POV: Raevan
Celebration breaks across the dunes like a storm of relief. Warriors collapse to their knees, laughing through tears, some crying into each other’s shoulders. Fires spark to life, lighting the battlefield with warm flickers of gold. But the moment Soraya’s knees buckle and her body sways toward the sand, the world snaps into a single, narrow point.
I catch her before she falls.
“Soraya,” I breathe, voice cracking. Her head slumps against my shoulder, her lips pale. Faint pulses of silver light shimmer beneath her skin—too bright, too fast. “Open your eyes. Come on. Stay with me.”
She doesn’t stir.
Kaide runs toward us, blood still on his face, panic breaking through his usual calm. “Raevan—what happened?”
“She’s burning out,” I snap. “Her magic—it's ripping through her.”
Kaide presses fingers to her neck. His expression shifts from confusion to fear in seconds. “Her pulse is fading.”
The dunes spin for a moment, rage and terror choking my breath. Then I bark, “Bring a mount. Now.”
Kaide doesn’t argue. Moments later I’m riding toward Ashra, Soraya limp in my arms. Her hair trails like moonlight in the wind, her breathing shallow and uneven. Every jolt of the horse feels like it might break her.
“Hold on,” I whisper, tightening my grip. “I lost you once. Not again. Not again.”
Her only answer is the weak glow flickering beneath her skin.
When the fortress comes into view, guards shout and scramble. “Open the gates!” they cry, running ahead of me. Healers sprint from the corridors, hands already glowing with magic.
“Move!” I command, jumping from the mount with Soraya still in my arms. “Move out of the way!”
Vienne bursts from the hall, barefoot, hair a mess, eyes wide. “What—what happened to her?”
“Magic overload,” Kaide answers breathlessly as he catches up. “She overused her powers.”
Vienne runs a hand along Soraya’s forehead and inhales sharply. “She’s burning up inside. Too much power, too fast. Get her into the chamber.”
I’m already moving, refusing to let anyone else carry her. In the healing room, I lay her gently on the bed. Her body trembles, the silver glow pulsing violently.
“Tell me how to help her,” I demand.
Vienne is already grinding herbs, her fingers flying. “We need to stabilize her energy flow before her heart gives out.”
“How?”
“She needs grounding,” Vienne says. “Someone has to sync their energy to hers. Someone strong.”
I step forward instantly. “Me.”
Her eyes flick up. “Raevan—your bond with her is… complicated.”
“I don’t care.”
A beat passes before she nods. “Fine. Kneel beside her. Hold her hand.”
I drop to my knees next to the bed, taking Soraya’s hand gently, terrified I might hurt her. Her pulse flutters faintly against my thumb, weaker than before. It feels like watching a star flicker in the final seconds before darkness.
“Breathe with her,” Vienne instructs softly. “Match her rhythm.”
I lower my forehead to her knuckles. “Stay with me,” I whisper. “You’re not allowed to go anywhere. You hear me? Not after everything.”
The light under her skin sparks again, but this time softer, responding to the pressure of my palm.
“She’s reacting to you,” Vienne says. “Good. Keep going.”
I inhale slowly. Then again. I force my breath into the same pace as Soraya’s—shallow at first, then slowly deepening.
Her fingers twitch.
My heart nearly stops. “Soraya?”
Kaide peeks in through the doorway, eyes wide. “Is she—?”
“Not yet,” I murmur, still focused on her pulse. It steadies under my hand, faint but present. “But she’s fighting.”
The room grows quieter as her magic begins to settle, the wild pulses smoothing into a slow ebb. Sweat beads down my forehead, but I don’t dare let go.
“Come back,” I whisper again, voice shaking. “You’ve saved everyone. Let someone save you for once.”
Her lashes flutter—the smallest movement—but enough to shatter me.
“She’s stabilizing,” Vienne murmurs, relief flooding her voice. “You’re grounding her. Keep holding her.”
I don’t move. I don’t breathe. I don’t do anything except cling to her hand like a lifeline.
She exhales softly.
Not much. But enough. Enough to keep me alive.
“I’m right here,” I whisper. “I’m not leaving.”
And I stay like that, kneeling beside her, holding her hand long into the night, until the glow under her skin fades to gentle warmth and her breathing returns steady.
Only then do I allow myself to breathe.
Only then do I believe she’ll survive.