“Ready?” Tumaas asks, brushing crumbs from his palms after they finish eating. “We should keep—”
Everything happens so fast.
The ground stretches open behind Tumaas, its maw wide, anda man leaps out, sword in hand and the promise of death in his eyes.
He hauls his arm back.
My mouth opens in a scream.
I summon water into the air, but he’s too fast.
His sword glints in the moonlight—
—and Zev shoves Tumaas to the ground. The sword slices through his side, bright blood weeping from the gash.
Zev’s arm draws back, sword glinting like lightning, and spears it through the earthwielder’s stomach. Blood splatters through the air, hot droplets spraying my face.
The sword withdraws with a sickening squelch. The man falls to the ground.
“Zev!” My feet slap against the muddy earth, hands already glowing.
“It’s just a scratch,” he grunts, clutching his side. “Save your—”
“Shut up,” I hiss. I force him to the ground, batting his hands away before pressing my palms against his bloody wound. It only takes a few minutes until his skin is seamless.
Not even a scar left behind. Not this time.
He doesn’t move, and I take advantage, sending a rushing pulse of power through the rest of him.
Zev catches on, grabbing my wrists and fixing me with a scathing glare. I can’t decipher the look on his face—does he want to pull me into his arms or push me away?
He does neither. Instead, he retrieves more bread from his cloak and presses a soggy chunk into my mouth. I chew mechanically, caught in the trance of his gaze. I don’t even remember to swallow until he taps my throat, his lips twitching.
Mona strides around the area, crossbow in hand, while Tumaas hovers over us, narrowed eyes leveled on Zev. He opens his mouth, then snaps it shut.
“You haven’t eaten,” I say to Zev. I ghost my fingers over his side, reassuring my racing heart that he’s not at risk of bleeding out.
“That was the last of the food,” he murmurs.
Tumaas’s face darkens. “Mona and I can double back to the kitchens,” he says quietly. “We’ll get more food and come back.”
Zev shakes his head. “Bring the food to Sura. The children must be hungry. We’ll head to the kitchens ourselves.”
Tumaas bristles, crossing his arms. “You better not be making excuses to get rid of us. We can hold our own. I could’ve handled that tidesdamned earthwielder.”
Zev rises to his feet, brushing off his trousers. “We’d all feel better knowing the children are well guarded. Not by you. Your technique needs work.” He jerks his head toward Mona. “By her. Now go.”
Tumaas looks ready to argue, face red, but Mona just nods and drags him away.
Zev and I walk side by side through the outskirts of the forest, our footsteps soft against the rain-dampened earth. The trees thin here, giving way to scorched patches of grass. The air smells of wet ash and mud.
I keep my gaze riveted to the trees, forcing myself not to look at the bodies scattered along our path—some half-buried in the earth, others with limbs twisted at unnatural angles. My stomach churns.
“You saved Tumaas.” I glance sideways at Zev. His jaw is tight. The silence between us stretches, taut as a pulled bowstring, until it feels like it might snap.
Finally, his voice cuts through the air, low and even. “We’re on the same side.” His hands clench into fists. “And he’s your—” Zevbreaks off, exhaling through his nose. “I wasn’t going to let him die.”
I search his face for any indication of emotion—anger, jealousy, regret—but it’s a mask of stone. Only the rigid set of his shoulders gives him away. “Thank—”
