Jax. Morra. Thank the Four.
Then she heard a creak – loud, thunderous, final.
Her head jerked up. One of the overhead beams, weakened by flame, was falling.
Straight towards her.
No time to think. No time to move.
There was a flash of red light, like flame itself – and someone slammed into her from the side, throwing her to the ground.
Sebastian.
He’d launched himself between her and the fire, just as the beam crashed down. Sebastian caught it mid-fall, flames wrapped around the timber, its heat exploding outwards in a shower of sparks. The wood hissed and smoked in his grip. Fire licking around his palms. A surge of crimson magic burst from his hands as he held it, but the enchanted fire burned through his defences. His face twisted in pain and a sound escaped him. Low, guttural, animal.
But he didn’t let go. Didn’t move an inch.
“Kara, move!” he shouted.
She scrambled out from under him, her heart pounding.
The smell hit her at once. Burning flesh.
Gods. His hands.
They were glowing red-hot as he held the beam away from her, with sheer strength and fury.
Then Gregor was there, amber light exploding from his palms, surging around the beam. His Durent magic tore it away from Sebastian, rendering it weightless, but both wood and skin went with it. Sebastian dropped to his knees, breathing hard, hands out in front, his palms blackened and burnt. Ruined.
“Sebastian, your–” Kara’s voice broke. She couldn’t finish. Her magic reached for him without conscious thought.
“No. Get them out first,” he said, steadier than she’d expected.
Right. The villagers.
She turned and shouted to the pair still huddled inside the ruby bubble. “Come on. Now.”
They bolted forward, and Sienna appeared at the entrance, dragging them out one by one. Gregor slung Sebastian’s arm over his shoulder and hauled him to his feet.
“Hale – let’s go!” Gregor barked.
Kara didn’t need telling twice.
She ducked underneath Sebastian’s other arm, and braced her shoulder against his side. They staggered towards the exit together, Jax’s water crashing ahead of them, Morra’s earth coiling around them protectively. She could feel the heat coming off Sebastian, could smell the scorched cloth as well as burnt flesh.
He ran into fire for me.
They pushed through the gap, and tumbled into the open air. Kara vaguely heard the crowd applauding as she dropped to the ground, coughing hard. Sebastian sank down beside her, his breaths laboured, his hands trembling violently. He must have been in agony but he didn’t make a sound. The knowledge made her reach for him again.
He jerked away as though her touch burned worse than the fire. “Don’t.”
“Sebastian–”
He didn’t let her finish. “I’m fine.”
He wasn’t. They both knew it. But something in his face – shame, or pride, or both – made her step back.
He doesn’t want to need help. Especially not from me.
