The emergency spatial warp had saved their lives but had cost Kai nearly all his accumulated mana and left them disoriented. They landed in a thick patch of Southern forests, the impact jostling Chiron’s shattered arm. He cried out, a raw, involuntary sound of agony.
Kai, despite his own exhaustion, immediately went into survival mode. He had no time to recover; the enemy would be closing fast.
"Move, Father," Kai commanded, his voice strained but steady. He hauled Chiron to his feet, ignoring his father’s pained grunt. "We have at most thirty minutes before Dax’s tracking unit reaches this warp site. We must put distance between us and the river."
Kai and Chiron were running, or rather, Kai was supporting and half-dragging his father through the dense underbrush. Chiron’s left arm was
