“Jodhar shot him!” she snapped.
Her voice jolted him back, but his hands still trembled. He knelt beside Kaelen, jaw clenched, gaze lingering on the arrowhead. His expression was grim and faraway. Reiya didn’t miss the way his skin hadpaled, how his movements slowed—like he was fighting something within himself.
“Alarik,” she pressed, sharper this time. “What’s with you?”
“Nothing,” he murmured, but the lie was plain. She saw it in the tight line of his jaw, in the way his fists curled at his sides—small betrayals of the control he fought to hold.
She watched in stunned silence as he pressed his fingers into Kaelen’s wound, coating them in blood. Before she could question him, he lifted them to his lips, tasting the crimson smear. The reaction was immediate. He spat onto the sand, jaw tightening.
“Sandshrike venom. We don’t have much time.”
He worked quickly, unlacing his brother’s left gauntlet. A weak groan left Kaelen’s lips, his Sunborn tattoo flickering with a faint iridescent glow—his body still fighting against the poison. Alarik’s brows furrowed, his stare lingering on the mark, as though it added weight to whatever already haunted him.
“Alarik,” Reiya snapped, pulling his attention to her. “We need to move him.”
The tension in his face resolved into focus. “I’ll carry him to the wagon. You find Mei Mei and get her to safety. We need Su Lian and Ru Rong.”
She forced herself to nod. “Be careful.”
He slipped his arms under his brother’s body, lifting with a grunt of effort. Kaelen’s head lolled against Alarik’s shoulder, a low groan escaping his lips. The sight twisted her heart, but she pushed it down and began her search.
The encampment was chaos—shadows flitting between flames, the acrid scent of smoke burning her throat. Screams and shouts filled the air, blending with the clang of steel. She darted through the tumult, eyes scanning frantically until she spotted Mei Mei huddled near a wagon, her small frame trembling.
“Mei Mei!” The girl’s tear-streaked face turned, and she bolted into her arms, clutching tightly.
“It’ll be alright,” Reiya said, forcing her voice to steady. “But we need to hurry. Come.” She hoisted Mei Mei into her arms and ran,muscles burning as she navigated the chaos. Her eyes darted ahead, locking onto Su Lian and Ru Rong as they hurried toward the wagon.
“Su Lian!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the noise. The woman turned sharply, her expression a cross of worry and relief when she saw them.
“What happened?” The woman demanded, striding toward her.
“Kai,” Reiya gasped. “Jodhar shot him—poisoned arrow. Lark’s taking him to the wagon. We need medicine. Anything to stop the venom.”
Ru Rong hastened, her face grim. “We’ll do what we can. Let’s move.”
They reached the wagon just as Alarik emerged from its interior, his bow slung over his shoulder, a sword at his hip. His face was drawn but resolute. He strode to her, his fingers brushing hers briefly, grounding her amid the storm of fear.
“Xian Jun and I will help the Talharen guards push them back,” he said. “But if they get too close, don’t wait. Drive the wagon out of here.”
Reiya swallowed hard, her throat dry. The thought of leaving without him sent a fresh wave of panic through her, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. “And you? Xian Jun?”
“We’ll find you,” he said firmly. But in his eyes, she saw the crack—the flicker of uncertainty he couldn’t hide.
She stepped closer, her hand tightening around his. “Promise me,” she said, her voice low but fierce. “You both come back.Promise.”
He hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line before he nodded. “I promise.”
Xian Jun gave a short nod, his voice quiet but steady. “We’ll return. Bar the door behind us.”
He touched his heart with two fingers—a solemn gesture of oath—before the two of them slipped into the chaos and disappeared from sight.
She barely had a moment to watch them go before turning back to the wagon, urgency drowning out everything else. Mei Mei helped her barricade the door with an iron poker. The girl moved quickly to thecorner where a small stove sat. With fumbling fingers, she set a flame beneath the pot, boiling water without needing to be told.
Reiya helped Su Lian and Ru Rong lift Kaelen onto the cot. His skin, once flushed with life, was too pale, the sweat-dampened strands of his hair clinging to his forehead. The arrow jutted from his shoulder, an ominous reminder of how close death had come.
Blood seeped from the wound, relentless. Within seconds, the sheet beneath him darkened, red blooming like ink in water.
“We need someone to hold him down,” Su Lian muttered, her brow scrunched in concentration.
