Sera's POV
The battle ended, but I didn't notice.
I sat in the blood-soaked mud, Caelan's head still cradled in my lap, my hands still pressed to the wound that had long since stopped bleeding. Around me, the sounds of fighting had faded to scattered clashes in the distance, then to nothing at all, but I couldn't lift my gaze from his face. His features were peaceful in death—that gentle smile frozen on his lips, his honey-brown eyes closed at last, as though he were merely sleeping. But the warmth was already leaving his skin, and I could feel it seeping away beneath my palms, could feel the stillness where there should have been breath.
Someone was screaming. It took me a long moment to realize it was me.
Arms wrapped around me—Lyra's, I think, strong and fierce—but I barely felt the
