Chapter 58

• The moment Xander collapsed in her arms, Amara felt her world narrow to a single focus: saving him. His breathing was shallow, his skin clammy, and the dark veins spreading from the wound were an ominous sign of the poison coursing through his body. “Help me get him to the healers!” she shouted, her voice raw with urgency.
• Asher was already at her side, his usual sarcasm replaced by grim determination. “I’ve got him,” he said, lifting Xander effortlessly onto his shoulder. The room was chaos, with council members shouting over one another, but Amara blocked it all out, following Asher as they barreled through the stronghold’s halls.
• The artifact, still glowing faintly in its satchel, pulsed erratically as if reacting to the poison’s presence. Amara felt its energy shift, not with its usual reassuring warmth but with a chaotic hum that made her skin crawl.