Deigh’s gone,” I cry to Xaden, my voice a trembling mess. “Liam is dying.” “No.” I feel his terror, his sorrow, and his overpowering anger wrap around my mind, mixing with my own until it hurts to breathe. Minutes. We have minutes. “Just hold on,” I whisper to Liam, fighting not to cry as he looks up at me with those sky-blue eyes, wide with shock and pain. After everything Liam has given up for me, this is the least I can do for him. I can get him to Deigh the same way I know he would carry me to Tairn or Andarna. Tairn lies down completely, flattening his massive frame as much as possible as I unstrap my thighs. Then I wrap my arms around Liam’s bulky frame and we slide down Tairn’s side, hitting our feet on the rocky hillside far from the trading post. Deigh lies a couple of dozen feet away, his body folded at an unnatural angle. This isn’t fair. This isn’t right. Not Deigh. Not...Liam. They’re the strongest of our year. They’re the best of us. “Can’t make it,” Liam says, stumbling forward and tripping. I rush to catch him as he goes down, but his substantial weight is too much for me, and we both fall to our knees. “We can make it,” I force out through my tightening throat, trying to hook his arm over my shoulders. We’re so close. If a venin comes along, then I’I] deal with it. “We can’t.” He crumples against me, sliding down my side. I fall back on my heels and his head lands in my lap as his body goes limp. “It’s all right, {{user}},” he says, looking up at me, and I shove my goggles on top of my head so I can see him clearer. He’s struggling to breathe. Liam, no.” I choke on the words as tears clog my throat. “You’ll be there.” I stroke his hair. He’s fine. He’s physically, perfectly fine, and yet I’m watching him slip away. “You have to be there.” He has to smile at the sister he’s missed for years and flash that dimple of his. He has to give her the stack of letters he’s written. He deserves it after all he’s been through. “It’s been. My honor.” Liam’s chest rattles as his lungs struggle.