Page 182 of Keldori By Daybreak

The rotsbane leapt from the shadows where it had been running along the train, and with a snap of its jaws, it burst in an array of golden light and glinting metal.

We bent over, catching our breath and trying to ignore the pain burning in my shoulders.

“Do you think Tiernan’s alright?” I asked.

Two more golden explosions near the engine answered my question.

“He’s alright enough to keep fighting, and that’s what we’ll do too.” Ciarán pulled the backpack off to take stock of the bottles inside. His thoughts continued to stream unbridled in my mind.

More than half full, but there could be so many more—None out there right now—If the Eldguard dies, we’ll have to protect the engine too—

“Tiernan isn’t going to die,” I cut in. “He’s too annoying to die.”

“You can hear my thoughts?”

“No,” I lied.

The stream of consciousness slipped into the language Ciarán typically reserved for singing, and I rolled my eyes.

“That’s not fair,” I said.

“I’m entitled to thought privacy,” Ciarán snapped.

“If I have to share my body, you should have to share your thoughts.”

“We’re only sharing a body so I can keep you alive. Your aim is terrible.”

“It was one bad throw.”

My face pulled into another involuntary smirk. “One bad throw can get us all killed. But if you want to finish out the night without me—”

“Stay.” I took over control of our speech to cut him off, suddenly wishing I could reach for his hand. I settled with wrapping my arms around myself in the wind. “My shoulders hurt.”

“I know. I’m sorry. The mountains can probably handle a little bit of healing magick without erupting if you wanted to try.”

“The cuts are shallow,” I said. “They just sting. I’m reserving what I can to finish healing you once we’re on our boat, but someone needs to be dying if I’m going to use any more healing magick than that.”

“Fair enough.”

We stared out at the dark, but the rotsbane had gone quiet. The faintest hint of dawn tinged the distant horizon violet, but sunrise was still too far away for comfort.

It was several, long minutes before an explosion near the engine drew our attention.

“They’re back,” I said, and Ciarán took control of my head and neck to scan the shadows nearest us.

A second explosion splashed against the sky, then a third and fourth, but more rotsbane climbed up the engine, screeching into the night.

I waited for another blast of gold, or some other sign that Tiernan was still upright and fighting, but the rotsbane dug their claws into the metal unimpeded.

The train lurched as it started slow. It was losing steam.

“Where’s Tiernan? He’s supposed to be fighting them!” Panic hitched, and I yelled his name. “Tiernan!”

“What?”

I staggered back from the hole in the roof. Tiernan stared up at me from inside the carriage, sweat-streaked and out of breath.

“What are you doing back here?” I demanded.