Arcemis's Arc

Chapter 9 of 16

Amira slept in Arcemis's arms as they carried her from the burned field. Her breath came shallow. The light he had poured into her wound had stopped the bleeding, but the knife had cut deep. Freyo took her legs. Lira lifted her shoulders with giant hands. Marina walked ahead, her shell staff glowing. Lucien scouted the trees for hounds. Tybore carried Arcemis when his cracked ribs gave out. They moved toward the one place that might save her: the Temple of Gaia. The temple rose from the vines, its stone dome wrapped in green leaves. At the door stood Master Archadious, the old monk who had raised Arcemis as his own son. He had waited, as if he already knew they would come. His brown robe hung loose. His eyes found Amira first, then Arcemis. "You carried her far," he said softly. "Bring her inside. Quickly." They laid Amira on cold stone before the statue of the goddess. Carved vines wrapped the calm figure of Gaia. Marina knelt and pressed her webbed hands to the wound. Water light spread from her staff. "The cut goes too deep," she said. "My healing alone won't hold." Lira crushed herbs into a paste and packed the wound. The bleeding slowed, but Amira did not wake. Arcemis dropped to his knees beside her. He gripped her hand. "Don't leave. You promised me a home." His voice broke. Tears ran down his face and fell on her still hand. The other guardians watched him. Freyo looked away. Lucien lowered his head. None of them had seen Arcemis weep. Gold light filled the temple. The vines on the statue trembled. Gaia stepped from the stone, her golden eyes soft. Her voice was wind through trees and a mother's song at once. "Your love reached me, Arcemis. So I will answer it." She laid one hand over Amira's chest. Warmth spread through the wound. The torn skin closed. Color returned to Amira's cheeks. Her breathing grew slow and deep. But she did not open her eyes. "Why does she still sleep?" Arcemis begged. "Her body is whole," Gaia said. "But the dark cut left a shadow in her. If she wakes now, it will spread. So I hold her in deep rest. She will sleep here, safe, until Rhademus and Vaphos are gone from this world." The goddess touched Arcemis's wet cheek. "Free her by ending the war. That is the only way." Gaia stepped back into the statue. The gold faded. Amira lay still, her chest rising and falling. Archadious rested a hand on Arcemis's shoulder. "She lives. Now you have a reason to win." Arcemis wiped his face and stood. Amira was safe, but sleeping. He could not marry a woman who might never wake. To claim the home she promised, he had to kill Rhademus and destroy Vaphos. He turned to the guardians. "Then we end this. For her."