Partnership was not something I had trained for. Apparently, it was something I had needed.
Then she cried out.
I turned just in time.
A smaller shape burst from the smoke. A drake. With its narrow frame and tight wings, it was built for speed in enclosed spaces.
It went for her.
I lunged. Pain flared along my ribs as I took the strike meant for her. Claws raked across my back. Scales tore. My hind leg faltered when I landed.
I drove the drake into the floor, hard enough that the stone cracked beneath us. The drake didn’t rise again.
The chamber groaned in warning. Walls fractured, and dust clouded the space. The last assassin disengaged and fled up the stairs as the room began to fall outright.
There was no time to consider pursuit.
“Now,” I sent to her.
Artemis ran.
I dropped my shoulder and lowered my frame as debris rained down around us. She grabbed the ridge at the base of my neck and climbed with surprising speed, fingers finding the grooves between scales as if she had practiced this. Her weight settled against my back, arms locking in tight.
I drove upward.
Stone split as I tore through the weakened ceiling, wings punching through the shattered masonry. Cold night rushed over us as I cleared the roofline and beat once, hard, putting distance between us and the collapsing chamber.
Only when the structure vanished beneath us did I spare the focus.
“Are you hurt?”My controlled tone didn’t reflect the frantic, desperate need I felt to make sure she was okay.
“No,” she replied immediately. “I’m fine.”
I banked toward the dark stretch of fields beyond the city,staying at a low altitude. My body began its accounting whether I allowed it or not.
Broken ribs. Torn muscle. Damage along my back where scales had been compromised. A hind leg that protested with every third wingbeat. Nothing fatal, but I wouldn’t be able to make it far.
I could not make it far.
I landed in a fallow field a short distance from the city and folded my wings with deliberate care. The moment my weight settled fully, the strain caught up with me. I stayed still until it passed.
Artemis slid down my side and landed on unsteady feet. Before she could say anything, I shifted.
The shift cost more than usual. I managed it anyway and straightened through habit alone.
She was already moving toward me.
I caught her wrist gently and stopped her.
“Stay there,” I said. “Let me look.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“I heard you.”
That didn’t stop me.
Dust streaked her sleeves. Her coat was torn at the hem. I traced the line of it without touching her skin. No blood. No limping. Her hands weren’t shaking.
