She had tried. Sanria had tried to keep herself behind the ward, in the safety that Gilean had given her, but part of her still cared for Thasmudyan. He had come to warn her, a gesture most befitting his care and kindness. He told her that he had chosen against helping Velentham, and Sanria felt her heart soften. It was no mere feat to go against the coaxing that Celestials were capable of using. Then Velentham had shown up.
Sanria wasn't prepared for the sight, Velentham looked much more gaunt than he had looked before. His hair was a mess, his eyes glowing with a madness, and the only other time she had seen the same look of desperation on his face was when he had taken her away and forced himself upon her. She thought after that he would have left her alone. She thought after Velentham's fight with Colin so many years ago, he had forgotten her. His appearance, the face lined with hatred and desperation, proved otherwise. He had driven himself crazy.
So she tried. She tried to remind Thasmudyan of his obligations. Lyvinnia was still needing her father. And her calling out ended in disaster. She caused the hesitation on Thasmudyan's behalf, and Velentham had lashed out. All else was automatic. The ward forgotten in the hopes that if she got between the men the fight would end. Instead, Thasmudyan rushed forward, Velentham leapt over, and she was crushed in a vice-like grip with no hope of getting free.
It was not long after that Velentham's magic kept them suspended together in a bubble over a landscape boiling with fire and flame. He uttered a few words, and Sanria found herself unable to speak. Silence. Her eyes watered as the Celestial turned his gaze on her, his eyes burning silver, his gaunt face tight with a smile. "Don't cry, my love," he cooed, wiping her face with his free hand. "Soon this will all be but a distant memory and your pain will melt away."
Sanria felt the familiar tickle at the back of her mind and she knew in that instant that Velentham was already at work on her mind. The idea of escaping flashed in her mind, and the silver eyes narrowed for only a moment. "You will burn, love. And I can't have that." Tears rolled down her cheeks, kept liquid only by the bubble that surrounded them. Velentham pulled her close, kissing her mouth. Though she tried to pull back, she couldn't fight the grip that held her close. She could cast no spell. The stale cigarette smell in his hair was nearly all she could take, and he finally pulled back. With a smile, Velentham drifted their bubble closer to the fiery surface below, and Sanria knew she was utterly beyond help.
