his hands on his knees.
Kiran pressed his bloody palm to the soil. Even this far from the meadow confluence, enough earth power yet remained for something simple as what he had in mind. But if he was wrong about the stability of the mark-binding link...he forced fear from his mind, and released his barriers.
The forest’s ikilhia painted the world in a soft glow, beautiful and seductive. And in his mind, a sudden, vicious tug, and a distant echo of furious triumph. Oh yes, Ruslan was awake. But the link remained too unstable to use, though for how much longer, Kiran couldn’t say.
Kiran blocked it all out to focus on a simple pattern, one he and Mikail had learned as children. Earth energies shifted, aligning, and the air grew icy around him. The mist over the river condensed into a solid white bridge spanning the distance between the banks.
“Huh.” Dev sounded impressed.
Kiran didn’t bother to speak. He grabbed Dev’s arm and drew him onto the mist bridge, holding his focus tight on the pattern. Halfway across, Dev staggered. Kiran ducked under Dev’s arm and helped him stumble the rest of the way to the riverbank.
“Ah, fuck.” Dev’s legs gave way as they reached solid ground. Kiran let him drop to sit on mossy stones. He released the spell pattern, careful to control the energy spillover. The pull in his mind was increasing by the instant. He slammed up his barriers, and gasped in relief as the pull lessened to a faint itch.
“Want this?” Dev offered him the amulet, but Kiran shook his head.
“Too late,” he said. Ruslan already knew their location, and the amulet would only interfere with the magic of Simon’s border charm.
Kiran hauled Dev to his feet. Dev groaned and his eyelids fluttered, but he managed to stumble through the undergrowth, leaning heavily on Kiran.
The thrumming of the border magic increased to a level that vibrated Kiran’s bones. The amulet flared blue on Dev’s chest and spat warning sparks. Cursing, Dev jerked it off and let it fall.
They must be only steps away. Kiran stopped, letting Dev slide to the ground. He yanked off the pack and bound on the silver vambrace of Simon’s charm. Now came the real test of his concentration. To pour power into the charm and hold the gap, while Ruslan ripped away his defenses...he snatched at failing confidence. He’d chosen death for Dev in Simon’s cave. He’d fight now to his last glimmer of ikilhia to give Dev a chance at life.
***
(Dev)
Pain gnawed my insides and muddied my thoughts, but I held fiercely to consciousness. When Simon had used the border charm, it’d looked like one hell of an effort. No good counting on Kiran being able to drag me, under that much strain. I’d make it on my own even if I had to pull myself through with my teeth.
Kiran shut his eyes, and the charm began to glow. Just like before, a wash of green rippled outward, staining the air and revealing the border magic. A tiny hole appeared. Slowly, much more slowly than with Simon, it spread. I took shallow breaths, trying not to cough. My chest and gut felt full of splintered rock shards.
Kiran’s face grew haggard, his jaw muscles tight. The hole still hadn’t spread to the ground, and was too small to safely jump through. Khalmet’s hand, what if he couldn’t make a big enough gap?
“Kiran!” Ruslan burst from the bushes at the river’s edge, black anger on his face. Mikail was right behind him.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!” I yelled. Shaikar curse him, after everything I’d gone through to get Kiran free, how dare he show up when we were nearly safe at last?
Nobody so much as glanced my way. Kiran kept his arm up, not even turning around. The gap edged wider.
“Don’t,” he said to Ruslan, his voice strained. “You know what will happen if you strike now. The overspill would destroy us all.” He enunciated each word as if he had to think hard how to say it.
Ruslan glanced at the shimmering green veil, his expression coldly calculating. He and Mikail both stopped, some ten feet away. Ruslan ignored me completely, but Mikail darted me one swift, unreadable look.
The gap in the wards had finally grown wide enough for a person. I scooted toward it, ignoring the agony shredding my gut.
“Kiran.” Ruslan spoke softly now. “Come here.” His face had gone stone still, his eyes inward and intent.
I heard Kiran gasp, saw his arm