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"Khan…" Fen clutched at him, the pain in her back robbing her of breath.
"Hold on, Fen," he commanded, his lips pressing hard to her forehead. "Hold on."
Fen's world turned golden as they plunged onto the sky bridge, leaving Ankhara burning behind them.
PartTwo
The City of Rivers
Twenty-Five
Khan lay on a pallet of soft woolen blankets, his hand resting on Fen's arm. The room smelled of temple incense and the cedar wood the structure was built from. The familiarity and comfort in the scents made tears prick his eyes.
Thank, Inanna. I am home at last.
It had been two days since they had crashed through the gates and into the temple of Inanna. It was nestled next to the Buranuna River and a long day's ride from Atrahasis.
Khan had never thought he would need the gateway his mother had created when she had been the Pharoah's consort.
Khan had taken her rooms when he moved back to Ankhara. As soon as he discovered the gates, he knew he had to keep them a secret. His intelligent, beautiful mother didn't trust the court or that she would always be safe, so she had made an escape plan. Khan doubted his father even knew about it.
Pain tightened his chest. His father was dead, and he was surprised by the grief he felt over it. They hadn't been close—the Pharaoh had made that impossible—but he was still his father.
Khan didn't need a scrying bowl to tell him Hasina or one of her hired assassins had done the deed. Knowing that his sister would do such a thing to a father who truly loved her made the pain so much worse.
Did you really hate us so much, sister?
Khan pushed aside his worry about the city, grateful that he had supplied Hafiza with money to keep running the shelter for a few months. He looked across at Fen. He had more immediate worries.
Taking a cloth, he dipped it into a clay bowl of water and gently wiped the beads of sweat from Fen's brow and neck. She lay on her stomach, her back bandaged from where the arrows had pierced her.
They had been at the temple for two days, and she was yet to open her eyes. The priestesses had cleaned and tended to her wounds. Fen did not rouse the whole time they had cut the arrows from her back and purged as much poison from her as possible.
"You survived slavery and the arena. You can survive this too," Khan whispered to her. He took some deep breaths to try and clear away some of the worry clinging to him. He couldn't lose her, not like this.
Khan had killed the man who had shot her without even a thought. He had always thought he was level-headed and had sworn to never use magic to kill another. The second Fen had stepped in front of the arrows was the second the leash he had been keeping himself on had snapped. He didn't regret killing the man. He only regretted he hadn't acted faster.
Kemes tapped lightly on the door. Her arm was in a sling, but nothing could keep Kemes down for long.
"Any change?" she asked, sitting down beside him.
"No. She's still dreaming, murmuring in her sleep, but she hasn't woken up." Khan rinsed out the cloth and laid it on Fen's burning brow. "How are you?"
Kemes rested her good hand over her sling. "Sore, but I'll live. So will Fen. You really think a few arrows will defeat our fierce Midgardian?"
"They should never have been in her to begin with," he said, biting back his anger.
Kemes rested her head against his shoulder. "She had a choice, Khan, and she chose to save you. They have damaged her, but they would have killed you. Don't feel bad because she felt like you were worth saving."
"Am I, though? I've left my people in my sister's hands," he said, the hollow feeling back in his chest.
Kemes growled. "If you had stayed, Hasina would have killed you, Khan. You lived to fight another day. The sooner we can get to Atrahasis, the better. Sargon will know what's happening in Ankhara, and he'll be able to talk some sense into you."
"I can't move Fen until she wakes up. I won't stop you if you want to go after Kash."
Kashmet had taken a day to ensure Kemes and Fen were tended to, and then he had left for Atrahasis. He would tell Sargon what happened and come back for them.
"You're tired and emotional, so I'll tolerate your pouting, cousin. Kash will be back tomorrow, and if Fen still isn't awake, we will find the best healers,asû,and magi in Atrahasis, to look at her." Kemes squeezed his hand. "You know slaves aren't allowed in the city."
