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Adrenaline surged through my body as I fought for my life. I flipped and twisted on the sand, desperately trying to defend myself against their onslaught.
Theodas’s blade sliced my arm, and I cried out, my skin going numb. I started moving slower, my limbs feeling heavier with each second. An icy sensation flowed through me as I realized I had been poisoned.
But I wouldn’t give up. With every bit of strength left in me, I kept fighting, dodging strikes, and parrying blades.
Then Theron was there.
He charged into the fray like a wild beast, his sword smashing into theirs and sending them scattering. A surge of hope filled me as he fought ruthlessly by my side, easily overpowering Theodas and his brothers. He fought alongside me like a demon, our movements in sync, as if we’d been fighting beside one another all our lives.
I tried to stay conscious for as long as I could, but my body was failing me; I could feel the poison seeping through my veins, weakening my limbs and slowing down my movements.
Theron scooped me up in his arms, cradling me against his chest like an infant. His eyes were full of concern as he looked down at me with love and admiration. I felt my eyes start to close as I succumbed to exhaustion and drifted away into unconsciousness...
Chapter 28
Theron
Asthesunsetover the colosseum, I held Kael in my arms, her breaths shallow and labored. The Vennorins lay scattered around us, sand in their mouths and blood on their skin, but that was the least of my concerns. Poison coursed through her veins. I could lose her.
I ran as I had never run before, my feet barely touching the ground as I crossed the sand, sprinting to the gladiator barracks.
“Help! Bring a healing plate!” My desperate shouts echoed throughout the arena, the gathered crowd frozen in shock. The attendants backed away with their hands raised in surrender, their eyes wide at the sight of me, wild-eyed and crazed. I laid Kael down on a cot, fear coursing through me as I tore through the cabinets, ripping bottles off the shelves, uncaring as they crashed to the floor as I searched for something, anything, to save her.
I reached the corner of the barracks, where several healing plates lay scattered. Grabbing one, I sprinted back towards Kael as she gasped, her back arching as foam coated her lips.
“Kael, oh gods.” I put the electrum plate on her chest, desperate to heal her, yet knowing that this would not work against a poison of this caliber. Her pants were becoming increasingly shallow now and panic gripped my throat until my breath whistled out of me.
“Come on… come on!” I murmured as I kept pushing more and more magic through the metal. Her cuts healed, but her lips were deep purple and swollen. Her body slumped, and I couldn’t tell if she was still breathing.
“Sihaya, no. Please, no.“ A stream of curses and prayers left my lips as I called on every god, living or dead, to save her. I swore I’d do anything if only she’d live. A dark figure emerged from the shadows.
Xadrian.
He carried a vial of blue liquid, rushing toward me to kneel at her other side. “Is she still alive?”
I growled, my first instinct to plunge my sword into his chest. Then I noticed he wasn’t smirking or gloating like usual. Anxiety clouded his gaze, his brows knitted together as his eyes scanned her motionless body.
“Barely,” I replied without looking up. My only focus was on funneling more power into her.
He reached toward her face and I snarled before he could touch her.
He held out the vial, his eyes intense.
“This is the antidote. Let me help her, Theron.”
His gaze didn’t waver, and I nodded. “Do it.”
Xadrian shifted closer to her, pressing on her chin, and carefully poured the liquid into her mouth, his hands dark against her pale throat as he rubbed it to encourage her to swallow.
“Come on. Come on...” He muttered, and I had to fight the urge to smack his hand away. Each moment felt like an eternity. Then Kael sucked in a breath, her lips and cheeks pinning once more.
“Sihaya... Thank Atar.“ Relief flooded me and tears pricked my eyes. I had almost lost her. Another feeling crept through my relief, poisoning it. Fear. Fear that I might be falling for her, fear that she might be taken away from me. I’d already lost my father. I didn’t think I could live through that again. She was so fragile, despite her fierceness.
I took Kael’s hand in mine and kissed it gently before looking back up at Xadrian, who watched us with an unreadable expression.
“She’ll need rest, but she’ll recover,” Xadrian said, standing and slipping the empty vial into his pocket.
“Thank you,” I murmured, unsure if he heard me as he melted back into the darkness.
