Page 58 of Unbound

Malakai takes a stumbling step backward, brows furrowing. "What are you doing? Is that a godsdamned fucking dragon? That's not?—"

And then there's a sound of rushing water. Massive pillars of blue punch up from the soil and smash down with enough force to shake the ground. There are dozens of them. Hundreds. Each is as wide as five men standing side by side, and I see one smash down on one of Malakai's soldiers who isn't fast enough. When the water clears, the man lies motionless, body crushed and lifeless.

My stomach lurches. Even if they deserve it... Gods.

But I sense that Typhon could have crushed every single attacker if he wanted. It's almost as if he's showing mercy—letting them flee rather than slaughter them where they stand.

Malakai and Serena sprint away with their people, disappearing over a far hill before Typhon's magic can destroy them.

The flood of power fades, leaving the clearing drenched and deep craters in the ground all around Raith, like a protective ring.

I slide off Typhon's back, running to Raith's side as I kneel and try to hold him upright before he can wobble and fall where he stands. Up close, the severity of his wounds is even worse than I thought. I don't know how he's even breathing. He blinks, one eye crusted shut from a wound that's bleeding heavily on his scalp.

There's a soft thud as he releases his heavy sword.

"Saltcrest..." he says, voice weak. "Looks like you tethered some kind of… fish.”

"Shut up," I say, throat thick with emotion. The ache in my chest is unbearable as I watch him struggle to stay conscious. Maybe things have been complicated between us, but Raith has only ever helped me... even if it's in his own, strange way. I don't want to see him die. I can't watch him die.

The fire panther limps to his side and settles down low with a pathetic whimper, resting its head on his thigh. Somehow, the flames licking the creature don’t even seem to singe Raith’s clothing.

"What can we do?" I ask Typhon, throwing the question over my shoulder, voice tinged with desperation.

"There is a way..."

"What is it? I'll do it. Whatever it is."

"Swear my oath. Take my tether. Do this, and..."

"And what?" My voice borders on hysteria. I can feel Raith slumping in my arms. I can sense the life leaking out of him with each heartbeat. He practically burns in my hands, and there's so little of him left I can't even feel his energy trying to flow into me. "What do we do?" I shout.

"Tether me, and I... may be able to help him. But you must tether. Swear my oath."

I look over my shoulder at him. There's a distant itch, like maybe I should be careful with freely swearing my oath, especially to whatever Typhon is. But that's why we're here, isn't it?

Confluence Day is about swearing oaths, tethering primals.

"Okay. Yes. Whatever we need to do, just do it."

Typhon's gaze seems to pierce through me, seeing every hidden corner of my soul."A tether is not something to be taken lightly."

I force a breath, trying to find a calm I don't feel. "Sorry. You're right. I'm ready."

Typhon studies me, ancient blue eyes seeming to delve into the depths of what I am. Finally, he nods his head. His voice thunders in my head, booming and loud with ethereal power."Swear to seek truth where there is deception, to bring balance where there is chaos, and to remember what others have forgotten. I ask that you use the unbound gift to mend the wounds your kind have wrought, not to drive them deeper."

"I swear it," I say, the words feeling right on my tongue. They feel like more than words as something deep, deep within me resonates and snaps into place. That resonation extends toward Typhon, and I can… feel it. A tether forming, like a bundle of magical strings connecting us. Binding us.

"I swear it as well,"Typhon responds."I am yours as you are mine, until the stars fade and the waters still."

A current of power flows from Typhon to me. It enters through my palm, racing up my arm to the silver mark on the back of my hand. The mark burns suddenly, painfully, and I gasp as it transforms—the silver spiral now threaded with deep, glowing blue like water caught in moonlight.

The tether settles into place, and suddenly I can feel Typhon's presence in my mind—not invasive, but there, like the awareness of another person in a room.

But there's no time to revel and bask in the awe I feel. Raith is running out of time.

"Now what?" I ask.

His voice comes more clear now, gentle and directly into my thoughts. Before, it was the sound of a beast shouting from several rooms away. Now it’s as if we’re in the same room."Place your hand on the wound."

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