In the astonishing silence, a snake tail swept through the air, whacking Susie on the head really hard. The woman flew back, crushing into the tree. The force was not enough to kill her, but it broke a rib.

Everyone looked back to the only snake on the compound: Mija!

The snake woman shrugged. "What? Elias did it first."

Liman and Linera pulled Susie up, ignoring her groaning. She was forced onto her knees before Sienna. When Sienna looked back, her gaze drifted over the woman. Not even the trickle of blood on the side of mouth made Sienna feel sorry for her.

Surprisingly, despite her circumstances, Susie remained defiant. Her eyes blazing with hatred.

"Take her eyes." Elias ordered.

Liman revealed her claws and Sienna raised her hand. "No. There is no need for that."

Her hesitation made everyone wonder if Sienna had changed her mind about punishing Susie. Where was the rage she had expressed in the hospital? If she didn’t want to carry out her revenge, any of them would be glad to step in and assist her.

But it wasn’t that Sienna had changed her mind. She had not forgiven Susie either. It was just that when she looked at the woman, she felt nothing now--no anger, no pity, not even satisfaction. Only exhaustion.

She had too many burdens: the revelation she made to Elias, the weight of her family, the role of matriarch of the fox tribe, politics, the dark history of her father and other problems. She didn’t have the energy to hate.

Her voice was calm, almost detached, when she finally spoke. "The hatred and jealousy you have for me is punishment enough for you. So, I will not give you death. For someone like you, death is release. Death is mercy. And mercy is something that you will never taste again."

Susie spat Sienna’s feet, snarling. "You are not better than me. You will never be better than me. Kill me if you dare. I will curse you until my last breath!"

Sienna raised her hand before any tail could hit Susie again. Her lips curved into the faintest shadow of a smile, but her eyes remained cold. "Kill you? You wish. No, Susie. Yo will live. But, you will live in a state worse than death. You will rot in two prisons, your body and a real prison. I am going to give you a poison that will not give you death, but won’t allow you to function like a normal human either. You will live long enough to watch me thrive, watch me rise, watch me raise my children and build a happy family with my husband. The life you dreamed of, I will live it and you will never touch it. Never."

Some of the guards shifted uneasily, sensing the cruelty in Sienna’s decree. Elias glanced at her twice with a flicker of surprise: They must be wishing for boiling now, he thought.

From her sleeve, Sienna drew a small vial. The liquid inside was been venom, the most corrosive one. She had not even dared to give it to her children in fear that they would harm themselves. She had prepared it for elder Edris, but it would work perfectly for Susie and Gary.

The liquid in the vial shimmered faintly, a sickly green that seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat. It was designed not to kill but suspend. The body would not die, but it would be too weak to do anything. It would always be in pain, never getting a moment of rest. The victim would forever linger on torment.

Susie’s bravado faltered. She pulled against her restraints, eyes widening. "No...don’t come near me with that stuff. Sienna listen to me, we were like sisters. You can’t.."

Sienna stepped forward, her bare feet crunching the grass. She crouched, bringing herself to eye level with the trembling woman. For a moment, she looked into Susie’s eyes and said coldly. "You should not have come after my son. So yes, I can. And I will."

Liman pried Susie’s mouth open. The vial tipped. The liquid touched Susie’s tongue. She thrashed, screamed and cursed Sienna’s name but the two women held her firmly in place. She was forced to swallow half of the content in the vial. The sound of choking filled the air.

When it was done, Sienna rose, standing tall once more. She handed the vial to Liman, "Do the same to the mouse and then send him back to the palace."

Liman and Linera let go of Susie. She collapsed, convulsing, her body feeling discomfort already. Her screams echoed, curses spilling like venom, but already her voice was weakening, fading into a hollow rasp.

Sienna turned away. She did not watch the transformation. She did not need to. The punishment was sealed. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Elias stepped closer, his voice low. "Do you feel better now?"

Sienna’s shoulders sagged, but her tone was steady. "You probably think I am cruel now. Some of the people here are judging me. But I know this woman." She had read all about her from notes in Sienna’s journal on her phone. "Cruelty is the only language she understands. As long as she has breath, she will never stop. That is how deep her hatred for me is. The best punishment I can give her without harming my conscience is this. Leaving her alive. Leaving her to rot. Never thinking of her again. I will never waste another breath on her."

He put a hand around her arm and squeezed gently. "I don’t think you are cruel, I think you are actually merciful. If it was up to, their heads would not be on their bodies anymore. For me, a dead enemy is the best enemy."

The guards dragged the writhing woman away, her curses bouncing off the leaves and air until they became nothing more than echoes.

Sienna stood in silence, her exhaustion pressing down like a mountain. She had not chosen this path out of vengeance, but out of necessity.