A life worth saving

The candlelight flickered low in the hidden room beneath Janzo's lab. Talon lay tangled in the rough sheets of the cot, her body bare under the thin blanket, breath still shallow from everything—rescue, revival, and now… release.

Janzo leaned over her, his lips brushing her collarbone as he whispered, "Are you alright?"

Talon gave a soft, teasing smile. "For someone who technically died, I'd say I'm doing well. Especially with that performance you just gave."

Janzo flushed, sliding down beside her, pulling the blanket over both of them. "I thought I was supposed to be a healer, not a… lover."

"Guess you're both now," she murmured.

A few minutes later, the small hatch door creaked. Talon sat up and quickly wrapped herself as Tony stepped inside with a wooden tray.

"Relax," he said casually, not even glancing at her exposed shoulder. "I brought food."

"Tony?" Janzo raised a brow.

Tony set the food down—a steaming bowl of stew and warm bread. "She needs her strength. I figured after all the... activity, she'd need something solid." He grinned, then turned to Talon. "You scared us, you know."

Talon took the spoon and nodded. "I scared myself."

"You're lucky Janzo broke every law of chemistry and common sense to bring you back."

"Not luck," Janzo muttered. "Choice."

Tony winked and stepped out of the room.

Talon ate quietly while Janzo got dressed. As he slid on his vest, a loud banging echoed from above, followed by the clang of iron boots in the lab. Janzo cursed.

He opened the hatch, climbed up, and was met with the face of a frantic soldier.

"Master Janzo! One of the Generals—General Marrick—he's been stung by venomous horn-bees in the forest. He's swelling up, barely breathing. Please—he needs you now!"

Janzo grabbed his medical bag. "Bring him to my lab—on the cot. Don't let anyone else touch him."

Minutes later, the tall, burly general was wheeled in on a stretcher, his throat swelling, face red and sweating. Janzo moved quickly, drawing out the toxins with a series of injections and herbal poultices.

But as he worked, his mind spun with a plan.

He scribbled a note quickly, sealing it with wax, and handed it to a young messenger boy.

"To Garrett," he instructed. "Directly. No detours."

In Garrett's chambers…

Garrett cracked the seal and read the message:

"I'll save your general. But I want something in return. Talon is alive. And I want her free. No prison. No bounty. No chains. She walks the Outpost as she chooses—or I let nature take its course."

His hand shook slightly. "He's… blackmailing me?"

He stared out the window at the Outpost. At the torchlight that flickered on the walls he once believed he controlled. The thought of Talon being alive shocked him—but also ignited something deep, something hopeful.

Garrett took a pen and wrote a single sentence:

"Fine. Accepted."

He sealed it, gave it to the messenger, and said, "Deliver it with speed. Tell Janzo… the deal's made."

Back in the lab…

Janzo finished treating the general, who had finally stabilized, breathing now through steady lungs. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, the messenger returned with Garrett's reply.

Janzo opened it.

His fingers trembled.

He smiled.

He folded the paper and slid it into his pocket. Then, without a word, he descended into the secret room below.

Talon looked up as he entered.

"Well?" she asked.

Janzo stepped toward her and knelt at her side. "You're free."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"No more bounty. No more cell. No more hiding."

Talon stared at him, her hand resting over his. "What did you do?"

"I did what I had to." He smiled gently. "You're worth it."

And in the silence that followed, Talon reached for him again—not in desperation, but with a new tenderness.

Because for the first time in a long time…

She didn't feel hunted.

She felt loved.