Amelia PoV
The exchange grew fiercer. Aventine's purple shadows clashed against the man's golden flames and dream-infused melody. She was holding him at bay, buying us the time we desperately needed. But I could see the strain in her posture. Even a child of the archangels had her limits.
Vadim squeezed my waist gently. "She's giving us an opening. We have to move."
I nodded, forcing my heavy limbs to cooperate. With Vadim supporting me, we pushed forward past the duel, the Queen of our eastern neighbor covering our retreat. The music grew fainter as we left the tunnel behind, but the weight on my body lingered.
Vadim took deep breaths. He gritted his teeth as he feet froze.
"Vadi," I said as he fell to one knee. "Vadi?"
He shook his head, refusing to look at me. "I'm... fine."
I bent down and cupped his cheeks. "Hey. It's okay."
His face was flushed, and his gray eyes seemed hazy. His lips were parted as he panted, but he was refusing to say anything.
