76. Ayres
Something inside Ayres snapped the instant Rorax screamed his name, seconds before a wave smashed her onto the shore. The Guardian”s air wall was wavering under the pressure of Ayres” magick, but as soon as Rorax hit the sand he shattered it like thin glass. The Guardian hissed in fury, but he was way past giving a fuck. Ayres turned to a healer, at the same time sending his magick out to Rorax’s crumpled body on the shore, lifting her unconscious form out of the water and bringing her closer to him.
“Help her,” he ordered a healer next to him. The healer went pale as she took in Ayres’s red eyes but wisely gave a weak nod.
He turned to Milla who was standing next to her and rattled off orders. “Get any other healers you see on this beach and bring them over here.” He pointed a finger at Rorax’s body that was swiftly coming closer to him, floating on a black cloud. One of her arms was draped off the side and blood was trickling down her arm and dripping on the sand. Her death wasn’t tingling at the back of his neck like it had been that day at Helfast, but it would be soon. It was already a dark shadow on the horizon.
“The other healers are at Enna’s side trying to get the poison out of her body,” Milla replied.
“Get them over here.”
Milla opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but thought better of it, and rushed over to direct the healers at Enna’s side.
The Guardian eyed Ayres cautiously, and he snarled at her. “Get that poison out of Enna’s body.”
The Guardian stiffened, as if being ordered to do anything explicitly offended her. But a deep, threatening snarl ripped out of him. “Now.”
She flinched, a sliver of fear in her eyes betraying her as she turned away stiffly and did as she was told.
Ayres spun back to Rorax’s body. Anger and fear threatened to choke him. Rorax’s skin was ashen, and blood was dripping down her arms into the sand.
Ayres was over her in a flash, ripping off his shirt and pressing the cloth into her side. Her shadow still hovered in the back of his mind, but thankfully had not gotten closer to the bridge. He bent down to whisper in her ear. “I swear to the gods, if you try to die today, I will bring you back to kill you myself.”
Rorax stirred, and a faint smile traced over her pale lips. “I already said no to death today, Ayres.”
For that the gods knew, Ayres was thankful.