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Amid the pain and searing flames that engulfed his sight, Hybrid could hear the call of his Aquila. Hybrid could not see the dark woman too well anymore, but he knew she had to be laughing at him. He had her, and at the last moment, she pulled back and came out on top. And then the call for retreat came. She had to be laughing and dancing with her life in her hands, cajoling and coaxing her soul back into her body with kind words and sly glances. She had to be laughing, for the one moment when Hybrid could have finished her, she had won.
But now Hybrid could be the one to laugh. Gabriel's call for retreat was perfect. Hybrid could not see, and although he had aimed to kill the Dahlian, he knew he would not succeed if he could not see. He continued to blink, trying to dislodge the tiny sand granules from his eyes. Once he was farther away from Dahlian territory and with his leader, he could try to rub it or wash it out with water. Until then, Hybrid slowly tried to make his way back to the group of Infernians. He let out a few quick yips to let Gabriel know he was coming, hoping that Gabriel would reply and direct him on his way.
Hybrid squinted at his ex-opponent one last time before running off after his leader. He would not forget her.