97
I slowly regained consciousness, opening my trembling eyelids as the ringing in my ears dulled all other sounds. I was lying on the thin layer of snow. Mornon was beside me, still unconscious.
Calien’s Crystal lay on the ground between us. And it no longer glowed, as black filaments swirled inside.
I was about to take it when I noticed Mornon waking up. His eyes immediately found mine. The flames in his pine-green irises went out, and the burning veins on his face gradually receded until they disappeared.
He was back.
He had come back to me.
“Amlach,” I whispered, reaching out.
But just as our fingers were about to touch, the ringing stopped, and suddenly, the sound of dozens of boots pounding the ground flooded my ears.
Next, Amlach was engulfed by a barrage of punches and kicks.
“No, no!” I screamed hoarsely.
Though I felt like a massive boulder weighed down every part of my body, I tried to stand up and defend him, but a powerful blow to the back of my head made me collapse again.
And the last thing I saw before I passed out was a gush of blood spurting from my mate’s mouth.