本章概述：

????????????伊莎萊慢了下來(lái)。

????????????In which Isarae slows down.

?

正文：

這很是奇怪，是你能逐漸習(xí)慣的那種奇怪。

“再快點(diǎn)！你這么移動(dòng)的話連只屁精都能打到你！”

我曾經(jīng)覺(jué)得親自訓(xùn)練一個(gè)人類狂信徒完全是異想天開(kāi)。

咔嚓

“再快點(diǎn)！”

亞歷桑德拉扛下了我的第一記擊打，隨后俯身躲過(guò)了第二記，她的雙拳在瞬息間以狂暴的力量猛烈揮擊卻只打中了空氣。我嘲弄著每一次錯(cuò)失目標(biāo)的擊打，看透了短短幾秒后發(fā)起的每一次攻擊。

“你，”亞歷桑德拉氣喘吁吁，“是怎么……”她又在我頭頂打出了幾組回旋踢，“一直都這么快的？”

在她的全身的重量都?jí)旱搅俗笸壬系哪且豢?，我俯下身子并猛地?fù)糁辛怂リP(guān)節(jié)上的肌腱。她的腿頓時(shí)彎曲了下去，她也在一聲驚叫中轟然倒下，毫無(wú)形象地拍在了地板上，汗流浹背、上氣不接下氣的她翻過(guò)身來(lái)，郁悶地盯著天花板。

我站到了她的身邊，她也抬頭瞪著我。她蒼白的發(fā)絲緊貼在她的臉頰和脖頸上，伴著她一口接著一口地喘著粗氣，被汗液浸透的無(wú)袖作訓(xùn)上衣向我呈現(xiàn)出一副好光景。隨著我向她伸出手去，我能看到她試圖再碰碰運(yùn)氣，想從地板上對(duì)我發(fā)起攻擊。

就像上次那樣。

“夠了，Cre’yth，”我在她做出嘗試前勸告道。“現(xiàn)在我們休息，隨著時(shí)間的推移你會(huì)越來(lái)越強(qiáng)?！?/p>

亞歷桑德拉翻了個(gè)白眼，然后點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，伸手抓住我的前臂，讓我把她拉起來(lái)。

“你比我交手過(guò)的任何人都要快，”亞歷桑德拉一邊抱怨著一邊笨拙地站起來(lái)，隨后在一陣噼啪聲中伸展身體。“就算卡利昂修女也不在你這個(gè)級(jí)別里?！?/p>

“沒(méi)幾個(gè)人類能做到這樣，”我指出這點(diǎn)?！耙粋€(gè)科摩羅的巫靈，至少是個(gè)活過(guò)了好幾場(chǎng)角斗的，都經(jīng)歷過(guò)能讓你們的基因強(qiáng)化過(guò)的阿斯塔特退縮的訓(xùn)練，除此之外還得加上一套化學(xué)和手術(shù)強(qiáng)化方案。”

“這么說(shuō)來(lái)你在作弊咯，”亞歷桑德拉調(diào)皮地說(shuō)，我得意地笑了笑，抓起一瓶水扔向她。

“可仍不及你們的‘死亡天使’們，”我反唇相譏。

她用一只手臂——她的左臂——接過(guò)水瓶，我對(duì)此頷首微笑。

“進(jìn)展如何了？”

亞歷桑德拉挑了挑眉，然后瞥了眼她的手臂，聳了聳肩，隨即擰開(kāi)瓶蓋一飲而盡，又一把將之捏癟。

“好多了，”她對(duì)我得意地笑了笑?！跋喈?dāng)多?！?/p>

十五個(gè)晝夜。

十五個(gè)太陽(yáng)周期以來(lái)，我們一直都窩在這個(gè)尖頂里，只是偶爾出去尋找補(bǔ)給。一半多的時(shí)間里亞歷桑德拉都在臥床休息，從我們見(jiàn)面前受到的身體損傷中恢復(fù)。她僅在過(guò)去的幾天里開(kāi)始有明顯的好轉(zhuǎn)。

事實(shí)上，我對(duì)于她恢復(fù)得如此之快頗感驚訝。誠(chéng)然，我與人類打交道的經(jīng)驗(yàn)大體上限于快速地殺死而非護(hù)理他們直至恢復(fù)健康，科摩羅的奴隸們很少處于最佳的健康狀態(tài)，可亞歷桑德拉……

她的瘀傷褪卻之快如石塊激起的水波，她的割傷恢復(fù)到了只留下極淡的疤痕。她的手臂受到的傷曾嚴(yán)重到讓我擔(dān)心起她在缺乏真正的醫(yī)療護(hù)理的情況下的的長(zhǎng)期功能。

“我一直都比大多數(shù)人恢復(fù)得快，”亞歷桑德拉說(shuō)著將水瓶扔進(jìn)了垃圾桶?！凹幢氵€在我尚是忠嗣的時(shí)候我的恢復(fù)力就很強(qiáng)，這是我總被置于排頭的原因之一，。”

“只是單純地比他人恢復(fù)得快就能讓你獲得一定優(yōu)勢(shì)，”我緩緩的同意道，亞歷桑德拉則在我對(duì)上她的目光時(shí)平淡地看著我。

“我們已經(jīng)談過(guò)這個(gè)了，（伊莎）‘萊，我不是個(gè)靈能者，”她刻意地說(shuō)，“教官修士甚至懷疑過(guò)我有潛在的生理天賦，但所有的測(cè)試都是陰性?！?/p>

“所以你只不過(guò)是很皮實(shí)？”

亞歷桑德拉聳聳肩?！拔覐奈粗獣赃^(guò)我的父母……我或許來(lái)自死亡世界或某個(gè)高重力世界。更強(qiáng)大的耐力和恢復(fù)力并非天方夜譚，神皇會(huì)根據(jù)我們每個(gè)人的需要降下賜福?！?/p>

“或許吧，”我以慣用的回答應(yīng)付道。

“不過(guò)，我變得越來(lái)越敏捷了，”她倒在沙發(fā)上，朝著我得意地笑了笑?！坝只蛘呤悄阕兊酶t鈍了，那一次我?guī)缀醮蛑心懔??！?/p>

“幾乎，”我拖拖拉拉地說(shuō)，一邊喝下自己的那份水一邊用微笑掩飾我的不悅。

她的評(píng)論讓我有些生氣，我希望這只是個(gè)玩笑話。或許確實(shí)如此，鑒于她缺乏嚴(yán)肅感和憂慮心，可仍然…….

我正在變得越來(lái)越遲緩。

這一跡象十分不明顯，不明顯到只有我有可能注意到這點(diǎn)，但我還是能感受到它。

她的擊打一天比一天更接近我，哪怕只有劍刃的寬度那么多，這并不是說(shuō)她沒(méi)有進(jìn)步，只是依照我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)沒(méi)人能在與一個(gè)巫靈的交手中進(jìn)步得如此之快。除此之外，這也不僅限于速度……我能感到那份寒意侵蝕得越來(lái)越深，我的四肢每天早上都要花上更多次呼吸才能暖和起來(lái)。

在小教堂那時(shí)，巨蛇就已經(jīng)嘗到了我的靈魂的滋味，而我非自然的漫長(zhǎng)壽命正在逐漸退潮并帶走我了的活力。

“你進(jìn)步得比我對(duì)你們的種族的期望值要快得多，”我不情愿地承認(rèn)道。

“我的種族會(huì)適應(yīng)，”亞歷桑德拉玩味地回?fù)舻?。“整個(gè)銀河都是我們的合法領(lǐng)土，而承蒙地球之主的恩澤，以及技術(shù)神甫們的神圣技術(shù)，我們被塑造成能在任何地方活下來(lái)?！?/p>

“那是當(dāng)然，”我戲謔地深鞠一躬，“我怎么能忘了這點(diǎn)呢？”

亞歷桑德拉笑出聲來(lái)，我也微笑著直起身來(lái)走到她那邊。她的笑聲在我最喜愛(ài)的聲音之列，自她的胸膛中飽滿地發(fā)出來(lái)，而那笑容充盈著她的臉龐的樣子……

好吧，我自認(rèn)為能在生命的盡頭遇到她是我三生有幸。

我坐在她的身旁，她也向我靠近，依偎在了我的身上并把雙腳收到沙發(fā)上面，她的頭靠上了我的肩膀，我則環(huán)抱著她的腰。

我們還沒(méi)有談及教堂里的那些事。沒(méi)有談到我從她那里汲取，抑或是那個(gè)吻，也沒(méi)談到之前和之后發(fā)生的事?？墒牵覀兇_實(shí)在沉默中愈發(fā)地適應(yīng)了身體接觸。

“伊莎萊？”亞歷桑德拉輕柔地開(kāi)口。

“嗯？”

“你有……多大了？”

我對(duì)此報(bào)以輕笑?！罢f(shuō)真的，我也不確定，”我承認(rèn)道?！皬纳飳W(xué)的角度上講我正處于生命中的壯年，”或者說(shuō)，至少曾經(jīng)是，“但按照時(shí)間順序來(lái)講情況有所不同……根據(jù)你們的計(jì)算方式，我大概活了將近六千個(gè)你們的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)年?！?/p>

亞歷桑德拉在我的臂彎里明顯地繃緊了下，我又一次笑了起來(lái)。

“神靈族的壽命不一而論，而只要滿足了饑渴者，黑暗精靈就壓根不會(huì)衰老，”我解釋說(shuō)。“目前，你大概能明白為什么對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)活著已經(jīng)令人厭倦了?！?/p>

“那真是……”亞歷桑德拉又在我的觸碰下放松了下來(lái)，隨即貼得更近了些。“你出生在哪里？”

“科摩羅的下水道吧，我覺(jué)得是，無(wú)論如何我在那里度過(guò)了自己的第一個(gè)世紀(jì)，”我咬著嘴唇試圖回憶起來(lái)。那已經(jīng)過(guò)去了很久很久了?！拔以谀侵蟮暮芏鄠€(gè)世紀(jì)里都是一個(gè)奴隸，先是受制于快感，而后受制于戰(zhàn)斗?！?/p>

我的早年經(jīng)歷完全是一團(tuán)致幻劑和暴力構(gòu)成的模糊陰影，我試圖定位幾場(chǎng)重大事件的發(fā)生，可只取得了短暫的成功。

“你……生在下水道，”亞歷桑德拉重復(fù)道，恐懼在她的嗓音中逐漸增長(zhǎng)，“然后被用作娼妓和角斗士？”

“有時(shí)候是兩個(gè)一起，”我微笑著補(bǔ)充道，使得她苦澀地看了我一眼。

“你記不得了，我并沒(méi)有必要反對(duì)你的神皇對(duì)于滅絕我這類人的關(guān)切，”我指出?！拔覍?duì)黑暗靈族毫無(wú)熱愛(ài)，考慮到我對(duì)他們的了解之深我甚至不比你自己的種族更關(guān)心他們。”

亞歷桑德拉低聲嘆了口氣，卻又比之前靠得更近了。她的汗水的味道有些強(qiáng)烈，但我并不介意。

羞恥的是，我還挺喜歡的。

“你有過(guò)家人嗎？”她過(guò)了一會(huì)兒又問(wèn)道。

我搖了搖頭。

“我猜我們至少在這一點(diǎn)上是相同的，”亞歷桑德拉幽默地說(shuō)。

她嘆了口氣，又更舒適地靠在了我的身上，我令自己享受她貼合我的方式。亞歷桑德拉并沒(méi)有真的攤在我的身上，但她堅(jiān)實(shí)的體溫令人愉悅地溫暖和安心，隨著晝夜推進(jìn)我們就這么在善意的沉默中坐在一起，其中一人會(huì)時(shí)不時(shí)地向?qū)Ψ脚矂?dòng)，像是在提醒她們對(duì)方的存在一樣。

像是我可能會(huì)忘記一樣。

鑒于我通常的肉體接觸，生理上的愛(ài)慕對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)奇怪的概念，但亞歷桑德拉總是簡(jiǎn)單地滿足于把頭靠在我的身上，憩息在我的肩窩里。

嗯，還有——

她的嘴唇輕柔地印在我的脖頸和肩膀間的皮膚上。緩慢而甜蜜，隨即在這之上又是另一個(gè)吻，然后又是一個(gè)，然后又是一個(gè)，緩緩地沿著我的脖子直到下頜的輪廓上，而后又轉(zhuǎn)變了方向朝上升起，與此同時(shí)亞歷桑德拉的手輕輕抱著我的脖頸的另一側(cè)。

而一如既往地，她在我的耳垂附近躊躇不前。她的呼吸急促起來(lái)，又俯身將額頭靠在了我的肩窩里，渾身顫抖著。

“對(duì)不起，”她小聲說(shuō)。

“你老是道歉，”我邊說(shuō)邊抬手覆在她的手背上，動(dòng)作輕柔地緩緩撫過(guò)她的頭發(fā)?！拔覐膩?lái)也沒(méi)抱怨過(guò)?！?/p>

“我不該這么做的，”亞歷桑德拉的聲線緊繃著，她的語(yǔ)氣中帶著正直的羞愧。

“我……我做不到。”

“你想讓我在下一次阻止你嗎？”

我感受到了她的緊張，我默默地責(zé)備自己說(shuō)出了“下一次”，好像是她對(duì)自己的承諾毫無(wú)意義一樣，好像是我在假定她不會(huì)信守諾言一樣。當(dāng)然了，我們都知道還會(huì)有下一次，但厚著臉皮將之開(kāi)口說(shuō)出來(lái)還是刺痛了她的自尊心。

“我想要我阻止我，”亞歷桑德拉終于說(shuō)出口，我感覺(jué)到她正強(qiáng)迫自己放松下來(lái)。

“我能幫你，”我提議道，但它搖了搖頭。

“謝謝你，’萊，”她抬起頭來(lái)，俯身在我臉上印下一吻?！暗绻易约鹤霾坏降脑拰⒑翢o(wú)意義。”

“這有什么關(guān)系嗎？”我問(wèn)道。如果這并非明顯是亞歷桑德拉的痛苦的源頭的話，我也真的不會(huì)如此在意，可它確實(shí)是……“冷暖自知，不是嗎？”

“而我感受到的是誘惑！”亞歷桑德拉厲聲喊出，與我拉開(kāi)了距離，她的眼中淚光閃閃。“我的感受離異端只有一步之遙！”

她猛地跨在了我的身上，用有力的雙腿夾緊了我的跨部，同時(shí)她以燃燒著渴望的目光緊盯著我，讓我的腹部深處的某個(gè)地方騰起了火焰。

我的雙手扶上了她的腰間，而她抬起雙手，開(kāi)始用手指摸索著我臉龐的線條。

“我所渴望的是深不可測(cè)的罪孽，”亞歷桑德拉粗重地喘息著?！岸倚闹兴雽?huì)把我?guī)щx神皇之光，投入到我…….我也不知道有沒(méi)有可能從中返回的陰影中去?！?/p>

她的手指纏在我的發(fā)絲之間，有力的抓握在我渾身激起陣陣快感，她輕柔地將我的頭撥向一側(cè)，讓她自己能夠倚在我裸露的脖頸上，深深地吸了口氣。

“我不知道……自己是否想回來(lái)，”她承認(rèn)道，在我的脖頸上印下另一吻，聲音緊張而不加掩飾?！皩?duì)不起……”另一吻，這次稍往上了些，“對(duì)不起，”又是另一個(gè)。

“對(duì)不起?！?/p>

她從我身上離開(kāi)，面色紅潤(rùn)，雙目低垂。

“我要去洗個(gè)澡，然后……”她停頓下來(lái)，環(huán)抱著自己，“然后我要你別跟過(guò)來(lái)?！?/p>

我小心地看了她一會(huì)兒，然后點(diǎn)頭。

“如你所言，亞歷莎，”我輕聲回答。

在那之后又過(guò)去了十個(gè)晝夜，而我們的每一天都是差不多的。我們會(huì)繼續(xù)練習(xí)拳擊，而亞歷桑德拉會(huì)繼續(xù)慢慢趕超我，然后我們會(huì)一同休息，保持親密，偶爾我們會(huì)牽上對(duì)方的手，亞歷桑德拉則假裝沒(méi)有注意到。

其中幾天會(huì)出門尋找補(bǔ)給，在另一邊亞歷桑德拉會(huì)探索這座尖塔。她一直也沒(méi)有穿上我們從教堂里拿走的那套盔甲，即便她的舊動(dòng)力甲上的動(dòng)力包早早就被裝了上去。它完全可用，盡管她拒絕這么做，并一直都跟我說(shuō)拖著另外兩倍的體重在尖塔里游蕩并不值當(dāng)，如果有的話，她最好還是避開(kāi)它。

取而代之的是，她會(huì)穿上緊身服，拿上我的其中一支毒晶手槍——在格斗訓(xùn)練期間我一直用它們訓(xùn)練她——四處游蕩。偶爾她會(huì)帶回來(lái)食物或者更多的醫(yī)療補(bǔ)給，盡管我們已經(jīng)有了不止夠用的量，其他時(shí)候會(huì)帶來(lái)一些零碎的小玩意，像是兒童玩具。

我從未向她問(wèn)起過(guò)這些。

我們的日子帶著某種時(shí)不時(shí)被戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的噪音所打斷的奇怪的平和。沒(méi)有人知道我們?cè)谶@里，無(wú)論是獸人還是帝國(guó)，也沒(méi)有我懷疑從網(wǎng)道里過(guò)來(lái)的，捉摸不透的阿蘇焉信徒。

如果不是因?yàn)槲艺遮吽ト酰掖蟾艜?huì)覺(jué)得……這樣的日子會(huì)一直持續(xù)下去。

或者類似的什么。

然而并非如此，它并不會(huì)持續(xù)下去，因?yàn)檫@并非我的命運(yùn)。我生來(lái)便有芒在喉，一把刀刃一直以來(lái)都在從肋間逐漸滑向我的心臟。它慢得像冰川這點(diǎn)并不重要，因?yàn)槲覠o(wú)法將之移除，一如我無(wú)從重振靈族帝國(guó)的黃金歲月。

總有一天它會(huì)殺死我，而今日就是我確信它即將到來(lái)的那一天。

至于為什么？

因?yàn)槲宜恕?/p>

我比正常情況下晚起了一個(gè)小時(shí)，渾身散發(fā)著前所未有的疼痛。即便我熟睡過(guò)，我也仍倍感疲憊，我的四肢如灌了鉛般沉重，而我唯一的安慰是亞歷桑德拉還不知道這一點(diǎn)，畢竟她仍像昨晚那樣在睡在我的懷抱里。

就像她在過(guò)去的二十來(lái)個(gè)晝夜里所做的那樣。

誘惑，我確定她會(huì)這么說(shuō)，但這也是事實(shí)，因?yàn)樗弦淮为?dú)自睡覺(jué)時(shí)曾尖叫著驚醒。即便在那之后，每當(dāng)我主動(dòng)提出與她一同過(guò)夜，她也一直試圖拒絕我，哪怕她明顯想要說(shuō)好。

直到我指出她每個(gè)早上起來(lái)時(shí)的尖叫聲幾乎能引來(lái)一整隊(duì)獸人或別的什么為止，她才同意，不過(guò)……

亞歷桑德拉的爭(zhēng)辯以我確信大多數(shù)人都會(huì)認(rèn)為是心里有鬼的倉(cāng)促而收尾。

我把她更緊地抱在懷里，享受著她的溫暖。我并不常常感覺(jué)寒冷，但隨著我的身體愈發(fā)衰弱，我越來(lái)越頻繁地感到如此。

“亞歷莎，”我低頭凝視著她的睡顏，她的名字輕柔地從我的唇邊滑落。

她美得驚心動(dòng)魄。

我直到現(xiàn)在才允許自己產(chǎn)生這個(gè)想法，但考慮到我漫長(zhǎng)到惡心的一生已經(jīng)臨近終點(diǎn)，我選擇丟棄這一絲內(nèi)疚。

亞歷桑德拉很美麗。

我的嘴唇輕輕刮過(guò)她的臉頰，嗅著她身上溫暖的芬芳。

“你的笑顏明亮得令伊莎自慚形穢，你的嗓音即是莉莉絲的歡笑。”

“嗯？我不說(shuō)靈族語(yǔ)，’萊，”亞歷桑德拉昏昏欲睡地嘟噥著?！澳鞘鞘裁矗俊?/p>

“沒(méi)什么，亞歷莎，”我用手指拂過(guò)她潔白的美麗發(fā)絲?！盎厝ニX(jué)吧?！?/p>

她對(duì)我含糊地咕噥了一聲，把臉埋在了我的肩膀上，隨著她環(huán)抱著我的軀干，一絲口水從她的嘴角滲了出來(lái)。

遠(yuǎn)處的爆炸聲回蕩在墻外，提醒著有一場(chǎng)正在進(jìn)行的沖突。我也變得過(guò)于習(xí)慣久坐了……我能感覺(jué)到它，即便我的生命力正在衰退，我已經(jīng)沉溺于與亞歷桑德拉的這種居家生活將近一個(gè)月了。

而我一直享受著這么做則是另一回事。

我嘆了口氣，亞歷桑德拉同時(shí)倚著我小聲咕噥著夢(mèng)話。我現(xiàn)在有一個(gè)選項(xiàng)……我離自己的死期已經(jīng)近到我參與任何戰(zhàn)斗都危險(xiǎn)重重，但如果我再這么拖下去，那也沒(méi)有尋求戰(zhàn)斗的意義了。

那我是不是該戰(zhàn)死呢？是不是要在帝國(guó)的刀劍或者是獸人的巨斧的鋒芒上四處尋死呢？

又或者，我是否該留下來(lái)，在亞歷莎，我的亞歷莎身邊安靜地逝去？

就這么把她拋在身后會(huì)更殘忍還是更仁慈？我該不該讓她看著我在一次次呼吸間走向死亡？無(wú)論以哪種方式，她都會(huì)痛苦萬(wàn)分。

與亞歷桑德拉之間發(fā)生的事實(shí)在是太快了，至少以我的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)如此，這令我深感震驚。以年齡以世紀(jì)計(jì)算的靈族的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，在我與她之間生突然出現(xiàn)的這種短暫的強(qiáng)烈情感足以引起警惕。

靈族，作為一個(gè)種族，并不喜歡改變，自然也會(huì)厭惡迅速的變化，可在我們的嚴(yán)防死守下，上一次劇變發(fā)生之時(shí)，我們的帝國(guó)已經(jīng)墮入了尖嘯的混沌，而從今往后，我們每個(gè)人的靈魂已經(jīng)被一個(gè)宇宙級(jí)的災(zāi)厄貼上了食品標(biāo)簽。

我們并非沒(méi)有自力更生過(guò)，但這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)仍然成立。

亞歷桑德拉在睡夢(mèng)中依偎著我，隨著睡眠的愈發(fā)深沉發(fā)出了一聲贊同的嗚咽。

改變不可避免，這一個(gè)倒也沒(méi)那么壞。然而諷刺的是，在我生命的終點(diǎn)，我竟然會(huì)期望著能和她再度過(guò)哪怕一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)的時(shí)光。

我還有多少個(gè)晝夜的光景？

二十個(gè)？

在外面的話能有二十五個(gè)？

現(xiàn)在它發(fā)生得更快了……我只知道這些。過(guò)去的每一天都把我向巨蛇的口中的墜落拉得更深一步，這種下墜已經(jīng)快得令人難受。

我嘆了口氣，悄悄地離開(kāi)了床鋪，亞歷桑德拉隨著我離開(kāi)她的懷抱發(fā)出了半夢(mèng)半醒的一聲抗拒，隨后在我留下的一絲暖意間蜷縮起來(lái)，我伸了伸懶腰，切膚的寒冷令我畏縮。

我低頭瞥向仍在睡著的亞歷桑德拉，看著她呼吸時(shí)抽動(dòng)著的嘴唇，感受到了另一陣不同的疼痛……一陣饑渴的回響。

我可以再活得久一些。我可以把不可避免的死亡再推遲五天左右，也許更久……只要我再次從亞歷桑德拉那里汲取。只要我再次喝下一口她的靈魂，那液態(tài)的陽(yáng)光，以恢復(fù)我的活力。

不。

我承受不起再次放縱于饑渴者的代價(jià)。我曾一度屈服于它，而出于如亞歷桑德拉所說(shuō)的某種奇跡，并沒(méi)有任何副作用產(chǎn)生，可是……我只愿意也只能有那么一次接受這種不可能。我沒(méi)有傲慢到愿意兩次考驗(yàn)命運(yùn)，一邊期待著另一次奇跡一邊再次從亞歷桑德拉那里汲取。

奇跡曾經(jīng)發(fā)生過(guò)一次，那完全是天上掉餡餅，我不會(huì)重復(fù)我族犯過(guò)的錯(cuò)，不會(huì)一遍一遍又一遍地索取直到再也沒(méi)有什么能拿走的了。

不會(huì)是從亞歷桑德拉那里。

永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)。

離開(kāi)臥室前我又一次瑟瑟發(fā)抖，順道拿起一件浴袍穿上，然后四處尋找早餐。

我激活了小廚房里灶臺(tái)上的加熱器，放下一支平底鐵鍋，又拿出一些亞歷桑德拉稱之為“納拉蛋”的東西。很明顯這些常用作早餐的食物來(lái)自該節(jié)區(qū)內(nèi)某個(gè)農(nóng)業(yè)世界，她對(duì)能在一個(gè)還有幾格電的冷藏單元里找到這些東西的庫(kù)存感到相當(dāng)滿意。

這些蛋做起來(lái)快而容易，帶有一種我頗為享受的輕微的薄荷風(fēng)味，在我馬上要把它們裝完盤的時(shí)候，一雙手臂環(huán)在了我的腰間，亞歷桑德拉的臉蛋熟悉的重量壓在了我的肩頭。

“早安，’萊?！?/p>

我強(qiáng)行讓自己不要抽搐或繃緊，相反我只是把我的頭倚在她的頭上，希望這個(gè)反應(yīng)足夠讓她意識(shí)不到自己實(shí)際上對(duì)我完成了偷襲。

我的感官已經(jīng)嚴(yán)重遲鈍了。

“亞歷莎，”我用打招呼回應(yīng)她，遞給她一盤子納拉蛋，她愉快地收了下來(lái)，我看著她轉(zhuǎn)身坐到桌子前。

她穿著一件與我的非常相似的灰色長(zhǎng)袍，盡管她選了只到她大腿中部的那件，我懷疑它屬于曾住在這里的消瘦的矮小女人。我也懷疑亞歷桑德拉選這件是因?yàn)樗牢蚁矚g看她的雙腿，但我沒(méi)有證據(jù)證明這一點(diǎn)。

廚房里充斥著我們大口吃早餐時(shí)器皿碰撞的輕響。

“今天有什么計(jì)劃嗎？”她在咀嚼間發(fā)問(wèn)道。

我咬了會(huì)兒嘴唇，然后看向我的戰(zhàn)斗裝備，點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。

“跟那個(gè)類似?！?/p>

“又是拳擊？”亞歷桑德拉風(fēng)卷殘?jiān)瓢愠酝昙{拉蛋，給了我一個(gè)微笑，然后把盤子放在了水槽里以備清洗?！拔?guī)缀跻s上你了。”

“你說(shuō)啥就是啥，亞歷莎，”我嘲笑道，盡管她說(shuō)得沒(méi)錯(cuò)?！爸劣谌瓝艟毩?xí)？不……”我把盤子和她的放在一起，然后走向我的裝備，拿起我摯愛(ài)的，目前收縮在長(zhǎng)刀的樣式的剃刀連枷，轉(zhuǎn)身面對(duì)亞歷莎。“今天，你要學(xué)怎么用這個(gè)?！?/p>

亞歷桑德拉睜大了眼睛。

一直以來(lái)，我都沒(méi)有允許她觸碰我的連枷。我已經(jīng)教過(guò)她怎么使用我的毒晶手槍，藜蘆（Hellebore）和悔恨(Rue)，盡管扣扳機(jī)時(shí)還是有些沉重，但她還是迅速地掌握了。但是，我的連枷在這之前從來(lái)也沒(méi)被這樣放在桌子上，亞歷桑德拉試探著向刀柄伸出手去。

“刀柄由嵌合獸的骨骼制成，在這套機(jī)構(gòu)里有一張連在一根有機(jī)金屬肌腱上的生物活性網(wǎng)格，”我在她握住它時(shí)解釋道?！澳愕哪粗赶襁@樣沿著這條線滑動(dòng)，”我抓過(guò)她的手，讓她的拇指輕輕劃過(guò)網(wǎng)格的一部分，“來(lái)釋放連接各個(gè)部分的單纖的張力?！?/p>

“就像你的手槍那樣？”亞歷莎發(fā)問(wèn)道，同時(shí)掂量著長(zhǎng)刀狀態(tài)下的連枷的重量和配重?！爸皇┘右稽c(diǎn)壓力，而非擠壓？”

“理論是相似的，”我肯定道，后退一步給她練習(xí)揮刀的空間。“使用剃刀連枷的真正難點(diǎn)是在不同的形態(tài)間轉(zhuǎn)換，收縮和伸展，伸長(zhǎng)和收回……你在網(wǎng)格上施加的壓力會(huì)以一千倍傳到連枷上?！?/p>

我伸手去拿連枷，她便把它遞給了我。

我拿起這件武器，讓她看著我的手是如何抓握的，然后我輕輕地在網(wǎng)格間伸縮我的拇指。連枷隨著細(xì)微的咔嚓聲猛地伸到了全廠，盤在地板上。我在相反的方向上重復(fù)了這個(gè)動(dòng)作，它便收回了刀狀。

“現(xiàn)在看我用更大的力度釋放它時(shí)會(huì)發(fā)生什么，”我對(duì)著握把點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，亞歷桑德拉小心地看著我用拇指更用力地壓在網(wǎng)格上。

剃刀連枷伴著金屬的嘶鳴驟然彈開(kāi)，一路穿過(guò)房間刺進(jìn)了遠(yuǎn)端的墻面里。

亞歷桑德拉的眼眸上揚(yáng)到能觸及她蒼白的劉海，她從刀柄沿著單纖連接的一節(jié)節(jié)刀片，一直看向了穿過(guò)金屬墻面的尖端，輕輕地吹了聲口哨。

“隨著時(shí)間推移，你會(huì)熟練掌握如何依照你的所需所想用這套釋放機(jī)構(gòu)出力，一點(diǎn)也不超出，”我拔出武器，把它抽回來(lái)，然后把連枷放到一邊?！艾F(xiàn)在，我會(huì)教你起手式，以及如何在不切下自己的胳膊的同時(shí)移動(dòng)。”

她的雙眼看上去幾乎在已經(jīng)在按捺不住的激動(dòng)下閃閃發(fā)光起來(lái)。

“那么？”

我微微一笑，點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。

“很好，Cre’yth，”我拉近距離，把手放在她的肩膀上，挪動(dòng)起她來(lái)。“第一式叫Ao’lanya，它是這個(gè)樣子的……”

?

原文：

It’s strange, what you can get used to.

“Faster! A grot could hit you moving like that.”

Once I would have imagined training a human zealot to be beyond possibility.

Crack

“Faster!”

Alessandra weathered my first hit, then ducked and wove around my next, her fists lashing out with punishing force a breath later and striking nothing but air. I smirked with each missed blow, and with each attack that I’d seen coming entire seconds before they’d been launched.

“How,” Alessandra gasped, “are you…” she lashed combinations of spinning kicks out that soared over my head, “always so?fast?”

In the moment when all of her weight was balanced on her left leg, I dropped low and snapped out a strike to the tendons of her knee. Her leg bowed and she crumpled with a squawk of alarm, dropping gracelessly onto the floor, sweating and panting as she rolled onto her back and stared sullenly up at the ceiling.

I stood over her and she glared up at me. Her pale hair was plastered to her face and neck, while sweat-soaked her sleeveless training top giving me quite a view as she heaved in breath after breath. As I held out my hand for her I could see her considering trying to attack me from the floor and trying her luck again.

Just like last time.

“Enough,?Cre’yth,” I admonished her before she could make the attempt. “We rest now, you’ll grow stronger with time.”

Alessandra rolled her eyes, then nodded as she reached up to grip my forearm, and let me heave her to her feet.

“You’re faster than anyone I’ve ever fought,” Alessandra groaned as she got clumsily upright, then stretched to the tune of a few cracks and pops. “Not even Sister Kalion was in your league.”

“Few humans would be,” I pointed out. “A Wych of Commorragh, at least one who survives more than a few bouts, undergoes training that would balk one of your genhanced Astartes, in addition to a regime of chemical and surgical enhancement.”

“So you’re cheating,” Alessandra said playfully, and I smirked at her as I snatched up a flask of water and tossed it to her.

“No more than your own ‘Angels of Death’,” I countered.

She caught it with her arm, her left arm, and I smiled and nodded towards it.

“How is it coming along?”

Alessandra raised an eyebrow, then glanced at her arm and shrugged, then pried the cap from the flask, drained it, and crushed it with her grip.

“Better,” she smirked back at me. “Much better.”

Fifteen cycles.

We had been holed up in this spire, barring a few occasional forays for supplies, for fifteen solar cycles. For better than half of that Alessandra had been laid up, resting and recovering from the damage her body had taken prior to our meeting. Only in the past few days had she begun to get significantly stronger.

In point of fact, I was surprised at just how rapidly she recovered. Admittedly, my experience with humans was mostly confined to quickly I could kill them, not nurse them back to health, and slaves in Commorragh were rarely in the best of health, but Alessandra…

Her bruises faded like water off of a stone, and her cuts healed leaving only the faintest of scars. The damage to her arm should was bad enough that I was concerned about her long term capabilities without the attention of real medical treatment.

“I’ve always recovered faster than most,” Alessandra said as she tossed the flask in a disposal. “Even as a Progena I had a lot of stamina, it’s one of the reasons I was always at the head of my classes.”

“Simply taking less time to recover than most would give you an edge,” I agreed slowly, and Alessandra gave me a level look as I met her gaze.

“We’ve discussed this, ‘Rae, I’m not a psyker,” she said pointedly. “The Drill Abbots even suspected I might be a latent bio-talent, but all the tests came back negative.”

“So you’re just hardy?”

Alessandra shrugged. “I never knew my parents… I might come from death world stock or a high-grav world. Greater stamina and recovery isn’t impossible, the God-Emperor blesses each of us in accordance to our needs.”

“Perhaps,” I allowed in what was becoming my traditional response.

“I’m getting faster, though,” she smirked at me as she collapsed onto the couch. “Or you’re getting slower, I nearly hit you that bout.”

“Nearly,” I drawled, masking my discomfort by a smile as I took a drink of water for myself.

Her comment set my hackles up, and I hoped it was only in jest. It probably was, given her lack of gravity and concern but still…

I was getting slower.

Only by the narrowest of marks, so narrow that only I could possibly be noticing it, but I could feel it nonetheless.

Her strikes were growing closer every day, if only by the width of a blade’s edge, and that wasn’t to say she was not improving but no one improves that quickly against a Wych of my experience. Besides, it wasn’t just her speed… I could feel the chill biting a little deeper every day, and my limbs took breathes longer every morning to warm up.

The Great Serpent had gotten a taste of my soul back in the chapel, and now my long, unnatural lifespan was ebbing and taking my vitality with it.

“You learn more quickly than I would expect from one of your kind,” I conceded.

“My?kind?adapt,” Alessandra replied with a playful tension. “All the galaxy is our rightful dominion, and by the grace of Him On Earth, and the holy technologies of the Techpriests, we are made capable of living anywhere within it.”

“Of course,” I made a deep, mocking bow, “how could I forget?”

Alessandra laughed, and I smiled as I straightened and moved to her side. Her laughter was one of my favorite sounds, it was full and it came from her chest, and the way it filled her face was…

Well, I considered myself surprisingly fortunate that I had met her at the end of my life.

I sat beside her and she moved closer, meshing herself against me and pulling her feet up onto the couch as she rested her head on my shoulder and I looped my arm around her waist.

We had not spoken about the events of the chapel. Not about my drinking from her, or about the kiss, or about what had followed or preceded it. We had, however, silently grown more comfortable being in physical contact than not.

“Isarae?” Alessandra began softly.

“Hm?”

“How… old are you?”

I chuckled at that. “Truthfully, I am uncertain,” I admitted. “Biologically I am in the prime of my life,” or I was, at least, “but chronologically is a different matter… by your reckoning I suppose I am close to six thousand of your standard years.”

Alessandra stiffened noticeably under my arm, and I laughed again.

“Aeldari lifespans are highly variable, and the Druchii don’t age at all so long as they slake their Thirst,” I explained. “Now, perhaps, you can understand why life has grown so wearisome for me.”

“That’s…” Alessandra relaxed again under my touch and nestled a little closer to me. “Where were you born?”

“The sewers of Commorragh, I think, that was where I spent my first century at any rate,” I chewed my lip as I tried to recall. It had been a very long time ago. “I was a slave for many centuries after that, first for pleasure, then for combat.”

My early years were a blur of narcotics and violence, and I tried to pin down the major events as they occurred with only passing success.

“You were… born in the sewers,” Alessandra repeated, horror growing in her voice, “and then used as a whore and a gladiator?”

“Sometimes both at once,” I added with a smile that drew a sharp look from her.

“You forget that I do not necessarily disagree with your God-Emperor concerning my race’s extermination,” I pointed out. “I have no love of the Druchii, perhaps even less than your own kind considering how well I know them.”

Alessandra sighed quietly, but moved even closer than before. The scent of her sweat was strong about her, but I did not mind.?

Shamefully, I rather liked it.

“Do you have any family?” She asked after another moment.

I shook my head.

“I suppose we’re the same in that, at least,” Alessandra remarked in wan humor.

She sighed and relaxed more comfortably against me, and I let myself enjoy the way she conformed herself to me. Alessandra didn’t precisely melt against me, but her solid warmth was pleasantly soft and reassuring, and we sat together in companionable silence as the cycle ticked away, occasionally one would shift against the other as if to remind them of their presence.

As if I could forget.

Physical affection was an odd concept for me, given my usual interactions with physicality, but Alessandra was always content to simply lay against me with her head resting in the hollow of my shoulder.

Well, that and-

The soft press of lips brushed against the skin where my neck and shoulder joined. It was slow and sweet, and followed quickly by another kiss just above the first, and then another, and another, slowly trailing up my neck until they reached my jawline and diverged, rising up as Alessandra’s hand crept up to cradle against the other side of my neck.

And as always, she faltered just shy of my earlobe. Her breath hitched, and she leaned in to pressed her forehead into the hollow of my neck as she shuddered.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered quietly.

“You always apologise,” I said as I raised my hand to rest on the back of her hand, stroking her hair slowly in calming motions. “I’ve never complained.”

“I shouldn’t be doing that,” Alessandra’s voice was tight, and her aura tasted of righteous shame. “I am… I can’t do that.”

“Do you want me to stop you next time?”

I felt her tense, and I silently chided myself for saying ‘next time’ as if her promise to herself meant nothing, as if I was simply assuming that she wouldn’t be able to keep to her word. Of course, we both knew there?would?be a next time, but saying it aloud so brazenly had stung her pride.

“I want?me?to stop me,” Alessandra said finally, and I felt her force herself to relax.

“I can help,” I offered, but she shook her head.

“Thank you, ‘Rae,” she raised her head and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek. “But it means nothing if I can’t do it myself.”

“Why does it matter?” I asked. I honestly wouldn’t have cared so much if it wasn’t clearly a source of pain for Alessandra, but as it was… “You feel how you feel, yes?”

“And what I feel is?temptation!” Alessandra snapped as she pulled away from me, her eyes blazing. “What I feel is the precipice of?heresy!”

With a surge of motion she was astride me, straddling my lap with her powerful legs on either side of me while she stared down into my eyes with a burning expression of want and desire that lit a flame somewhere deep in my belly.

My hands trailed up to rest on her hips as her own hands rose to start tracing the lines of my face with her fingers.

“What I?want?is a sin beyond measure,” Alessandra breathed raggedly. “And what I want will take me out of the God-Emperor’s light and into a shadow where I… I do not know if there is a possibility of return.”?

Her fingers tangled into my hair, taking a hard grip and sending ripples of pleasure through me, and pulled my head gently to the side as she could lean in against the bare skin of my neck again and take a deep, slow breath.

“I don’t know… if I would?want?to return,” she admitted, and her voice was tight and raw as she pressed another kiss to my neck. “I’m sorry…” another kiss, a little higher, “I’m sorry,” and another.

“I’m sorry.”

She dismounted from me, her face ruddy and warm, and her eyes downcast.

“I’m going to take a bath and…” she paused, wrapping her arms around herself, “and I need you to not follow me.”

I eyed her carefully for a few moments, then nodded.

“As you say, Alessa,” I replied quietly.

?

Another ten cycles passed and our days were filled with much of the same. We would spar and Alessandra would continue to slowly overtake me, then we would rest together, staying close, occasionally with our hands finding one another to link together while Alessandra pretended not to notice.

Some cycles I would go seeking supplies, on others Alessandra would explore the spire. She would never put the armour on we had taken from the chapel despite having long since attached the power cell of her old armour to it. It was perfectly usable, and despite that she refused to don it, always telling me there was nothing worth lugging around another two bodies of weight for in the spire and if there was that she was better off just avoiding it.

Instead she would pull on the bodyglove, take one of my Splinter pistols that I’d been training her with in between sparring, and wander about. Occasionally she would return with food or more medical supplies, despite us having more than enough, other times with oddments and knick knacks like children’s toys.

I never asked her about them.

Our days were a strange kind of peaceful punctuated by the background noise of a war. No one knew where we were, neither Orks nor Imperials, nor the elusive Asuryani I suspected had come through the Webway.

If it weren’t for my slow recession into weakness, I would think that… that maybe this could last.

Or something like it.

But no, it couldn’t last because that was not my fate. I was born with a blade at my throat and a knife slowly sliding between my ribs towards my heart. That it moved at the speed of a glacier was meaningless because I could no more remove it than I could reignite the golden age of the Aeldari Empire.

One day it would kill me, and today was the day I became certain that it would be soon.

Why?

Because I slept in.

I woke a full hour after I normally would and my body ached like nothing I’d ever known. Despite sleeping in, I was still weary, my limbs felt leaden, and my one consolation was that Alessendra didn’t know about it because she was still asleep in my arms the way she had been last night.

The way she had done for the past twenty or so cycles.

A temptation, I’m sure she would say, but also a practicality because the last time she had gone to sleep alone she had woken up screaming. Even after that, when I offered to stay with her during the night, she had tried to turn me down despite clearly wanting to say yes.

She had only agreed after I pointed out that her waking up screaming every morning would almost inevitably draw down an Ork squad or more, although…

Alessandra's arguments died with what I’m sure would be considered indecent haste by most.

I gathered her a little more closely in my arms, relishing her warmth. It was not often I was cold, but it was growing more common lately as my body began to weaken.

“Alessa,” her name fell softly from my lips as I stared down at her sleeping features.

She was so phenomenally beautiful.

It was a thought I had not permitted myself until now, but granting that I was near the end of my obscenely long life I had opted to dispose of that compunction.

Alessandra was?beautiful.

I brushed my lips over her cheek, inhaling the warm scent of her.

“Your smile shines such to shame Isha, and your voice is the laughter of Lileath.”

“Hm? I don’t speak Aeldari, ‘Rae,” Alessandra mumbled sleepily. “What was that?”

“Nothing, Alessa,” I ran my fingers through her lovely, pale hair. “Go back to sleep.”

She gave a vaguely affirmative grunt and buried her face against my shoulder, a touch of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth as she wrapped her arms around my torso.

Distant detonations echoed beyond the walls, a reminder of the ongoing conflict. I was becoming too sedentary as well… I could feel it, even aside from my fading vitality, I had been indulging this domesticity with Alessandra for near on a full lunar cycle.

That I had enjoyed it was aside from the point.

I sighed as Alessandra murmured small, sleeping noises against me. I had a choice now… I was near enough to my death that any battle I fought would be a risk, but if I dallied longer there wouldn’t be a point to seeking a battle at all.

So did I die in battle? Did I rove out in search of my end at the edge of an Imperial blade or Ork axe?

Or did I remain, and pass quietly with Alessa, my Alessa, by my side?

Would it be crueler or kinder to leave her behind? Should I make her watch me die breath by breath? She would agonise over it either way.

This matter with Alessandra had happened so quickly, at least by my standards, and it left me reeling. By the standards of an Aeldari, who measures their lives in the span of centuries, this short and sudden intensity that had cropped up between her and I was alarming.

Aeldari, as a people, do not like change, and they certainly detested when it happened quickly, but in our defense the last time a very quick change had occurred our entire empire had dissolved into shrieking chaos and each of our souls, present and future, had been ear-marked for the larder of a cosmic nightmare.

Not that we hadn’t earned it all, but the point stands.

Alessandra nuzzled against me in her sleep, making a quiet murr of approval as she fell deeper into slumber.

As changes go, this one was not so terrible. Still, it was ironic that here and now, at the end of my life, I should find myself wishing for just a little bit longer to spend with her.

How many more cycles did I have?

Twenty?

Twenty-five at the outside?

It was happening more quickly now… I knew that much. Every passing cycle brought the angle of my descent into the Great Serpent’s maw another degree steeper, and the downward slide had become uncomfortably rushed.

Sighing, I slipped out of bed, untangling myself from Alessandra who made half-sleeping sounds of protest before curling up in the warm spot I left behind, while I stretched, wincing at the cold throb that settled into my muscles.

I glanced down at the still-sleeping Alessandra, at her lips as she drew in her slumbering breaths, and felt an altogether different ache… an echo of thirst.

I could have a little longer. I could stave off the inevitability of death for an extra fistful of cycles, maybe a little more… all I had to do was drink from Alessandra again. All I had to do was take in another mouthful of that liquid sunlight that was her soul to bring back the edge of my vitality.

No.

The Thirst was not something I could afford to indulge again. I had given in once and by some miracle, as Alessandra named it, there had been no ill effects but that… that was an impossibility that I was willing to accept once and only once. I was not so arrogant as to test fate a second time and drink from Alessandra again in the expectation of another miracle.

It had happened once, and that had been a gift, I was not going to repeat the mistakes of my kind and continue to take and take and take until there was no more left to give.

Not from Alessandra.

Never?from Alessandra.

I shivered again before making my way out of the bedroom, picking up a robe on the way out and tugging it on before nosing around for some breakfast.

I activated the burner of the stovetop in the small kitchen, laid down a flat iron pan, and drew out a few handfuls of something Alessandra had called ‘Nara Eggs’. Apparently they were a common breakfast food originating from one of the pastoral Agriworlds in the subsector, and she had been incredibly pleased to have found a stock of them in a cooling unit that still had power a few levels up.

They cooked quickly and easily, and had a slightly savory flavor to them that I quite enjoyed, and I had almost finished plating them out when a pair of arms slid around my waist and the familiar weight of Alessandra’s chin settled on my shoulder.

“Good morning, ‘Rae.”

I forced myself not to jerk or tense, and instead just turned to lean my head against hers, hoping that it was enough of a reaction that she wouldn’t realise that she had actually snuck up on me.

My senses were dulling badly.

“Alessa,” I replied by way of greeting, lifting up a plate of Nara to her which she happily took, and admired her as she turned to sit at the table.

She was wearing a gray robe much like mine, although she had chosen one that only reached the middle of her thighs, and I suspected it belonged to the small, waifish woman who lived here. I also suspected that Alessandra had taken to wearing it because she knew that I liked looking at her legs, but I did not have any proof of that.

The kitchen was filled with the quiet clinking of utensils on plates as we tucked into our breakfast.

“Plans today?” She asked between bites.

I chewed my lip for a moment, then glanced over my combat gear and nodded.

“Something like that.”

“Sparring again?” Alessandra asked with a smile as she polished off her nara and set the plate in the basin to be washed later. “I’ve almost caught you.”

“Believe what you will, Alessa,” I replied with a smirk, although she was right. “As to sparring? No…” I joined my plate with hers before walking over to my gear, taking up my beloved razorflail, currently contracted into its blade form, and turning back to Alessa. “Today, you learn to use this.”

Alessandra’s eyes widened.

In all this time, I’d never permitted her to touch my flail. I’d taught her to use my Splinter pistols, Hellebore and Rue, and she had caught on with fair speed although she was still a little heavy on the trigger. My flail, however, had never been on the table before and Alessandra tentatively reached out to lay hand on the handle.

“The grip is made up of Kymaera bone and has a bioreactive mesh linked to an organic metal tendon inside the mechanism,” I explained as she took a grip on it. “You run your thumb along this,” I took her hand and passed her thumb over a portion of the mesh gently, “to release the tension of the monowire that links the segments.”

“Is this like your pistols?” Alessa asked as she tested the weight, heft, and balance of the blade-form of the flail. “Minimal pressure, and don’t squeeze?”

“The theory is similar,” I agreed as I took a step back to give her room for some practice swings. “The real test of using a razorflail is rotating between its forms, to contract and expand, reach and withdraw… the force and pressure you use on the mesh translates into the flail a thousandfold.”

I held out my hand for the flail and she passed it back to me.

Holding up the weapon, I let her see how my hand rested, then I gently twitched my thumb across the mesh. The flail rattled quietly as it snapped loose and hung to its full length coiled on the floor. I repeated the process in opposite and it retreated back into blade-form.

“Now watch what happens when I release it with more force,” I nodded to the handle, and Alessandra watched carefully as I ground my thumb more forcefully against the mesh.

The razorflail snapped out with a metallic snarl and the length of it launched across the room to bury itself in the far wall.

Alessandra’s eyebrows edged up to her pale fringe as she looked from the haft, down the length of wire-connected blade segments, to the hooked tip that was piercing the metal hab walls, and let out a low whistle.

“In time, you will master how to get just the amount of force out of the release mechanism that you want and need, and no more,” I pulled the weapon free and drew it back in, then set the flail aside. “For now, I will teach you the opening forms and how to move without cutting your own arms off.”

Her eyes seemed to almost glow with poorly restrained excitement.

“Well?”

I chuckled softly, then nodded.

“Very well,?Cre’yth,” I crossed the distance and laid my hands on her shoulders to start moving her. “The first form is the?Ao’lanya,?and it goes like this…”