“Here it comes,” Saion warned.
The eather pulsed and then exploded in a blast of pure power, causing both Saion and me to scoot back on our knees. I lost my hold on Aios as the wave rippled out from the courtyard and moved beyond the Rise—beyond the Shadowlands. A brighter, more distinct bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
Then it stopped. The wind. The shaking.
I scrambled back to Aios’s side, peeling back the torn collar of her gown. A thick pink line encircled her throat. The skin was bruised over her heart but healed.
Her chest rose with a deep, singular breath.
“Aios,” Saion gasped.
Her eyes fluttered open— silver and bright. “Saion? I…” Her throat worked on a swallow, and her head jerked so quickly toward me that I winced. “Sera.”
Hands shaking, I smiled weakly. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she whispered.
Screams rippled through the air, sending a bolt of fear through me. We needed to get Aios out of here. The sleep that came after what I’d just done didn’t seem like something anyonehad any control over. Saion twisted toward the Rise, his jaw hardening.
Aios struggled to sit up as Davon fell from the sky like a sack of boulders, slamming into the ground but righting himself quickly. “W-what is…?”
I caught her by the shoulders. “You need to get inside. Hide.”
“But—”
“Now.”
Saion twisted. “Kars?”
A guard stopped at the foot of the Rise and changed direction, heading for us. His steps slowed, eyes widening.
“Get Aios inside. Now.”
Blinking, he shook his head. “On it.”
I rose as the god helped Aios to her feet and then lifted her to his chest, turning to… “Help me get Ector down.”
“Sera—”
“I can try.” I went to Ector’s ankles. “I have to try. Just like he did.” My throat burned. “Just like he has.”
“Yeah. Okay. We’ll get him down, and I’ll get his…”
I flinched, but we did it quickly, laying Ector out so that he almost appeared whole. Briefly meeting Saion’s stricken gaze, I summoned the eather—
“They’re coming over,” Rhain shouted from the Rise. “Get back. Everyone get back!”
Screams shattered the air, and the embers flared and pulsed, over and over as I reached to place my palms on Ector’s still chest.
“Fuck.” Saion rocked back. “The dakkais are over the wall.”
“Keep them back,” I ordered, breathing in deeply.
The scraping of claws over stone overpowered the sound of my pounding heart. The essence flared, deep and powerful, and my vision turned white—pure white—for a second as the eather swelled—
“Stop. Stop!” yelled Saion as the eather rippled out from my palms, splashing against Ector’s chest. “It’s drawing them to you. Stop!”
All I needed was a few more seconds. That was all. I could bring Ector back—