“Swam out of the vortex.” Uther swiped a hand through his black hair. “A Thalir ship was nearby. They dragged us aboard, threw us in the hull but didn’t think we’d punch through. Idiots.”
Kairos grunted. “You sank their ship?”
Uther shrugged. “Didn’t have much of a choice. It was that or be tortured.”
“Any losses?”
“None.”
“Good.”
Kairos strode to the beach, his cloak dragging dark lines. A male hunched in the sand, clutching his stomach, and Kairos crouched beside him. I knelt on the male’s other side.
Kairos grasped his wrist. “Let me see.”
The warrior’s hand fell away, revealing a deep gash. I clutched his bloodstained palm, squeezing it.
Crimson light poured from Kairos’s fingers, and the flesh knit together. The warrior breathed deeply. Kairos touched his forehead to the male’s before moving on. We went through the warriors—him healing, me bringing water, holding bandages. My chest felt too full as I watched him with his people. He listened when they spoke and held their weight when they faltered. He knew when they needed comfort…when they needed to laugh. He was everything, all at once.
Someone groaned.
A warrior lay farther down the beach, propped against a rock.
I ran over, and Kairos followed.
He was pale, his lips tinged blue. A black arrow jutted from his shoulder, and tendrils spread from the wound, crawling up the warrior’s neck like green veins.
“Thalir bolt,” Kairos muttered. “It has a poison rune.”
“Where is it?” I asked.
Kairos’s jaw clenched. “The shaft.”
I pulled on my gloves. “I’ll be fast.”
I fingered the arrow and heat seared through the leather, the rune writhing like a nest of snakes.
“Hold him still.”
Kairos gripped the warrior’s good shoulder. The male’s eyes rolled back.
The threads felt thick, barbed with magic that dug deeper every time the arrow shifted. I hooked it carefully with my finger and began to unwind.
The warrior convulsed.
“Almost there.” Sweat dripped down my temple as athread loosened. I yanked, and the rune shattered like breaking glass.
Kairos wrenched the bolt free. Blood welled, but his healing took hold, crimson light chasing the poison from his body. The warrior sagged, color returning to his face.
“Thank you.”
I nodded, my eyelids heavy.
Kairos’s hand found my neck. “You alright?”
I looked up at him. “Yes. Is he going to be okay?”
“He’ll be fine,” he said gruffly.
