A Sliver of Redemption Read Online Free PDF Page B

finally asked.
    “If I have breath within me still,” Qurrah said.
    The promise wasn't very comforting.

    T he land beyond the capital, that which was not smooth and often tilled, was filled with hills, and beneath the carpet of grass the soil was rocky and difficult to dig. Trees clustered in random assortments of five or six, growing tall and surrounded by walls of bushes. It was in the shadow of one of these clusters that Qurrah waited, until day was gone and only the moon shone down upon him. His feet were thankful for the break, but his mind was not. The constant motion had given him little time to think, but now alone, his mind wandered down dark paths.
    He nearly fled. It occurred to him his transformation may have been nothing more than a survival technique, a burning desire for life that held little regard for grace and forgiveness. Guilt was a foreign thing to him, and the temptation to cast it away was strong. He clutched the image of Harruq's daughter in his mind, using it to push away the weakness that tore into his flesh.
    You killed her! Tessanna had shrieked as she clawed at his arms and chest, back when her attuned mind had sensed Aullienna's death. He let that memory slash away any growing sense of importance or infallibility. He had done wrong. There was no other way to view his morbid life. He had done wrong.
    “Decide to run away and hide?” a voice asked from within the copse of trees. Qurrah turned, not at all surprised.
    “Not run,” Qurrah said. “Just waiting.”
    Tarlak stepped through the bushes, ignoring the brambles that stuck to his robe.
    “For me?” Tarlak asked. “I'm flattered.”
    “I knew you would come, but I am still not sure the exact reason. Perhaps that alone shows how much I have hurt you. Why, Tarlak? Why are you here?”
    The wizard hurled his hat to the ground between the two.
    “How did she die?” he asked. “Answer me truthfully, half-orc. How did you and your witch kill her?”
    Qurrah felt a flare of anger at hearing his beloved Tessanna called such a name.
    “You want the truth?” he said. “Tessanna held her by her hair as I cut her throat. She did not scream, and her pain was short.”
    “Why?” Tarlak asked, tears in his eyes. “What did she do to you? What did I do to you?”
    “Nothing,” Qurrah said. “But so much blood was on Tessanna's hands, and I had none on my own.”
    He ran his fingers along the twin scars underneath his eyes.
    “I cried tears of blood after her death,” Qurrah said. “Out of all I’ve done, that was when I felt myself beyond salvation. And I will not lie to you, Tarlak. I did so willingly.”
    “Beyond salvation,” Tarlak said, his clenched fists shaking. “Perhaps you were right, Qurrah. Maybe even gods have limits. Shall we test them? Will Karak and Ashhur fight over which must take you? Maybe you'll just fade away, eternally unwanted.”
    “Will you murder me?” Qurrah asked.
    “Sounds good.”
    Tarlak hurled a ball of flame from each palm. Qurrah dropped to the ground, letting them sail past, consuming the trees. The half-orc labored to one knee, and before the red-orange glow of the fire, he appeared the demon Tarlak knew him to be. Lightning struck from the sky, beckoned by Tarlak's spell. Qurrah summoned a magical shield, but a portion of the attack broke through, jolting his muscles and flooding him with pain.
    Anger and survival raged in his chest. He hurled a clump of grass, igniting it in a muffled explosion of darkness that sucked in all light and sound. Behind the wall of black Qurrah surrounded his body with purple fire that only blazed and did not consume. When the inky darkness dissipated, Tarlak was ready, a giant boulder ripped from the ground floating before him. He hurled it with his mind’s eye. Qurrah let it crash into him, and like a statue, he did not move. The purple fire roared, cracking and twisting the chunk of earth and shoving it aside. Flashing a dire grin, he outstretched his