Page 103 of The Prison Healer

“I couldn’t let you die, Kiva,” Jaren whispered, his arms still holding her, feeling her tremble. “You were down here too long. You—” His throat bobbed. “When I got here, you weren’t breathing. I had to resuscitate you.”

Kiva felt the truth of his words, not just in the haunted way he was looking at her, but in the throbbing of her chest, her lungs, her heart.

He’d brought her back to life.

But that wasn’t the part she didn’t understand.

They were surrounded by fire. And air. In the middle of a body of water.

Kiva licked her lips and asked, “Did—Did the princess give you an amulet, too?”

Slowly, Jaren shook his head.

“Did the prince?” Kiva whispered, her voice hoarse.

Jaren closed his eyes and shook his head again. In an equally hoarse voice, he said, “No.”

One word, and Kiva knew.

Jaren didn’t have an amulet.

Jaren didn’tneedan amulet.

Because Jaren had elemental magic.

A memory from weeks ago flooded across her mind, Jaren’s own words about magic users:I’ve heard there are anomalies, too. Born outside the royal bloodline, just like in ancient days.

An anomaly.

Jaren was ananomaly.

Kiva couldn’t believe it.

“How—?”

Jaren cut her off with a curse, his head jerking upward into the water above them. “We’re out of time,” he said, standing to his feet and pulling her up with him, the air bubble expanding around them. “I wish I could explain, and I will, I swear. But right now, I need you to promise that you won’t tell anyone what happened down here. They all saw me dive off the cliff, but the water’s too deep for them to have seen anything else. They can’t find out about my magic. No one but Naari knows.”

“Naariknows?” Kiva gasped. She wished her brain would recover faster from what had just happened so she could more easily process what she was learning.

“Promise me, Kiva,” Jaren said urgently. “You can’t tell anyone who I am. Do you understand?”

But Kiva didn’t get a chance to make him any promises, because the rope went taught, tugging at her ankle.

“Take a breath, quick!” Jaren ordered, right before he released whatever magic was keeping them protected.

In an instant, Kiva was again engulfed by freezing water, but this time she was being pulled upward, Jaren holding on to her tightly as they were tugged together toward the surface, then out into the air.

The journey took long enough that Kiva was coughing and shivering again when she was finally pulled over the edge of the cliff. She didn’t have to act like she was struggling to breathe, since her lungs were genuinely protesting the renewed lack of oxygen. Jaren was by her side, spluttering along with her, his skin tinged blue from the cold, as Kiva was sure her own was.

“On your feet,” came a rough voice, and a hand latched on to the back of Kiva’s tunic, dragging her up until she was standing. She could barely keep her legs under her, but she still had enough sense to fear what was about to unfold.

“I warned you,” Warden Rooke growled, striding into her line of vision. There was no relief in his eyes; if anything, there was a spark of frustration, as if he’d thought he’d finally be rid of her.

Whoever had pulled Kiva up remained behind her, their fist bunching the material near her neck, making her have to wheeze for breath as her frozen body shook violently. She looked sideways at Jaren, her fear doubling when she saw who had a hold on him—the Butcher.

“I warned you,” Rooke repeated, his dark face clouded with anger as his gaze shifted between them. “Was I not clear when I said I wouldn’t allow any interference in this Trial?”

Kiva tried to nod, but she only managed to start coughing again.

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