Blood filled my vision as my shoulder erupted with searing heat, the arrow buried deep and my whole arm screaming in pain.
My expression twisted immediately, a sharp grunt escaping through my teeth as the pain tore through me.
"Your Majesty!"
Mia's horrified cry preceded her appearing at my side in an instant, her sword swinging in a wide arc, and immediately, ironsand gathered and rose around us, sealing us both within the sturdy shelter of her dome.
I pressed my left hand firmly over the wound to slow the bleeding and raised my right, though just moving it sent a fresh wave of agony up through my arm, conjuring a small flame to light the darkness inside.
Mia dropped to her knees before me, her eyes fixed on the arrow shaft jutting from my shoulder, and the composure she had worn so easily throughout the battle cracked all at once.
"Y—Your Majesty, please do not move..." She breathed, reaching toward the arrow with trembling fingers.
