She didn’t suffer long, no.
It was a brief flash, and she lost all connection to her body. And then she was gone.
Haytham and Connor stood on a battlefield, back to back almost, as the fought to retake Fort Washington. Their comrades littered the field, most of them dead. But their dead were not alone, no. More Red Coats scattered across the torn courtyard, some covered with rubble from the occasional fire of cannons.
“We need to hurry, Connor!”Her voice rang over the war-zone, a warning. They wouldn’t last forever with the advantages the British had, and they couldn’t risk their lives here. It was clear that the Colonists were going to win, at this point, and their help was no longer needed.
But Connor was always stubborn, like her.
“We have to help them!” His voice retaliated, determination accompanying the anger in his voice. As it always did.
More Cannons fired overhead, and Haytham looked to the sky, to see a nearby building come crashing down in a reign of fire.
They were too close, too close.
Haytham was never reckless, she made sure that she always knew what her next move was, and always knew the outcome. Not this time.
“Watch out!” she called, eyes widening as she watched the building’s wall came exploding outward. He would never be able to mode out of the way in time, she realized, as she watched him ignore her warning and continue to fight.
He was always so, so stubborn. But so was she.
Time seemed to slow around them as she pushed the limits of her mortal body, to protect him. When their bodies collided, the world sped up again, and she narrowly managed to preserve his life. They went crashing to the ground a few feet away, safe from the destruction for a breath’s time. Had Connor been prepared for her to bodyslam him like that, neither would have made it.
But she could not save herself. Had she been a moment sooner, or even a half-second late, she would have lived too.
It was not painless, but she suffered little. She would have willingly suffered through a lot more, to save him.