By the time I had regained my composure, I was in my bedroom.

  There had been a feast, of course, and drinking. I had not partaken, but Adrian had consumed quite a lot.

  There had been dancing around the fire of the great hall, and blessings upon blessings laid upon me.

  And finally, Adrian had returned me to my chambers.

  Where he would wait, patiently, in the other room, for me to fulfill my final duty.

  Erika was with me, and we both stared at each other across the bath that had been drawn, scented, and warmed.

  The excuse of feeling sweaty from the dancing had afforded her this opportunity to switch with me, and my last chance to convince her to do otherwise.

  "Erika, it's not too late. We can always wait for a better time."

  Erika shook her head. "The Nightingales are already in position. The moment the job is done, we're leaving."

  "And why tonight?"

  "I just returned from accompanying the knights' patrol. I overheard that the bulk of their forces are already heading back north to make sure the area is clear for Adrian's field training tomorrow."

  She pressed her fingers to her forehead.

  "We'll be a small group, on dangerous roads. Their best men will be elsewhere, and the rest will be drunk from the wedding feast. This is our best moment to make our escape."

  I wrung my hands in fear.

  "Erika, I don't think this is a good idea. Adrian is dangerous on a good day, who knows what he will be like drunk. Let me be the one, tonight. You can sneak in after he's asleep or something."

  She covered her face with her hand, looking sickened. "I might need to pull the rings off his fingers during our... activities. Or something else. There's no knowing what contingencies may occur, and I can't guide you through them from this side of the door."

  She reached out to hold my hand, and I accepted. "It'll be okay, Sophie. It'll all be over tonight."

  And with that, she stepped into the tub.

  There was no going back, now. I began to wash her hair, like she had done so many times for me. It was the least I could do.

  "...I love you, Erika. I'm sorry for what I said last night."

  "I love you too, Sophie. You have nothing to be sorry for. "

  ---

  Erika was now wearing my chemise and wedding gown, and I watched as she secured my dagger into its place within the many folds.

  "Just in case, Sophie. There shouldn't be any need for it, but since you're worried, I'll bring it."

  "Won't he find it rather easily once... things start?"

  "I'll be dropping it off with the dress, not taking it into bed. I'll be able to grab it well enough."

  I felt the anxiety welling within me once more, and tugged at the edges of her uniform, which I was now wearing.

  Erika embraced me.

  "The witnesses will be here to confirm the consummation at daybreak. I'll tire Adrian out, ply him with wine if I have to. While he's asleep, we make the impressions and leave. That's our timeline. Only a few more hours, Sophie."

  She turned to the doors separating my bedroom and Adrian's.

  "Only a few more hours," she said again, this time to herself.

  She passed beyond the precipice, sliding the door closed behind her.

  And I stared at the door, waiting for it to be over.

  ---

  The fire in the room had long gone cold, and I sat there, shivering on the bed, waiting for any sign.

  How long had that door been closed?

  A few minutes?

  An hour?

  How long was it supposed to take?

  How long would I have to wait to see Erika again, to make our grand escape?

  My mind was swimming with fear, and I couldn't stop the trembling.

  This had been a mistake. I shouldn't have let her go, I should have found some way to force some other outcome.

  Now, It didn't matter how long it had been. I needed to see that she was okay. I carefully tried the door, and found it locked.

  Panic, but then, I remembered. I searched through Erika's things, and found the thin piece of metal she had used before.

  Carefully placing it in the crack of the door, I began gently sliding the latch open.

  That's when I heard the scream.

  Caution, gone. I threw open the latch, and slammed open the door.

  Adrian was wearing nothing but a robe, standing over Erika, who was lying on the floor in her chemise.

  I looked down at Erika, and froze.

  I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing.

  I couldn't believe what my blade had done to her.

  One hand was to her throat, and she was gasping for breath.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Her other hand was clutching her stomach, and something dark was pooling on the floor beneath her.

  A signet ring was rolling across the floor in a lazy circle.

  Adrian wheeled upon me, a dagger in his hand.

  My dagger.

  "Oh, Sophia?"

  I looked back up at Adrian as he slowly approached.

  His face was neutral. Unmoved.

  "Oh. Well, now I understand."

  He gave a dismissive wave at Erika.

  "I thought she was you, and I just wanted to test how well your magic worked. But when I went to try a few things, she drew this upon me."

  He looked down at the dagger, and laughed.

  "I'm sorry about your maid. Once I took the knife, it only seemed natural to use it. You would have healed, after all."

  He waved around the dagger, grinning wide.

  "It's too bad. But, it's what she gets for tricking me, I suppose. Couldn't wait her turn? Guess that means you and I will have to go a round before morning."

  Something broke inside me.

  The cloak of magic that had already been building with every breath flared to fill the entire room, and I leapt upon him.

  I reeled back my fist, and slammed it as hard as I could into his still laughing face. I threw everything I had into it, with no regard for the consequences, and the impact shattered my bones.

  The staccato clicking noises of my bones resetting in place echoed in the room, and I wound up to strike him again, clutching at his robe to hold him in place.

  His face looked surprised.

  Snap, then a dull pop as my shoulder forced its way back into its socket

  Snap. A searing pain in my forearm, building to a peak.

  He made a weak attempt to stab me in the side with the blade, but I swatted it away.

  One final snap, but this time, it was his neck.

  His body went limp, and his weight pulled him out of my grasp. Leaving him on the floor, I ran to Erika.

  "Erika, please, be alive."

  She weakly grabbed my hand in hers, her other hand still pressing against the wound on her stomach.

  Her throat was a deep purplish black, and she barely managed a whisper.

  "Sophie... run. You... killed a duke's son..."

  "Erika, think about yourself for once in your damn life. How can I help? What should I do?"

  "Sophie... I'm in your clothes... they'll think you... think Adrian and you... died together. A maid running alone... they won't care. You could get away. Sophia Printemps... can die here. You can be... whoever you want to be."

  My tears fell on her face as she gave me her same, practiced, fake smile.

  She reached out, as if to grab at the wisps of magic coming from my breath. "Smells like... home. I love you, Sophie."

  Her smile turned real as she closed her eyes.

  "Erika!"

  I put my ear to her chest.

  Silence.

  My magic flared again, stronger than before. Stronger than ever. So much that my breath felt hot, like fire, and the sweltering haze became a tangible heat.

  Pieces of her body began flaking off, like ash, as I began pounding on her chest with my hands, and breathing my magic into her, begging her heart to beat again.

  "Come back, Erika. Please. Please let me fix this. Please just come back to me."

  I lurched forward to heave sobs into her chest, listening for her heartbeat.

  Silence.

  "I can fix this... we can still put things back the way they were..."

  But I couldn't. The more I tried to save her, the more of her seemed like it was fading away.

  Unable to try any longer, I collapsed, exhausted, onto her.

  She was still warm. She felt like she might just be sleeping. But she was too still for comfort.

  "...I just want... to go back, Erika. I want to go back to before Old Tom. I want to go back to Bump."

  I choked. "To mom..."

  I clutched at her hair, holding her head to mine and running my fingers through it.

  "You could... be a librarian. Like you always wanted. We can run away together. So please, Erika. Wake up. Stay with me. There's no point to any of this if you're not with me. "

  My magic was tearing at the edges of her body, as I continued desperately pumping it into her.

  "Just stay with me. We were supposed to be together forever. Don't go. Please."

  But Erika didn't return to me.

  There was only one place where I could meet her again.

  ---

  "Until the day that we join them."

  The girl heard a bird singing out there, in the night, and the surprise knocked her out of her thoughts.

  The tip of my blade was pressed against my chest, over my left lung, and I realized what I was about to do.

  "Would Erika have wanted this?"

  Another bird joined the first one in its song.

  I saw the Nightingale motto, still too small to read on the hilt of the dagger, and knew it all the same.

  "In love, loss. In life, death," I whispered to myself.

  Erika wouldn't want this. She'd want me to live. To make her death mean something.

  And there were still people out there, waiting for me. Still people I had to save.

  "Still people who need to pay for what they've done."

  Erika had already told me what I should do.

  "Sophia Printemps will die tonight."

  I reached up to my hair, and pulled Erika's ribbon out from it. I tied it to the hilt of the dagger before sheathing it again.

  I looked around the room, trying, but failing, to avoid looking at the two long cold people on the floor.

  I saw Adrian's rings, scattered along the ground.

  "What's even the point, anymore?" I whispered to myself, but I picked them up anyways.

  On my way back through my bedroom, I picked up Diana's ribbon and tied it next to Erika's. I took the cracked moonstone from the jewelry box, and quickly threw a fresh uniform on.

  As I rushed to make my escape from the keep, carrying nothing else, I ran into one other person.

  Helen.

  Whether she recognized me or not, I couldn't say, but she had turned to look the other way, and said nothing.

  ---

  Sybil and Tor were waiting by the gate, alone.

  When they saw me, Sybil jogged out to meet me in the yard.

  "Hey, Eri. You got me all worried when you didn't respond to the signal. Ruben's waiting ou--"

  She squinted, taking a closer look at my face.

  "Soph? Where's Eri?"

  I shook my head.

  "She's not..."

  But my voice caught in my throat, and I felt a burning feeling in my chest.

  Sybil grimaced, and her eyes glanced to the blood on my knees and hands.

  "Tor, you get the gate. I'll take her."

  Sybil picked me up in her arms, and I sobbed the entire way to the cart.

  And we left the estate, never to return.

  But a part of me would never leave that place.

  She would lay there, on the floor, until someone found her.

  Then, she would be buried, for even murderers would be buried if they were the daughters of dukes.

  And she would bear my name on her tombstone.

  And I would never forgive myself.

  Not in this lifetime, or the next.