Slater’s chaos manifestation slithered ahead of us, showing us the way to go as the snow came down harder, whiting out the area ahead. He led us into the crevasse.
“Get in!” Slater shouted over the roar of the wind. “Now!”
We ran inside, and the howling of the wind seemed louder in here. We didn’t stop running deeper into it until the only sound was our gasps shredding the cold that was biting back.
Rune slid down the blue ice wall in a heap. The relic sat in her lap, glow dimmed but still pulsing. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
The burns on her fingertips had already healed, thankfully.
I crouched across from her. “It’s feeding on you.”
“No kidding.” She threw me a look. “Next insight? Or are you planning to tell me the snow is cold, too?”
“Give it to me, Rune,” I compelled her, my magic spiking through my eyes.
She placed the relic in my palm without another argument.
The instant I broke eye contact, she snatched it back. I shouldn’t have broken eye contact.
“What the fuck, Dimitri? You used your special power on me?” The glow of the relic in her hands brightened. “It’ll crawl into your head, too. We need to be focused, and you’re good at being focused when you’re not being an ass.”
The artifact surged.
The warmth from her venom drained out of my chest as cold replaced it. I couldn’t tell if it was the relic’s effect or if her venom had worn off.
“Rune.” I forced my voice to be soft. “You don’t have to shoulder this damn relic for us. We’re a squad.”
“We’re a squadifwe complete this mission,” Aura cut in, kneeling next to Rune. “And we don’t complete it if any of us lose our shit because of that thing.” She plucked the artifact out of Rune’s hands, careful not to let her fingertips come in contact with it so it only rested on the academy-issued suit’s fabric.
“Careful,” Eleanor murmured. “Don’t let it burn you like last time.”
“I won’t.” Aura didn’t let her skin touch the relic this time. She cradled it in the fold of the academy-issued suit and backed away at least ten feet.
With each step she took, the pressure eased from my ribs like a fist unclenching.
“I—” Rune gasped. “I shouldn’t have grabbed it.”
I exhaled, hating the way my heart twisted at her thinking she had done something wrong. “I shouldn’t have compelled you.”
“You did the right thing,” she assured me. “That relic is fucking potent.”
Zuko bumped his shoulder into Rune’s as he sat next to her. “Can I touch you now?”
“You can always touch me,” she murmured, guilt shining in her eyes. “Sorry, toxin.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Zuko’s hand slid to her thigh and squeezed.
“You can touch me, too,” Slater whispered in her ear after he plopped down on her other side.
Koa pulled his hair up into a bun. “Sorry for almost dying there.”
“Sorry for almost making you die,” Rune grumbled before horror twisted her expression. “Fuck. I’m really sorry, Koa.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I promise.”
Aura’s mouth quirked. “I love the love here, but we need to get this relic back.”
Everyone got back on their feet, and we walked out of the crevasse with Aura ten steps ahead of us.
