Eventually the world would stop spinning, or at least slow enough to let her rest. There was a noise nearby — scuffling feet, and the sound of someone breathing hard. Or was that just her own laboured breath? Sierra reached for Rasten. Did you find the one you were looking for? Yes, I found him. She could feel the men scattered through the halls, but she couldn’t lead him to his target, she lacked the will to form the words. Instead, she’d just let him into her mind, so he could use her senses to track the quarry himself. There was a sudden flare of pain in her hands, a searing shaft of fire through each palm, making her gasp and twitch on the stone. Nearby, someone cried out, a hoarse, strangled sound. The searing pain swiftly mellowed, shifting to a hot current of power. The floor seemed to grow hard and cold, its unyielding chill making her bones and muscles ache. Then, Rasten crouched beside her, slipping one arm under her shoulders as he scooped her up, ignoring her groan of protest.
