itself across the tortured landscape in a desperate struggle to escape me. Nadea clung to life on the rails of the broken teal deck. Soon she would lose her grip and be flung toward me. If I wasn't careful, I'd instantly kill her and absorb her into me as I had everything else in this dream world.
I stopped pulling Air and the world was enveloped in a sudden silence.
Then it all became lifeless and crashed.
Islands collided. Some continued to float, others struggled to break away from the packed confines of the continent I had created. They ripped free and fell into the abyss at the bottom of my dream.
Nadea's vessel quivered on the bare rock like a dying whale. Within half a second I covered the small distance to reach her. Her face remained impassive. She should have been happy to see me. Or shocked by the destruction I had wrought.
"Nadea!" I yelled again as I reached down to pull her into my arms. Her body felt as I remembered: lean and toned. Her small breasts pushed into me when I embraced her. She was warm and smelled like weapon oil and sweat. I brushed her thick brown hair back from her face and stared into her eyes. They were dark and textured like fertile soil, yet they looked glassy and dazed. It seemed as if she was distracted by something. Her body hung against mine limply and her beautiful face showed no expression of recognition.
"Nadea?" Her eyes moved to meet mine. My left hand circled her waist and squeezed her body tighter against my chest. My right hand came up to her neck and cradled her head.
"Nadea?" she echoed my question. Her voice was weak and she slumped against me. I cursed and pulled her head back so she would look at me again.
"Do you remember me?" I noticed she had a small brass key on a leather tie around her neck. The hilt was decorated with a tiny engraved mountain range.
"Kaiyer?" She looked at my face and her lips turned up into a slight smile.
"Yes. Do you remember?"
"Kaiyer." Her eyes seemed to focus on mine and I saw a spark of recognition.
I woke to her whisper and sat up in my chair in her tent. Sun streamed through the flap in the canvas, the air inside was warm and close. It was midday, which meant I had been asleep for three or four hours. My fatigue had faded. In fact, I could only recall feeling this invigorated once before, when I had drained the Water from the dragon.
“Kaiyer.”
The whisper was so faint, it had to be a remnant from my dream. My brain sought to work through the frustration I felt over my inability to save Nadea.
"Kaiyer." This time it originated from her comatose form lying next to me.
"I'm here, Nadea." I almost kicked my chair across the tent in my rush to her side. My hand fished through the blanket that covered her until I found her fingers.
"Am I dead?" her voice was scratchy and pained.
"No. You are alive!" My brain tumbled through a thousand words in my non-native language as my mouth searched for the right ones to express my joy. Then I remembered that she would need me to guide her through the next few days.
"Not so loud." Her face winced in pain.
"Do not open your eyes," I said softly and rushed over to the table of medical supplies and grabbed some of the spare towels stored there. I unfolded one and laid it across her brow before taking her hand again.
"Where am I? I feel," she paused and took a deep breath through her mouth. "I feel and hear too many things. My mind," she sobbed and her body started to shake. I squeezed her hand again and she overcame the seizure before I continued speaking.
"I am going to guide you through this. Do exactly as I say, or you will be in terrible pain. Understand?"
"Yes. How are you alive?" she croaked out. She turned her head toward my voice.
"We will talk about that later. Take shallow breaths through your nose until I tell you to stop. I will tell you to inhale and exhale. Inhale now."
Nadea obeyed me and took a deep breath through her nose.
"Too much air. Breathe shallowly through your
I stopped pulling Air and the world was enveloped in a sudden silence.
Then it all became lifeless and crashed.
Islands collided. Some continued to float, others struggled to break away from the packed confines of the continent I had created. They ripped free and fell into the abyss at the bottom of my dream.
Nadea's vessel quivered on the bare rock like a dying whale. Within half a second I covered the small distance to reach her. Her face remained impassive. She should have been happy to see me. Or shocked by the destruction I had wrought.
"Nadea!" I yelled again as I reached down to pull her into my arms. Her body felt as I remembered: lean and toned. Her small breasts pushed into me when I embraced her. She was warm and smelled like weapon oil and sweat. I brushed her thick brown hair back from her face and stared into her eyes. They were dark and textured like fertile soil, yet they looked glassy and dazed. It seemed as if she was distracted by something. Her body hung against mine limply and her beautiful face showed no expression of recognition.
"Nadea?" Her eyes moved to meet mine. My left hand circled her waist and squeezed her body tighter against my chest. My right hand came up to her neck and cradled her head.
"Nadea?" she echoed my question. Her voice was weak and she slumped against me. I cursed and pulled her head back so she would look at me again.
"Do you remember me?" I noticed she had a small brass key on a leather tie around her neck. The hilt was decorated with a tiny engraved mountain range.
"Kaiyer?" She looked at my face and her lips turned up into a slight smile.
"Yes. Do you remember?"
"Kaiyer." Her eyes seemed to focus on mine and I saw a spark of recognition.
I woke to her whisper and sat up in my chair in her tent. Sun streamed through the flap in the canvas, the air inside was warm and close. It was midday, which meant I had been asleep for three or four hours. My fatigue had faded. In fact, I could only recall feeling this invigorated once before, when I had drained the Water from the dragon.
“Kaiyer.”
The whisper was so faint, it had to be a remnant from my dream. My brain sought to work through the frustration I felt over my inability to save Nadea.
"Kaiyer." This time it originated from her comatose form lying next to me.
"I'm here, Nadea." I almost kicked my chair across the tent in my rush to her side. My hand fished through the blanket that covered her until I found her fingers.
"Am I dead?" her voice was scratchy and pained.
"No. You are alive!" My brain tumbled through a thousand words in my non-native language as my mouth searched for the right ones to express my joy. Then I remembered that she would need me to guide her through the next few days.
"Not so loud." Her face winced in pain.
"Do not open your eyes," I said softly and rushed over to the table of medical supplies and grabbed some of the spare towels stored there. I unfolded one and laid it across her brow before taking her hand again.
"Where am I? I feel," she paused and took a deep breath through her mouth. "I feel and hear too many things. My mind," she sobbed and her body started to shake. I squeezed her hand again and she overcame the seizure before I continued speaking.
"I am going to guide you through this. Do exactly as I say, or you will be in terrible pain. Understand?"
"Yes. How are you alive?" she croaked out. She turned her head toward my voice.
"We will talk about that later. Take shallow breaths through your nose until I tell you to stop. I will tell you to inhale and exhale. Inhale now."
Nadea obeyed me and took a deep breath through her nose.
"Too much air. Breathe shallowly through your
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