As the moon begun to rise, the two began their descent from the trees and picked their way across the streams and gullies that broke up the city into smaller slivers, making it more difficult for them to get closer, but it was better than trying to get across during the day.
Using ropes to get across the streams without having to go swimming, it was closer to midnight before they reached the palace and she gave Versalis one last kiss to the cheek before she pulled up her mask and hood, leaving him to act as her backup.
Being near him felt wonderful and she hated to be away from him, feeling that constant pull towards him and the crystal he held.
She felt his eyes on her as she slunk across the palace grounds and located the room Varsas slept in, one story up.
Scaling the decorative wall was easier than she thought and when she was up there, she carefully worked away the edge of the screen to pull it free, the sticky substance that held the screed in place likely to leave prints if she wasn't careful.
Using the palm of her hand to flatten out any prints and smear them, she slid inside the tiny gap she had wiggled loose and pulled it down behind her.
Excess bugs in the room would lead them to suspect tampering and she didn't want that.
The room was very dark, the only light coming in from behind her and she breathed in the odd scent of fur and male who didn't bathe often, coupled with the humidity and the general smell of the swamps.
Pausing just inside the room, she listened but found only one set of breathing.
Waiting to give her eyes time to adjust, she kept her eyes off him. Some humans had a weird ability to sense when they were being watched and she wasn't keen to learn that he was one of them.
Her eyes adjusted to the dimness and she crept silently across the room, her feet placed slowly to ensure she didn't make a sound as she approached the bed.
Kneeling down, she felt along the covers and cursed silently when she found them tucked carefully under the mattress.
Looking up at the sleeping form, she placed her arm against the bedspread and began to slowly pry the sheets out from under the mattress. It was a slow process and she mentally berated the servant who was responsible for that inconvenience.
It took a good five minutes for her to get the blanket and sheets out, the time making her anxious.
Reaching down, she picked out the syringe and vial and slowly eased the sheets up just enough for her to see his feet. She was very glad he wasn't one of those people who slept with their toes scrunched up.
At a snail pace, she slid one knee onto the mattress and slid the syringe into the foil, drawing out enough to fill the syringe around halfway and then she leant forward, her lips pursed to keep her breath from brushing his feet.
Once she was settled, she searched the skin of his foot and then slowly pressed he needle into the firm skin between his first and second toe. The needle was incredibly fine, almost as thin as a strand of her hair and she smiled as it slid cleanly into the skin.
He grunted and she froze, her eyes wide as she tried not to breathe but he didn't move.
Letting out her breath in a quivering exhale, she pushed the needle slowly deeper until she felt the resistance and then the pop of the needle finding the vein.
Smiling, she began to press down on the plunger and emptied the syringe into his system.
She waited, not wanting to remove the needle just yet and counted the time passing.
He jerked and she pulled the needle out quickly to avoid tearing the skin, backing away as the man began to wheeze. She checked the spot of skin she had injected and found it to not be bleeding.
Tucking the blanket back under the mattress, she smoothed it out and looked up to find him looking back at her, his eyes massive and bulging as he clutched at his chest, gasping and straining.
The veins in his neck popped into stark relief and he clawed at himself.
She could only smile, watching as the man's body betrayed him, natural functions seizing wide open and refusing to close again, blood rushing and then blocked when no more blood was pumped.
She stood silently and watched as his body jerked and then he was still. It took all of about six minutes and she remained to be sure he was indeed dead.
Placing her fingers against the side of his neck, she found his pulse had gone quiet and she moved quickly, arranging him in a more comfortable position.
When she was satisfied with how he looked, the bed sheets tucked around him as he had been in sleep, she crept from the room and carefully pulled the screen down, pressing at the goo until it resembled the rest of the window.
Throwing one last glance into the room, she descended the side of the palace and found Versalis waiting, calm and patient for her.
She took his hand and they hurried away, leaving the grounds and retreating to the trees as though nothing at all had happened.
When the morning came, they heard the scream as someone found the corpse and the two assassins smiled at each other, the job done.
***
They lingered for several more hours to watch the goings on around the palace, Nayishma seen to be wandering around in mourning clothes, crying, and lamenting the loss of her beloved father.
Those who had left only hours before were rushing to return, dressed in black and looking horrified at the ill luck of the man. He had just gotten his daughter back and then he died, how awful for them both.
Once she was sure they hadn't been noticed, she released the needle from the syringe and threw it into the stream, the canister and the jar washed out and buried in separate locations. If they were ever found, it would be unlikely that anyone would make the connection.
Once they were content with their efforts, they had started back towards Ayathian and set up for the night in a tree together, her leaning back into his chest with his legs dangling off the sides of the branch.
"Do we go straight back or do we run off and conquer the world?" he asked after several hours of watching the night sky, tracking the moon and enjoying the peace of the outside world.
"I am not going back right away," she said, feeling him tense behind her.
"What do you mean? Where are you going?" he demanded.
She sat up, turning to face him on the branch. "Away, for a few more days at least." She didn't want to tell him.
"Etani, where are you going?" He didn't sound happy and his hands curled around hers, clutching them firmly as though it would stop her from leaving him.
"I need to be away from them. Away from the city, and I have something I want to get."
"What do you want to get? I can come with you."
She frowned, looking into his handsome face, those white-lavender eyes making her want nothing more than to curl up in his arms.
"Versalis, I can't go back to Epharis," she breathed and his face went stony.
"We can kill him," he stated, but she shook her head, smiling sadly.
"No, we can't kill him. At least not yet."
He frowned, not understanding and she pulled one hand free to brush his hair back from his face.
"You need to go back, tell them I ran and you couldn't catch me," she said gently.
He shook his head stubbornly. "They would never believe me."
"I can run places where you can't follow me, Versalis," she reminded him, lifting up her index finger.
"That's not the point. Etani, he will be furious when you get back. He will hurt you worse."
Dropping her eyes, she shivered at the idea of what he would do to her.
"I cannot refuse him again. He and Alaric will kill you and the twins and I can't allow that."
Versalis sucked in a breath and he grabbed her arms, shaking her slightly.
"Why didn't you tell us?" he demanded
"Because it makes no difference, I am trapped there no matter what. I can't escape them and if one lets go the other will grip tighter. Then they just swap, passing me between them over and over again. Alaric owns the twins, Epharis knows I care about them. It is only a matter of time before he kills them and then goes after you." Her voice was anguished, wanting him to understand and yet she desperately wanted him to convince her to stay. "There are things I need to do. Alone," she added when his mouth opened to complain.
His eyes narrowed and he shook his head, refusing to accept that. "You're not leaving, he won't harm any of us ever again," he sounded certain, but she knew he wasn't. There was nothing that could stop the lich.
"Just go back and give me a few days. I left plenty of blood for them and you."
Understanding dawned on his face and he clenched his jaw.
"You were planning this the whole time," he accused.
She gave a slight shrug, unable to deny it. His grip tightened on her arms until she flinched, and he immediately let go as though she had shocked him.
"Etani please… don't leave us. We need you." His words struck her and her eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Versalis I have to, I'll die if I go back." She saw his pain and fear, his need to cling to her but she drew him closer, her forehead pressed against his.
"Please my love, you have to do this for me," she breathed.
His body clenched, his need to keep her close and safe being forced down.
Her eyes lowered to the crystal that glowed a warm red under his shirt and she shivered, wanting badly to take it from him.
"Alright, but you have to come back as soon as you can," he whispered and she nodded.
His fingers touched the underside of her chin and lifted her lips to his in a tender kiss.
"Don't abandon us," he breathed.
She shivered, his lips warm and soft, his breath cooling them sharply.
"I would never abandon you," she replied in barely a whisper and her lips found his again, firm and loving.
He clutched her to him, her smaller frame fitting perfectly into his hard chest and they remained like that until morning, simply existing together.
***
When morning came, she bid him farewell for the time being, feeling his eyes on her as she thought of where she wanted to go in Ceress and opened the door with a single drop of blood.
Stepping through, she found herself in that place and shook her head in wonder. Something had changed inside her.
Turning, she saw one last glimpse of his handsome, worried and angry face as the door closed and they were split apart between worlds.
She felt a terrible urge to go back and throw herself into his arms, but she knew he would have left already, facing the wrath of the lich and the titan all on his own. She was sorry for his having to face that, but she had her own needs to attend to right then.
Breathing out a soft sigh, she focused on where she wanted to go and opened the door once more, stepping out into a dense rainforest.