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"-et the prin-"

"-run-"

"..."

Various yells and grunts vaguely registered in Kel's head as she trudged toward the knife. Her eyes hardly took note of Soren slithering out of Thane and Lucy's hold and sending Lucy to the ground, clutching her bloody nose.

The only thing she could truly see was the dagger. The only sound filling her ears was the various voices in her mind screaming to plunge the dagger through Soren's hideous heart.

When she reached the bloodied knife, her fingers curled slowly around the handle while her mind calculated the timing and speed needed to catch her prey.

Soren was flitting back and forth trying to knock down both Lucy and the emperor who had joined the struggle. Lucy, with her blood-stained face and neck, was slowly running out of steam. She wouldn't be able to keep Soren occupied for much longer.

But a single moment was all Kel needed.

Taking a deep breath in, focused completely on the left side of Soren's chest as if a vivid target were painted there, Kel lunged forward. As she moved, the knife in her hand grew hotter, much like the burning rage encapsulating her entire being.

She had to kill that man. No matter what else happened, she had to-

Huh?

Suddenly, still more than an arm's length from her target, Kel's body stopped moving.

With a grunt, she pushed forward again, but the invisible force restraining her refused to budge.

Clenching the searing blade more tightly, she swung her arms around wildly, trying to break away.

"-top...stop, Princess! Come to your senses!" A voice shouted somewhere behind her.

"Let me go," Kel hissed, realizing the unknown restraint wasn't an invisible force at all, but a pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around her body.

"We have to get out of here!" The voice insisted loudly.

Kel continued to struggle against her detainer, making no progress against the unrelenting arms. It was only when she saw Lucy unable to push herself off the ground that the haze over her mind began to lift.

She studied the fallen woman for a moment before turning her gaze back to Soren's rapidly retreating figure.

"No'¦" she whispered. "He's.."

He was getting away.

Letting the knife clatter to the floor, Kel let out a scream. She wasn't sure if it was from fury that Soren had escaped or because of the pain of the burns she just realized the knife had left behind.

"Shhh everything will be ok," the voice behind her sounded again as the arms around her waist loosened a little.

"You." With a grimace, Kel whirled around to face Thane.

The knight was caught off guard at her expression.

"P-Princess?" he stammered.

"I could have killed him!" Kel screeched. "He would have been dead by now, but you.."

She lifted a trembling finger accusingly in front of Thane's face, ignoring the stinging hot blisters covering her palm.

"You let him get away!"

Thane studied Kel's enraged face thoughtfully for a moment before pulling her into his chest in a soft embrace.

"Calm down," he whispered. "Calm down for a moment, and-"

"Don't touch me," Kel spat, attempting to shove his body away.

Had the easygoing knight always been this strong? How could his embrace feel so gentle yet render her entirely unable to break free.

"Thane!" The emperor's angered tone shot over Kel's shoulder. "I told you to get her out of here!"

Craning her neck to see the scene behind her, Kel noticed the emperor helping Lucy hobble toward them.

"I apologize, Sir," Thane responded, his gaze focused on Lucy's feeble body.

"Enough." The emperor held up a hand. "We need to move."

As soon as Thane released his grip, Kel immediately turned to where Soren had disappeared.

He'd gone back down the tunnel they'd just come from. Considering he'd just fought both the emperor and Lucy, he couldn't be moving too quickly. If Kel hurried, she could catch him before he snuck into some kind of side passage.

Slowly, she bent toward the knife, but Thane caught her arm before she could grab it.

"Let's go," he urged, pulling Kel into another unbreakable back hug.

"Get off me! Stop it!" Kel protested, squirming.

With a sigh, the emperor caught one of her thrashing arms at the wrist. He motioned for Thane to take Lucy, and took over restraining Kel.

If Thane's embrace was gentle yet unbreakable, the emperor's was cold and rigid.

While the knight helped his fellow comrade stumble toward the end of the passage, the emperor held Kel so tightly she could hardly breathe.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked in a low tone amidst Kel's muffled cursings.

"Why did you let him get away?!" Kel snapped, raising her head from his chest.

"It's not time for him to die yet," the emperor answered matter-of-factly, crushing Kel's face against his body again as another round of cursing began.

Finally, Kel grew silent, feeling her bottom lip begin to quiver.

"He-he killed Lila," she murmured as the emperor freed her head again.

They both glanced at the woman's forgotten body, her mouth still open, never able to finish delivering her final words.

"And Barclay!" Kel whimpered. "He killed them! He hurt Lucy! He.. he.."

"I know," the emperor replied softly. "But believe me when I say you and that tiny knife were not enough to bring him down."

Kel huffed. "You're underestimating-"

"And even if you were," the emperor continued, "what benefit would you get from killing him now?"

What benefit would she get from killing Soren?

Revenge on those that had already died at his hands? Preventing any trouble he might cause in the future?

Was there anything else she could possibly gain or even needed to gain from slaughtering the vile man?

"He'd be dead," Kel scoffed. "What more 'benefit' do I need?"

The emperor shook his head.

"You're too naive," he chided.. "It's always better to squeeze every last drop of usefulness out of someone'¦ even if it's while your hands are around their neck."