My own eyes.
An echo in the blood he forced on me.
He shouldn’t have taken my blood. He shouldn’t have made me take his.
The sun was probably setting.
I refused to let go without seeing my men again. I wouldn’t leave them alone.
A scream ripped from me again. The pain must have cut through again, but I didn’t feel anything.
Time became as fluid as motion. I didn’t know if I was moving, if I was on a horse, if I was stuck in time. I knew the gray was getting dark, and it was harder to tell the difference between the shapes and the fading light.
“Kimber, please…”
“Aiko, she’s dying. It’s only her magic that’s keeping her alive right now.”
“What do we do?”
“Give her your blood.”
A scream filled the air, again.
My scream.
No blood.
I swore the wind itself whispered in my ear.
“You’ll die without it.”
The man who could have been my father.
“He ruined her for this. She’ll never take it. No matter how much she needs to.”
“Please, Kimber.”
Stay alive.
I had to stay alive. Roran told me so.
A shadow moved in my vision, moving closer. I was afraid for a moment.
Cool pine.
Not the man who was my father.
The man who saved me from him.
Aiko.
My lips were cracked. The air was thick and scraped my ruined throat as I tried to breathe. “Bloo…”
“Only from me, Kimber.” Aiko. Again.
“Alive…”
“Yes, it will keep you alive. Just like your man said. Stay alive.”
