Nikias quickly straightened back up, and that was when he saw a sharp, thin rock fly through the air, heading right toward Aimilia. Nikias was too far away to stop it, not even if he started casting that second. It didn’t stop him from trying though.
However, Aimilia had seen it. She threw herself out of the way, the sharp rock piercing the ridge behind them. Aimilia hit the ground, and her shield fell when she moved.
The ground shook again. The cracks turned into chasms. The landslide Aimilia had been holding back started to rush down the ridge again.
Nikias started running. So did the stone mages. A landslide was just as deadly to them if they were in its path. Aimilia was about to cast again right before the landslide hit them, but a small yet hefty rock flew through the air, crashing into her hand and scraping up her arm.
She cried out, and her shield collapsed. Nikias saw red.
All he saw was red.
But his shield went up where hers had fallen. Thankfully, most of the other Runai had prioritized casting shields to at least protect themselves before they were swept away.
Everyone but Nikias.
“Nikias!”
Nikias couldn’t move if he wanted to keep up his shield, protecting Aimilia from being swept away in the debris. But soon enough, it would shatter when the rubble swept him away.He could see the moment Aimilia realized it too. But when her hands started moving, it wasn’t to cast a shield to protect herself.
Reckless girl.
She flung out a vitae whip, and Nikias caught it, the shield he had protecting her shattering. Nikias hissed at the burn cutting through his hand right as the debris started to reach him. He jerked on the vitae whip with everything he had, and as soon as Aimilia was within arm’s reach, he wrapped an arm around her waist and threw them both into the closest chasm.
Nikias covered Aimilia with his body, curling her into him and hoping that the others would be able to dig her out before it was too late. Nikias didn’t expect he would last as long.
The debris crashed over him, and they were buried under the earth.
Chapter 36
AIMILIA
The only light Aimilia had to see by was the glow from her ring, and the vitae from the shield she’d managed to throw up, holding up at least some of the debris fighting to crush them. Some of it had already fallen by the time she’d been able to get the shield up.
Aimilia hadn’t actually felt any of the debris that had made it through. Nikias had used his body as a shield in a last-ditch effort to protect her. Aimilia could feel her chiton getting wetter and stickier, but it wasn’t her blood.
When Nikias hadn’t responded the first three times she’d called his name, she’d given up to save her breath and what little air she did have. He was slumped against her, not necessarily making it any easier for her to breathe. He’d positioned himself in a way that wasn’t outright suffocating her even while he was unconscious. Aimilia just didn’t know how much more blood he could lose, or if her strength—even boosted with the ring—would last long enough for them to be found.
Finally, the weight bearing down on her shield began to shift. Aimilia took a stuttering, choked breath as the weight kept decreasing. The soldiers were digging them out.
She whispered again, “Nikias?”
Still no response.
Was he even still breathing? Aimilia couldn’t tell.
“Nikias, hold on, just a little longer. We’re going to get out of this. You’re not going to die. Do you hear me?”
Still no response.
Finally, light broke the darkness, and Aimilia winced as it blinded her.
“Your Highness?”
Aimilia called out, “He’s unconscious! Move faster! He needs a healer!”
“Yes, Commander!”
Aimilia’s vision began to clear, and she could see the Runai soldiers clearing the rest of the debris that had fallen into the chasm with them. Frankly, the only reason either of them was still alive was because they had gone into the chasm. If they’d stayed where they had been, the force and amount of the debris would have suffocated them.
