Counting Shadows (Duplicity)

wipe sweat off my forehead. “Lor?” I murmur. There’s no response, so I say a little louder, “Lor? Are you okay?”
    Still no answer. I frown and step into the room, my mouth already open to warn Farren his tactics discussion might have been overheard.
    What comes out of my mouth is a scream.

Thirty
    Farren lies on the floor, red liquid pooling around him.
One, two, three, four
knife wounds mark his chest. His shirt is soaked in blood, and more trickles from his lips. A metallic smell coats the air.
    I watch Farren’s chest and hold my breath for one second. Then two. And
three, four, five, six, seven, eight
more seconds pass.
    His bloodied chest never moves.
    I scream again, the sound more strangled this time. My legs carry me toward him, my injuries just distant memories in the back of my mind. Lor tries to stop me, but he’s weak from shock and horror, and I slip past him. I kneel next to Farren and whisper his name so many times, I lose count. I shake him, hug him, kiss his bloody cheek. But he doesn’t stir.
    He’s dead. Really, really dead. Just as dead as my mom, as Ashe, as everyone I’ve ever loved. I turn and retch. Spasms wrench my stomach, squeezing out every ounce of bile in me, twisting my muscles painfully. When I finish throwing up, I look back at Farren.
    He’s still dead.
    I think of my last words to him:
“Just go.”
    My chest heaves, and I break into sobs. I’m not sure how long I stay there, just sobbing. Time seems to have disappeared.
    “I’m sorry,” Lor says. He rests a hand on my shoulder. “I’m so, so sorry, Faye.”
    But his words are distant, and they don’t matter.
    Just when I think that I’m going to die too, that my heart is just going to crumple up and stop, I hear something. A laugh. No, it’s
Lor’s
laugh. The deep timbre of it cuts through my sobs, derisive and mocking.
    I whirl around, my hand moving toward the knife at my waist. I grip its handle and glare at Lor, who stands by the door. But… Lor is still beside me. How can he be two places at once?
    The man by the door is smiling, his teeth bared in a predatory smile. The corner of the right side of his lip is raised slightly higher than the left, lifted by a thick scar.
    I blink, clearing the tears from my eyes. Asair. Asair is the one with the scarred face, not Lor.
    “Princess Faye,” Asair says, his voice a triumphant purr. He gestures to Farren’s body. “I see you’ve come to admire my handy-work.”
    I swallow back tears and whisper, “You did this?”
    He chuckles and steps forward into the room. “But of course.” His hand drifts to his waist, and he lazily pulls a long dagger from its sheath. Half-dried blood coats the blade.
    I retch again. When I manage to stop the spasms, Asair stands right in front of me, staring down disdainfully. His gaze flickers between me and Farren’s body. He doesn’t acknowledge Lor.
    “You really should have seen this coming,” he says with a sigh. “I’m sure you were warned.”
    The memory of Blaize’s note drifts to the front of my mind. ‘
Should you chose to do nothing, your regret will likely kill you.’
    I squeeze my eyes shut and clutch the handle of my dagger tighter. I fumble with the weapon, pulling it from its sheath. But, by the time I point it toward Asair, he’s backed away. Amusement gleams in his eyes.
    “You’re a weak little thing, Faye.” He cocks his head to the side. “I’m honestly not sure how such a pathetic girl can be such a menace. But this life has treated you differently, hasn’t it?”
    I narrow my eyes, not sure what he’s talking about.
    “Back away from her, Asair,” Lor growls.
    Lor takes a step forward. His teeth are gritted and his fists clenched, and he rolls his shoulders as he glares at Asair.
    Asair laughs harshly and throws his arms wide in a welcoming gesture, as if he only just noticed Lor. “Brother! It’s been such a long time.”
    “Don’t play games with me, Asair.” Lor tries to approach Asair, but he stumbles and collapses onto one knee. I reach forward and take his hand. He squeezes my palm in return.
    Asair smiles coldly. “What a pair you two make. Both injured, yet you won’t finish each other off.”
    I wince as his cold, azure eyes land on me. He smiles knowingly.
    “Why would I kill her?” Lor demands. “She’s never harmed me. And I don’t needlessly kill people. Unlike you.”
    Asair puts a hand to his heart. “I’m hurt, little brother. So very hurt.”
    Lor