The bridge groaned under their weight, its rotting planks splintering. Kael tightened his grip on Lyra, her body limp over his shoulder. The hunter advanced, serrated blade glowing faintly blue—stolen time humming in its edge.
"Last. Chance," the hunter rasped, his voice mechanized, hollow.
Kael's withered hand trembled. Steal time from Lyra? He'd sworn not to. But the shard's hunger pulsed in his veins, begging to be used.
The hunter lunged. Kael sidestepped, the blade grazing his ribs. Pain flared, sharp and cold, as blood seeped through his tunic.
Lyra stirred, her voice a thread. "Let… me… go."
"No." Kael dodged another strike, the bridge swaying violently. Below, the river churned, poison frothing against jagged rocks.
The hunter swung again. Kael parried with the shard, the clash sparking blue flames. The hunter's blade sang with stolen seconds, each strike faster, sharper.
Lyra coughed, black blood dripping onto Kael's neck. "You'll… die…"
The hunter feinted left, then slashed upward. Kael blocked, but the blade nicked his forearm.
The wound burned. Not the searing heat of steel—a deeper, colder ache. The cut didn't heal. Blood pooled, unstopped.
What the hell?
The hunter chuckled, a grinding sound. "No… rewinding… this."
Kael staggered. The bridge shuddered, planks snapping.
Lyra's fingers brushed his cheek. "Run."
The hunter charged. Kael ducked, but the blade sliced his thigh. Agony lanced through him. Again, the wound bled freely.
He stumbled, clutching Lyra tighter. "What did you do?"
The hunter raised his blade, glowing brighter. "Gideon's… gift."
Lyra's breath hitched. "Kael… the shard… use it—"
"Not on you!"
The hunter struck. Kael barely dodged, the blade shaving a plank in half. The bridge tilted, threatening to spill them into the gorge.
Lyra's eyes fluttered open, glassy but urgent. "Do it… now."
The hunter reared back for the kill.
Kael hesitated—then pressed the shard to Lyra's wrist.