Page 384 of Elemental Becoming

By the gods . . . have I overlooked the most obvious answer all this time? Spirit. The very essence of the Spiritborn.

—VALEN’S JOURNAL

AMARA

Ilower my arms, instinctively bracing the injured one against my chest. The fire in my muscles fades into something colder, numb and burning all at once.

My knees buckle before I realize what is happening.

Pain sears through my side. My head throbs, and nausea churns in my stomach. Maybe it is the adrenaline wearing off. Maybe it is the aftermath of my first real battle. Whatever the cause, the world begins to tilt around me.

Calryx releases an anguished roar from somewhere behind me, but I can’t seem to tell her I’m okay.

Then Thane is there.

His face is streaked with soot and blood, fresh cuts marking his brow and cheek. A shallow gash runs along his jaw. Sweat tracks through the grime, and his dark hair is damp and tangled from the heat of the fight.

His smoke-gray eyes lock on mine with fierce concentration. He looks like a man who has just survived hell, has reached his limit, and refuses to lose anything else.

He catches me beneath the arms and hauls me back to my feet before I can collapse completely.

“Stay awake!” he barks, his voice sharp and commanding. “The bolt came from a Commander. You might well have been poisoned.”

He still sounds like the Warlord. Focused. Controlled.

But through the bond, I feel the fear tightening around him like a noose.

“By all the Elemental gods, Amara.” His grip tightens on me, careful of my arm. “I can see your bone! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

I meet his eyes, teetering. All I can manage is a weak nod.

Rowena appears a heartbeat later, sprinting across the scorched field. Her braid has half come loose, streaked with soot and sweat. Blood marks a shallow cut across her temple, and her leathers are torn and blackened at the edges. One arm is bruised, her knuckles split and bloody.

But she’s standing, battle-worn, but whole.

She takes one look at me, then at the wound along my arm and her expression hardens.

“What the hell happened?” she demands, breath still ragged from the fight.

“The Commander’s lightning tore her arm open,” Thane answers immediately, his jaw tight. “I’ve got to get her to the healers. Back to the capital.”

“Thane.” Rowena steps directly into his path. “You won’t make it in time. She’s losing blood and she’s pale. You know what dark magics like this can do.”

Thane turns on her, emotion finally breaking through the control he’s been holding together by sheer force of will.

“I have to try.”

The world suddenly tilts. Pain tears through my arm as he lifts me, and a scream tears from my throat.

“Gods, Amara. I’m sorry.” His voice is tight with panic. “Just hang on. Please.”

Then I’m cradled against his chest. My head falls against his shoulder, my vision swimming. My limbs feel boneless, as though the battle has drained everything from me and left behind only heat, pain, and trembling exhaustion.

I can’t hold myself upright. I can’t even find the breath to answer him.

But I know his scent immediately.

Leather and cedar.