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One breath Two breaths

She reached up and touched his face, feeling the grooves of the clawhers She had contact with his eyes She could snatch the memory away if she blinked She could steal it all away

She did not

He stared at her in surprise, his expression a er and awe

"Please," she whispered hoarsely "Please protectblade-first into the road He gave Phae a quick nod just before shoving her away fro her backward into the air as if a battering ram had struck her He turned on his heel, sank into a crouch, as if praying, and exploded into a deafening blast of light Had she been standing next to him, it would have killed her

"One of the ancient Cruithne kings carved this into a h he is a slave He that is evil is a slave, though he be a king"

--Possidius Adeodat, Archivist of Kenatos

The explosion rang in Phae’s ears, the blast buffeting the pressure lingered in the air, sending strearabbed her forearm and helped her back to her feet It was the Vaettir prince, his expression stern and forceful He said so in her ears prevented her fro him

She shook her head and shoved past hi fore of a small crater The blast ran out in a circle around hi had landed there, though there were no clouds in the sky Rock fragments were strewn about and pine cones and shattered branches rained from the nearby trees The Kishion slowly stood and turned to face them

The look in his eyes was haunted She stared at hi he had shielded her from the explosion with his own body, uncertain whether his immunity would save him from death Her ears pierced with noise, but she approached hi, charred with soot He shook theils carved into it were marred and twisted Slowly, the Kishion wrenched it fro moments Then he tossed it into the crater

The Prince and Tyrus approached them