She should have let it sting him.
Caspian rested his head in his hands, rubbing his face. He didn’t understand why she’d pushed him out of the way. But this was only one more in a steadily growing list of questions flurrying through his mind. There was so much he didn’t understand about her choices. It was clear to him that there was noErin. She’d lied to him, used her magic to disguise herself somehow. But why? And why had she come back now? None of it made any sense.
Yet at the same time, so much was brought to light. He understood now why he was so drawn to her. Something deep within him must have known her, from her voice, her mannerisms. For a long while he contemplated whether part of him had seen through her illusion from the beginning.
She’d asked him about the war… about the person he’d lost. Caspian sighed, studying Keira’s face. He had a million questions to ask her. But none of them mattered if he couldn’t fix this.
Her expression tensed, and then she was still again.
Caspian knelt beside her. His hand felt her brow. It was burning with fever.
Keira stirred again in discomfort.
He removed his cloak which had been acting as a blanket. Beneath it, her clothes clung to her body with sweat. Worse, the blackness was spreading through her veins, up her neck, across her chest. He stilled, powerlessness overwhelming him. He had to bring down the fever, Caspian told himself, forcing a thought of reason through his panic stricken mind.
He kissed her brow hastily. “I’ll be back,” Caspian whispered.
Keira
Keira drifted slowly into consciousness. It might have been hours she existed inside of herself, unable to move, feeling the agony of the venom curling through her veins like fire. When she finally found the will to open her eyes, she studied the flickering movements of shadows against the cave wall. She struggled to comprehend what exactly she was seeing. Her mind was more preoccupied with the tremors that had overtaken her body, unlike anything she had ever experienced. She felt as though she were burning from the inside out and yet her teeth were chattering. The juxtaposition made her want to crawl out of her skin.
“Keira, woah, I’m here,” Caspian’s voice floated around her. “Calm down- Keira, talk to me.”
It wasn’t until she felt the weight of his hands on her shoulders that she realized how violent her movements had become.
“I’ve got you,” he said.
Keira opened her eyes to see his face over her own. He was looking at her, not like she was some stranger, but ather. Like he used to. She forced an even breath through her lungs. Forced her body to still even as the agony continued to course through her.
He nodded, looking her up and down. “That’s right. I’ve got you.”
She chanced a glance at herself. He’d stripped her down to her undergarments, which were damp and clinging to her skin. Around her was a bed of snow. An effort to bring down her fever, she recognized. When she’d gathered the courage, Keira turned to the center of the pain on the right side of her chest.
It was worse than she’d thought.
Her shoulder was black, a mess of tainted veins spread down to her hand, across her chest, likely her face as well. She didn’t have much time.
Keira tried to sit, but her head spun dangerously with pain and thirst.
“Water, please,” Keira breathed.
Caspian moved at once, returning with a waterskin. Keira drank deep gulps until her stomach was so full she feared she might be sick. She let more cool water pour over her face. The relief, if only for a moment, was indescribable.
Her eyes were still closed when she felt a gentle touch wiping the water from her lashes. Keira blinked up at him.
“Caspian.” Her voice was shallow and strained.
“I’m here.” As steady as he sounded, his eyes betrayed how tired he was, how afraid.
Had he been awake, watching over her this whole time? How long had it been?
“I’m sorry,” Keira breathed, fixing her gaze on his.
He shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. Not now. Tell me how to fix this. Tell me how to help you, and then we can talk about everything. I promise.”
Howcouldshe fix this? Her brain was fever addled and murky. It took her several moments of wading through her thoughts to arrive at a solution.
“I need a stone,” Keira said finally.
