Page 83 of The Anointed's Paladin

“Supposed to. Ha. Trust me, enferni, I am allowed to try and save her.”

“Try!? Will she be all right?” Kaine asked, his voice breaking. I didn’t speak. I had felt the extent of her wounds.

Leihandra gazed at me, not blinking. “Time will tell,” she said, crossing her legs. “Rest assured, if I cannot save her, no one can.”

“Not encouraging,” Kaine said tersely.

Leihandra shrugged, turning her attention back to the dome. She ran her finger along the top. “You should go on. The sun will rise soon. The tower is close now, and the path is laid for you to do the right thing.” She turned back to me, her piercing eyes sending goose bumps along my skin. “Especially you, enferni. I trust you will do what is right.”

She blinked, and more vines sprouted in a wall around her, rather decidedly cutting off our conversation.

It was silent for a moment as we stared at the green dome that looked so out of place on this beach.

“I thought she was dead,” said Kaine hoarsely. He sat beside me. “Why did she come and look for us? That was sostupid.”

“She was worried about us.” I was still trembling; the sight of her crumpling above me replayed in my mind.

“That’s idiotic,” said Kaine, as if maybe, if he said how stupid it was, he could go back in time and convince her not to do it.

“She’s lucky she has Mother Leihandra,” I said. “I doubt my patron would step in if I neared death.”

Kaine nodded, but I noticed his teeth were chattering. He was soaked, and the cold air was getting to him.

I started stripping off my wet clothes, squeezing the water out. Kaine followed suit, shivering as he worked.

“Here.” I pulled him into a hug.

He seemed shocked for a moment, arms splayed out awkwardly before he slowly brought them around my back. He was freezing; I wrapped my wings around him to try and warm him up. He rested his head on my shoulder, closing his eyes. For once, he had nothing to say, and so we stood. A lump formed in my throat. Despite our bare skin, this embrace was purely about comfort. Reassurance. One small thing against the wall of fear that surrounded us.

37

Don’t let me leave you

Talon

Iblinked as the first light started to cut through the fog.

“Shit,” I said. “We need to find shelter.”

Kaine’s eyes flicked up to the sky in fear, and I could feel his heart start to race.

“How much shade do you need?” I scooped up our clothes and started to run towards the cliffs. At the bottom were lots of uneven rocks, crags, and potentially caves. I wrapped my cloak around him as we went, and he pulled it tight, his breaths coming on sharp pants.

“I…need more than this cloak.” He croaked. “If we get in some deep shade, with this as well, maybe…”

We looked, scrambling up and down the rocks. Barnacles covered the surface of the rocks, and they cut my feet as I climbed, but I didn’t stop. The fog was thinning more and more, and Kaine’s breathing was getting more erratic.

There was nothing big or deep enough to hide him fully.

“Talon,” Kaine said, grabbing my arm. “It’s starting to burn.” His blue eyes were wide, and tears were welling in his eyes. The skin on his face was turning an angry red, starting to flake and blister.

I looked around desperately.

“In here,” I said, pointing down. It was a small crevice between two large rocks; this would have to do.

Kaine slipped in, pressing against the sides. I settled in above him, stretching out my wing to help block more light.

“How’s that?” I asked, my voice shaking. I couldn’t watch him die here. Not right after Nidori.

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