Hendrik bent to lift Bowen’s shoulders, and I grabbed his legs. I was out of breath, and we’d only moved him a few feet. He was so heavy! Feverish, he moaned in pain as we struggled to carry him to the door. The heat radiating from his body nearly burned my hands, but I tightened my hold, staggering through the last steps until we had him outside.
“Place him here, in the snow.”
We lowered him to the ground. I bent over him to remove his jacket then worked the buttons on his shirt. Grabbing a fistful of snow, I pressed it against his exposed torso, but it sizzled, melting almost instantly.
I screamed in frustration. This wasn’t working! He was getting worse. Bowen’s lips moved, and slurred words escaped his throat. Then he grew quiet, his shudders slowly subsiding as the heat ravaged his body.
Tears blurred my vision as I slipped, trying to gather more snow. Hendrik took hold of my arms, making me lose the white powder. I grappled to get it back, but he shook me until I looked up at him.
“Stop, Liana. It’s too late. There’s nothing you can do.”
“That’s not true!”
“It is. The snow isn’t cold enough. It’s not working. Let him go.”
“No!” I shoved Hendrik off me and spun, searching for anything that would help. Maybe the witch still had some magic left. Why did I drain it all out into the floor? That was so stupid! I needed magic. I needed…
“Give me the crossbow.”
“What?”
“The blue flame. I can draw the ice magic, and if I’m really careful, I can use it to cool him down.”
“Are you crazy? You saw what that thing did to the witch. It froze her solid in seconds flat. You’ll kill him for sure.”
“You don’t understand. I can control it. I think. I mean, I did before.” My mind raced, uncertainty making my chest ache. I had the sudden urge to rage at Bowen, demand to know why he risked his life, knowing full well what the magic would do to him. How could he do this? How could he leave me after everything we’d been through?
“Liana, I can see you care for him, but—”
My teeth gritted, and I spoke through the thickness in my throat, “I love him. I have to try. Hand me the crossbow.”
A look of understanding passed between us.
Hendrik obeyed, thrusting the weapon into my hands. Without wasting another moment, I closed my fingers over the glass cylinder and withdrew the ice magic from the weapon. Just like it did before, frost crawled up my arm.
“Your lips are turning blue,” Hendrik said, his voice laced with worry.
“It’s all right. I can handle it. It won’t hurt me.” When the last of the magic had drained from the weapon, I removed my hand. The blue flame had extinguished inside the cylinder. There wasn’t any more magic. I only had one shot at this.
I hurried back to Bowen’s side, feet sliding in the snow. His eyes were closed, and I wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing. Tears rolled down my cheeks and splattered against his chest as I leaned over him and slowly lowered my hand.
This has to work. Please! This has to work.
My palm rested against his heart, and the heat from his body nearly dragged the ice magic out of me in one gigantic pull. I clung to my control, slowing down the transfer. The frost melted on my arm, and the magic ebbed from my hand. But he didn’t move.
He was so still.
“Liana…”
“Wait!”
Hendrik knelt at my side. A light breeze blew through the trees, lifting the hair off my neck and chilling my skin. I closed my eyes and counted. When the last dregs of magic left my body, I held my breath. He still hadn’t moved, and panic creeped around the edges of my tattered composure.
“Come on…come on…”
Bowen began to shiver. It started in his shoulders and then moved through his whole body. His temperature eased, dropping with each second. Relief hit me hard as I pulled my hand away, and Hendrik gave me his jacket. I covered him with it, then I brushed the hair off his face, tracing his features with my fingers.
His eyes opened and blinked. The glassiness was gone, the fever broken. He rubbed his arms beneath the jacket, his teeth chattering.
