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“Do not touch me,” he grunted as the fiery heat of her hands tore into his skin. Unable to continue the façade that the pain did not affect him, the motion of falling forward must have changed the pressure in his head enough that the entire tent began to whirl and saw six—seven, he couldn't determine how many—forms of Alora stood there.

Garrik felt his heart miss a beat and gripped his chest.

“Help!”

He barely heard her through the drifting darkness swirling his senses, threatening to carry him into the torment of unrest and oblivion. Then, there were so many hands gripping him. Pulling him, dragging him away. His bones trembled, fevered veins churning with burning shards of shattered glass.

Theywere back … it was too soon.It was always too soon.

They were dragging him down…

Down and down and down.

Back to?—

Thalon and Jade carefully banded their arms around his waist, slinging his arms over their shoulders.

But it wasn’t their hands forcing him across the floor but another’s.

“Stop,” Garrik spit between heaving, unsteady breaths as they lowered him to the chair, and panic boiled in his body.

He knew what was coming. Whatalwaysfollowed.

Garrik braced himself. Forgetting the pain in his back, he wrenched backward, attempting to lean back against the chair, but strong, tattooed hands pulled him forward and steadied him.

“No, don’t lean back.” That … that was Thalon’s voice. Thalon was there? “Garrik, can you hear me?”

Yes,he wanted to say, but his mind was warring with itself to see reason. Thalon could not have been there. Magnelis would never allow it.

Whispers swirled around him, then the gentle voice of his Guardian spoke again. “Brother, open your eyes. Look at me. It’s not real.”

He did so. The murky silver struggled to focus, but there was no mistaking who held him there. And as he centered his attention on the darkened ink on Thalon’s skin, the walls of his mind cleared, taking in the sun-kissed canvas, bright red hair, and wide, troubled sapphire eyes.

Thalon was right. It was not real. He was not back there with?—

It was Jade who spoke next with urgency, and he remembered the pain slowly returning to his body.

“I’ll get Eldacar.” She rushed out the door; her footsteps vanished behind the tent.

Thalon steadied Garrik on his forearms, so they pressed into his knees before turning. There was something like panic in his features as he collected the water basin, and his voice trembled, flashing his eyes between Garrik and Alora. “I need to get more water. Stay with him.”

Alora did not have time to respond. Thalon was gone too quickly. And Garrik almost wanted to order her to leave with him.

A pulse of energy rippled through their bodies.

His magic tore through the veil of dizziness overcoming his head.

Garrik grabbed the armrest, the color draining from his lips as he recognized his body falling limp. Abruptly, he shook his head, blinking rapidly to snap away from unconsciousness with heavy breaths, but he was fading too fast to stop it.

Alora cried out, dropping to her knees in front of him like a weight had forced her down. “What is that?” Then that energy thrummed through them again, and she cupped his knees to stabilize herself.

“You are … alright …breathe.” He paused, glimpsing her shaking the dizziness from her head. “My … shield. If my consciousness falls, they will all collapse. I must remain awake, Alora. Do not let me fall. That cannot happen.” And then it was his palm cupping her shoulder.

Thalon and Jade must have felt it too, as they were back within a breath, rushing Eldacar behind them, who was carrying a stuffed leather satchel.

“Your Highness, we need to move you to the bed.” Eldacar started emptying the contents of his bag. Bottles filled with shimmering liquids, odorous herbs, and cloth spilled onto the table behind them.

Terror flashed in Garrik’s eyes. “No. Do it here.”