Amilia awakened in a makeshift medical tent, her wounds properly bandaged and healing with the efficiency that came from expert care. The familiar weight of pain had lessened to a manageable ache, and beside her, Svara lay unconscious but breathing steadily, alive, when she had been certain they would both die in the snow.
How are we still breathing? she wondered, memories of the drake ambush flooding back with crystal clarity. The overwhelming beast, the coordinated attack patterns, the moment when she'd felt certain death approaching through the blizzard.
Heavy footsteps approached the tent entrance, and Kaiden De Gror pushed through the flap, his bloodstained armor telling the story of recent battles. But beneath his imposing presence, guilt and relief warred across his weathered features in ways that made him seem almost vulnerable.
