My heart surged with hope. They’d found me! Somehow, they’d found me, and there they were, looking in.
If the mages came and tried to move me, they could at least follow them. I didn’t see Damarion, but he was probably there somewhere, or maybe still in the sky. With those powerful wings, he could fly for a long time without needing rest. He’d made it all the way here from across the country, after all.
“If there was ever a time for wings, it is right now,” I muttered, facing them, my hands still balled. “Now more than a few minutes ago. I need to get to them.”
Austin backed away from the shimmering magical wall, and I felt the frown crease my face. Hopefully he wasn’t planning to leave and find the other entrance. If anyone could find it, he would, but that hairy creature would be back long before that. He’d only planned for that lunch break and a faux-sprained ankle. Even a real sprained ankle wouldn’t keep him very long.
“Austin can probably take that creature, though,” I mumbled to myself, willing my wings to pop out. Or grow, or whatever was supposed to happen. Of course, the creature had mentioned the mages might be alerted by the sound of the chain descending. That meant they were probably in the area. If they came back—
A burst of light filled the opening, and the hulking shape of an enormous polar bear pushed the others aside.
“What is he…”
My heart leapt when the huge beast launched through the barrier. His beautiful white fur instantly turned ashy, as though it had been on fire, and smoke trailed from his body. His skin under his fur had blackened as well, intense burns covering him, blistering the skin, some peeling away to show blood-red patches beneath.
My stomach dropped out and fear squeezed my middle—could he survive that type of damage? Would he be able to stay conscious?
His paws stayed splayed, though, and he soared toward me, aiming right for the top of the cage. Nearly there, a blast of light and heat pushed me back. His human form emerged right as he hit the metal top, jerking the cage to swinging.
He slid across the surface, all blood and burned skin, and nearly went off the other side of the bars.
I cried out and threw up my hands. He slammed into a solid wall of air, stopping his forward momentum and smashing his nose. Not missing a beat, he reached back and scrabbled for the chain, wrapping a horribly damaged hand around it and pulling himself to safety. He clung there for a moment, his whole body shaking, the pain clearly unbearable.
Still he held on, and I reached up, wanting to cure all of this. Hating that he’d done this for me.
His sigh preceded him dropping his head, and I latched on to his center with the magical connection I could once again feel, pumping magic into him. I didn’t know if it was energy, or healing, or even if it was helping, but it was all I could manage.
“Thank you,” he said in a wispy voice, laying his head down for a moment as the cage groaned and swayed and the spikes below us stared up hungrily.
“Why did you do that, you idiot?” A tear slipped down my face, and I reached up on my tiptoes for him.
He dropped a hand to catch mine, wincing as he did so.
“I couldn’t leave you here on your own, Jess. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together,” he said, and though I knew it had to be agonizing, I gripped his hand tightly.
Tingles spread across my skin and prickled my scalp. My stomach felt like champagne bubbles fizzed up through it.
His moan bespoke ecstasy and his eyes fluttered, the patches of bloody red already gone from his still burned and blackened skin.
“My God, that feels good,” he said in a breathy whisper. “You’ve taken away all the pain and replaced it with…”
I didn’t need him to mention what I’d replaced it with. The evidence was currently reaching down through the bars at me, and I wasn’t talking about his hand.
“Sorry, I don’t know—”
“No, no, it’s okay…” he said.
I nodded and bit my lip, trying to look anywhere but at his lower half. It was not easy.
“Did you get a look at your captors?” he asked, his voice already stronger.
“Just at the bar. I woke up in this cage. A big, hairy creature was down below. He wouldn’t let me out, but he did agree to leave me alone for a while. I’m not sure how much longer he’ll be gone. He’s supposed to be guarding me.”
“How’d you get him to leave?”
“Apparently flowers are his weakness.”
Austin chuckled softly, the action turning into a haggard cough. “That mage did a helluva job on that barrier. It’s a good one.”