailith scoffed. “That doesn’t sound like something I’d enjoy very much.” Ailith’s senses were honed in on Ashrin, focused on just how close to the edge of the cliff she was, completely at Elija’s mercy.

“I don’t care much about what you’d enjoy,” Elijah sneered. “It’s like this. You jump off this cliff, I don’t drop sweet Ashrin here. Once you’re dead, I move on. I go to rest, and you’ll never see me again.” Elijah shifted, hoisting Ashrin up to dangle slightly over the edge of the cliff.

Ailith had no doubt he would drop Ashrin without a second thought. “Just how far down is it to my certain doom?” Ailith was playing for time, desperately trying to find a scenario that didn’t end with her broken and dead at the bottom of a cliff.

Elijah just chuckled. “Let’s just say it’s far enough. I’ll give you to the count of five. You or Ashrin, make your decision. One.”

Fuck. She couldn’t let Ashrin die, what would she tell Amos? Sorry, your old boss, who I brutally killed, came back from the dead and dropped your girlfriend off a cliff, whoops? Ailith could practically hear the gears in her friend’s heads turning, looking for a way to get her out of this, the tension palpable behind her.

“Two.”

Gods, what choice did she have? Die now, hope Ace could bring her back, and get rid of Elijah forever. Don’t do it, let Ashrin die, and live with that guilt for the rest of her life.

“Three.”

And if she didn’t do it, what then? Elijah would just come back until his business was finished. What would stop him from targeting one of her friends to get to her? Was that a risk she was willing to take?

“Four.”

Time’s up. “Wait.” Ailith took a steadying breath. “I’ll do it.” She took a step forward, stopping only when a hand clamped onto her bicep. She didn’t have to look to know it was Feyra who was holding her back, trying to stop her. Ailith clenched her jaw, resolve wavering for a split second. She reached up, have the hand a squeeze before removing it gently. She stepped away, not looking at Feyra or the rest of her party. Ailith knew if she did she’d break, and she refused to give Elijah the satisfaction.

“Cutting it close, Ailith.” Elijah smiled at her as she approached, but all she could see was a twisted grimace.

“Yeah well, I have problems with taking orders. Let Ashrin go, I said I’ll do it.” She was right at the edge now; looking down, she could see nothing, only inky blackness.

“Now, that wasn’t part of the deal. You go first, then I release her.” Ashrin was looking at her with wide eyes, still unable to move or speak.

“I have no way of knowing you’ll keep your word. You’re sending me to my death, it’s the least you can do.” One last ditch effort to protect Ashrin, to control the situation even slightly.

Elijah’s face twisted in annoyance. “I never got to five, Ailith. Shall I continue?”

“No! No, that won’t be necessary.” Ailith turned, heels hanging over the edge, back against the void. She could see her friends, watching and waiting, Feyra shaking her head desperately at her. You’re doing this for them. That is worth it. With a grin and a wink, she tipped herself backwards, falling into nothingness.

---

Oh gods, oh gods no. Fuck this guy. I will kill him. Feyra’s mind was screaming at Elijah for not just staying dead, and at Ailith for even entertaining the idea of jumping off a cliff just because some undead asshole said to. There had to be a way out of this, she just couldn’t see it yet. There had to be, she wouldn’t accept any other option.

“Wait.” Ailith’s voice rang out, steady and clear. No, no. What are you doing? “I’ll do it.” No, don’t do that, do anything but that! Feyra reached out desperately, a last ditch effort to stop Ailith from making this stupid, reckless decision. Her hand landed on Ailith’s arm, gripping her tightly, holding her back. Ailith stopped, body tense. Thank the gods, it worked.

Ailith reached up, taking Feyra’s hand in hers. A spark ran through Feyra’s body at the contact, before the world crashed down when Ailith removed her hand, moving forward without a backwards glance. She removed my hand. She’s going through with this, she can’t be going through with this, no no nonono. Ailith tipped backwards over the edge and Feyra felt her heart fall with her.

---

Ailith could hear faint sounds of action above her as she plummeted down into the dark. She hadn’t fallen far when a blinding white light appeared above her, coalescing into the shape of an angel; one of Ace’s spells, no doubt. The angel caught her gently, it’s embrace warm around her. Looking up, Ailith could see Elijah, still dangling Ashrin over the cliff face, as a Xiv shaped blur leapt off the cliff above her. As Xiv fell, Elijah dropped Ashrin, the dark elf coming back to herself enough to let out a yell as she plummeted downwards.

From the angels arms, Ailith watched Xiv and Ashrin fall past her, out of sight. She hoped Xiv had a plan; she couldn’t just sit here and wait for something to happen. Twisting, she jumped for the cliff face, scrambling back up. Cresting the top, she took off at a sprint, racing to Elijah, intent on making him suffer for what he’d done.

Ailith rushed him, swinging her cane recklessly, all technique out the window. The only thing that mattered was causing pain, any sort of pain. Feyra’s arrows sank into Elija’s flesh next to Ailith’s face, but she didn’t flinch; Feyra’s aim was true. Ailith pummeled Elijah, taking satisfaction in using his old weapon against him, watching the diamond swirl with energy.

She should have seen Elijah’s next move coming, but when he grabbed her and dragged her over the edge, she didn’t try to fight it. The wind streaming past her whistled in her ears as she twisted and bucked, limbs flailing, trying to scramble out of Elijah’s grasp. Dying would solve the Elijah problem, but with Xiv and Ashrin falling as well, Ailith wasn’t sure Ace had enough magic to bring them all back. A well placed blow to Elijah’s nose broke his hold long enough for Ailith to push away from him and towards the cliff. An enraged roar spewed from his lips and Elijah continued falling, past the edge of Ailith’s vision, as she scrabbled for a hold on the sheer face of the cliff.

Ailith could feel the skin on her palms tearing, her fingernails breaking as she grabbed for a handhold. Finally, her boots found purchase, their magic adhering to the rough wall suddenly, halting her descent immediately. The sudden stop flipped her upside down, body slamming into the cliff with a thud. The breath was torn from her lungs, hip joints screaming as it felt like her legs were about to separate from the rest of her body. Ailith was pretty sure she felt at least one rib break, and the back of her head felt like it had been gouged open where it slammed against the rock. Moaning, she blinked the spots from her vision. Even with Xiv’s magic lenses in her eyes, she couldn’t see anything but darkness all around her.

With every bone in her body screaming, Ailith righted herself and started hauling herself up the cliff, one painful step at a time. She climbed for what felt like forever, until her lungs were burning. She was pretty sure that if she looked at her fingertips, she would see bone; she made a mental note to avoid testing that hypothesis. Ailith looked up for the hundredth time, hoping to finally catch a glimpse of the top. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Feyra and Talus peering back at her, faces full of worry.

Ailith let out a faint cry, vaguely aware that the wet on her face was now a mix of blood and tears. She climbed the last few feet, muscles shaking with exertion, breath coming in wheezes. She raised a hand to Talus, his steady grip on her forearm a gift from the gods. Feyra took her other arm, the two of them hauling her over the ledge. Ailith promptly collapsed on them, arms flung over their shoulders in a semblance of a hug. Feyra gently manouvered Ailith to a sitting position, Ailith trying not to pass out from the pain now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Feyra and Talus both remained silent, Talus keeping watch over the cliff while Feyra pressed her hands to the worst of Ailith’s wounds and whispered a spell.

Ailith felt her head start knitting back together, her broken rib and fingers aching a little less. Feyra never said a word, avoiding Ailith’s eyes the entire time she looked her over. Ailith got the distinct feeling that she was in trouble, and the thought made her gut churn. Dimly, she realized that Ace was nowhere to be found, but before she could voice her concern, a white light began rising towards them. Ace’s angel appeared, holding a very much alive, and Ailith could only assume, very pissed off Xiv.

The angel set them down gently, turning wordlessly back to the cliff and flying back down. “Xiv, thank the gods,” Ailith gasped, pulling them to her side, gritting her teeth against the lingering pain in her arms and hands.

“I may have miscalculated,” they muttered hoarsely, leaning just slightly into Ailith.

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone,” Ailith whispered back, letting herself sag against Xiv in relief. The four of them didn’t have to wait long for Ace’s angel to appear again, this time holding Ashrin, followed by Ace. The dark elf appeared dazed, slowly taking in the group gathered on the clifftop as the angel deposited her as well. “Ashrin, I am so sorry.” Guilt curled in Ailtih’s stomach at the thought of Xiv and Ashrin dying because of her.

“It’s alright, I got better. I’ve never died before, so that was a new experience. Can’t say I get many of those at my age.” Ashrin’s tone was casual, but it did nothing to lessen the guilt Ailith was feeling.

Ace got to work healing Ailith, Ashrin, and Xiv, telling them all as she did that Elijah’s soul had left his body, but she didn’t think it had gone to the Everyshadow. Ailith knew it was only a matter of time before he came back in a new form and attempted to finish what he started.

As they made camp that night on the cliff, Ailith watched Feyra. The redhead hadn’t said a single word to her save a healing incantation, and it was eating away at her. Ailith knew Feyra was probably mad at her; she had tried to hold Ailith back from jumping and Ailith had continued anyway. Steeling herself, Ailith made her way to where Feyra sat with her back against a wall, digging through her bag. When Feyra didn’t look up, Ailith sat next to her, careful to leave space between them.

“So. Are we going to talk about this, or…” Ailith trailed off, trying to keep her voice steady. Feyra didn’t answer, instead grabbing her sketchbook and pointedly ignoring Ailith’s question. Ailith let out a shaky breath, eyes screwed shut, jaw clenched. Feyra didn’t want to talk to her. Ailith had a made a mess of things, as she knew she would eventually. Nodding to herself, Ailith got up slowly and sat by the fire, waiting to take watch once everyone had gone to bed.

It was eerily quiet down here. As Ailith took her watch, the silence was almost loud, devoid of any noise yet screaming in her head. A faint shuffle of feet behind her, accompanied by the faint smell of pine that somehow still lingered even after almost a week below ground, alerted her to Feyra’s presence. She sat down next to Ailith, dressed only in her travel clothes, her armour and bow discarded for the night. Her hair shone in the firelight, making Ailith’s heart do something funny in her chest.

“Are we still not talking?” Ailith’s uncertaintity and fear manifested in aggression, the question coming out more accusatory than she meant it. Feyra sighed, silent for a beat as she collected her thoughts.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier,” Feyra murmured to the fire, shadows dancing across her face. “I was… Well, I suppose I was angry. But you need to know how terrifying that was, Ailith.” Feyra turned to her then, eyes wide and shining. “I didn’t know what to do, there was nothing I could do. I thought you were going to die, that was it, I’d never see you again. You can’t do things like that, Ailith.” Feyra’s voice rose, almost shouting. Ailith had rarely, if ever, heard her like that in all their travels together.

“You’re right.” The words didn’t come easily. “I am sorry. If the roles had been reversed I… Yeah, I get it.” Ailith felt the guilt coil tighter. She looked down at her hands, new scars shining pink on the fingertrips. “It would have been worth it though.” There was a shift in the air as Feyra tensed next to her. “I am just one person – one human person. I am disposable, replaceable. The four of you, you are special. Dying for you, for this party and Ashrin, that seems like as good a way to go as any.

And now Elijah is still out there, biding his time until he can catch us off guard again. What happens when he comes back? What if he hurts Xiv or Talus? Or kills Ace? What if he- Gods, Feyra, if anything happens to you, I don’t know what I’ll do. Knowing I could have prevented it, I would lose my mind. I couldn’t live with myself if he targeted you because I didn’t die today. Keeping you safe… it would have been worth it.” Ailith was breathing hard, hands shaking in her lap. She couldn’t look at Feyra; she felt like she was back at the edge of a cliff, teetering, barely keeping her balance.

“You’re an idiot.” Ailith’s head snapped up at Feyra’s words, retort on the tip of her tongue. But Feyra was looking at her, seeing her, leaning closer, her tongue darting out to wet her lips and Ailith was frozen.

She was at the edge of a cliff and Feyra was with her, lips soft on hers, hesitant and seeking and oh. Oh. Ailith’s hands came up to hold Feyra’s face, thumbs stroking across sharp cheekbones. Feyra buried a hand in Ailith’s hair, tugging her closer, melting against her. Ailith wanted to be closer, closer, until she couldn’t tell where she ended and Feyra began. Her whole body thrummed, her nerves alight and buzzing. Feyra sighed into the kiss, tugging at Ailith’s hair gently, and Ailith felt herself tip over the edge of that cliff, Feyra an anchor pulling her down. This, she thought. This is worth it.