I hadn’t realised that I was holding my breath until the axe hit its mark. Well, not exactly—I aimed for his back, the axe lodged in his calf. The Phoenix fell on one knee. A pained yelp followed by furious grunts came from him. I was surprised to notice amber blood trickling down the Phoenix’s leg, dripping on the sandy ground.
I rushed towards Aegir.
“No,” he rasped, crawling towards me. I placed myself between Aegir and the Phoenix, dagger clenched in hand, desperate to protect him somehow.
“You little bitch,” the Phoenix choked out. His expression turned enraged. His breaths sounded raw and heavy through gritted teeth and a tightened jaw. The Phoenix lifted his hand and the dagger’s hilt heated. I hissed, instinctively letting go of it.
I had no powers, no weapons. I had nothing. “Fool” was the only word uttered by the Phoenix before he unleashed a beam of flames towards me.
This is it.My end.
But then strong arms grabbed me by my waist and pulled me down. I expected my head to hit the grainy floor, waited for a dizzying thud, but the pain and the sound never came. Aegir’s palm cupped the back of my head, his other hand, a clenched fist that grazed my face. I felt his weight as he placed himself on top of me, and then I felt my body turn ice-cold. Aegir was using his powers to shield me. Not just. He conjured whatever was left of his powers and used it to shield only me. I knew it the momentI felt his muscles tense above me. The moment I scented that awful smell of burning flesh. Aegir grunted as he accepted the never-ending beam of fire. He did not move. He did not let go of me.
“Aegir!” I cried. My voice didn’t sound like my own. “Aegir, please!” I tried to push myself up, tried to do something, anything, but I couldn’t counter his weight.
Tears of fear and rage left my eyes at the witness of his pain, at my helplessness. I whimpered at the all-consuming terror…he would die, and I would hope to follow.
But then I heard the sound of grating sand, the whispering whoosh of desert winds in undulating waves. And then I watched as sand granules gathered. They surrounded us, spiralled around us, cocooned around us.Sand Wielders.
And then it went dark.
Aegir’s body went limp. My lungs tightened from both weight and panic. I could hear and feel his breath on my face—I could tell that he was powerless; they felt weak and warm. But I prayed for them to continue and thanked the gods for each one that came.
“Enough!” A man’s muffled voice barely reached me through the sandstone cocoon. “You dare defy the peace treaty? Your own king’s peace treaty!”
The Phoenix grunted. “Need I remind you that you are not to ally against Naar!”
“They are here to buy glass, you foul-smelling pigeon! Now get off our Land and fly back to your master for your punishment.”
The sand barrier collapsed. I blinked against the sunlight and turned my head. I watched the Phoenix pinned to the ground, just like I was—except he was pinned with sandstone, restrained at his fists and legs, whereas I was pinned beneath the dead weight of the man I knew I was permanently in love with.
A sob broke out of me as I watched Eldric shift from bird to male. He rushed towards us, kneeling next to Aegir. “Boreas freeze me,” he mumbled.
Eldric carefully lifted Aegir, just enough for me to slide myself free. I almost gagged at the damage done. His skin, charred. Pieces of fabric from his shirt stuck to blackened flesh. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how I could help, so I just held his hand, unable to contain my tears.
The Sand Wielder, I noticed, was familiar. One of the king’s men—the captain from the Graind Races. He placed one foot in front of the other and squatted, lifting both arms above his head, his palms facing the sun. The gesture sent the Phoenix hurtling skyward.
Another gesture led to the disintegration of the sandstone that bound the Phoenix’s extremities. It crumbled into fine dust.
Swirls of sand scattered in waves, danced in the light breeze. The Phoenix, still in the shape of a man, fell freely at first. But then he shifted into his bird form and soared up into the sky, towards the sun. A caw screeched, its cry reverberating throughout the yard. I watched the fiery bird diminish into nothing more than a red dot. Then he disappeared.
“Aegir.” My voice was a broken whisper.
He grunted, and I could tell he made an effort to partially lift his lids, meeting my teary eyes. My lips trembled as he slowly reached his hand towards my face, wiping the last fallen tear away.
CHAPTER 35
“The infirmary is this way.” My steps hurried along the corridors of the west wing.
“What’s wrong with him?” the healer asked, rushing towards us.
“He’s badly burned,” Eldric answered.
“Burned how?”
“With fire,” he replied, giving her a cold stare that meantDo not ask any more questions.
“Lay him here,” she ordered, pointing to the nearest bed.
