He could have leapt to his feet, he could have surged towards her and planted himself between her and the monster. But this was not his fight, not anymore. As much as it caused his chest to seize and her name to catch on his lips, he gripped his sword beneath its hilt. ‘Thea!’ he shouted across the ruins. He threw his blade of Naarvian steel to her. Thea’s hand shot out, casting her own sword aside and catching his by the grip. Her arm didn’t buckle beneath its weight, nor did she so much as glance at him.
