Phoenix Chosen #3 (The Phoenix Guardians #3)

27. Tyler

27

TYLER

I dive to his side.

“Kalistratos,” I repeat, desperate for some sign of life.

Just like in my vision, his hand is still pressed across his left shoulder, which is covered in dark blood. Hesitantly, I lower my palm to his back, terrified of what I’m about to feel.

Relief. There’s movement—a shallow breath.

“Tyler,” he groans.

“I’m going to flip you,” I say. “Hold on.”

I turn him onto his back as gently as I can. His cheeks are stained with mud and soot. I’m shocked to see his face so pale. His eyes flutter open and flick back and forth before locking onto mine. He smiles weakly.

“Thank the Gods you’re safe,” he says.

Carefully, I move his hand away from his shoulder.

Oh, shit.

I was expecting bad, but… how am I going to deal with this?

The first aid kit.

I don’t have it. It’s in Jackson’s bag, and now Jackson is…

I shake my head. I need to focus. I can’t do anything about Jackson now. I just need something to stop this bleeding…

Untying the egg sling from across my body, I set Eggy on the ground beside us and use the cloth as a makeshift bandage.

“This is going to hurt,” I tell him. “Three, two…”

I pull the sling as tight as I can. Kalistratos grits his teeth and bites back a scream.

“That stings,” he mutters. “Oh, that stings.”

I help him sit up to elevate the wound, and he slumps against my chest. I cradle him in my arms. I don’t even have water to give him—the water skins are in the supply pouches, and those got dropped back where we were attacked.

“It seems… like I’ve been injured,” he jokes.

I grin and force out a laugh. “No shit, Sherlock.”

“ Shore… lahk… ” he repeats.

“Don’t worry. You’re gonna be fine, okay? We’ll get you to Zona and she’ll fix you right up, just like she did last time.”

Kalistratos smiles and reaches up to touch my face. I press my hand to his and hold it in place against my cheek.

“Tyler. Zona is in Athenos.”

“Then we’ll go to Markos. They have medicine.”

He exhales softly. “I’m just glad you’re safe. Eggy?”

“Right here,” I say.

“Good. Very good.” He reaches out and places his hand on Eggy’s shell, then takes a deep breath and braces himself. He’s trying to get up.

“Don’t,” I tell him.

“I can stand,” he says, and immediately slumps back. “Shit. This isn’t even that bad.”

The sling is soaking through. I fight to suppress my panic and cover the area with my palm, putting pressure on it. Kalistratos flinches.

“I’ve had worse injuries,” he grunts. “It’s alright.”

But it’s not. I can feel the life draining from his body and his energy slipping away. And despite the smile he wears to reassure me, I know it’s happening fast.

He sees the panic in my eyes refusing to be tamped down. He pulls my forehead to his lips.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I should never have let you leave my side. If I’d been stronger, if I knew how to use my goddamn powers, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Tyler, don’t say such things. You’re the strongest man I’ve ever met. I watched you give birth. I know this.” He places his hand on top of mine. His skin is clammy and cool.

Then I hear Airos shouting in the distance, trying to find his way to us. I yell to him, and he appears out of the forest and rushes to kneel by Kalistratos’s side.

“Jackson?” I ask him.

Airos’s expression is grim. “Taken onboard the air flier. They have him.”

“They have an air flier?” Kalistratos says. “ We’re supposed to have an air flier.”

I pull the cloth back from Kalistratos’s shoulder and Airos washes the wound with clean water from his water skin. He stares at the wound for a moment, then looks at me with an expression that inspires no confidence.

“You have to do something,” I whisper.

“I’ll try.”

Airos holds his staff over Kalistratos’s shoulder and mutters some words under his breath. The wound hisses and fizzes like it’s been doused with hydrogen peroxide. Kalistratos is sweating heavily. I hold his hand, but there’s not much strength in his grip. The bleeding has slowed, but the energy is still leaving his body.

“It’s the wound,” Airos says in a low voice. “It’s not a normal sword wound. It was the shadow on those weapons. It must’ve imparted some kind of poison with the strike.”

“Every poison has a cure, right?” I say desperately. “You have to keep trying.”

Airos closes his eyes and continues with his spells, even though we both know this isn’t ordinary poison or regular magic. This is something beyond his skills, beyond Zona’s medicine, and even beyond the best surgeons and doctors on Earth. This is from Umbrios.

White ash floats around us like snowflakes. Airos slumps back onto his heel. “Dammit,” he says.

Kalistratos places a hand on Airos’s knee. “Don’t waste your energy,” he says weakly. “You’ve done what you can.”

“No!” I shout. “We’re not giving up.”

“ Tyler, ” Kalistratos says. “Look at me. Look at me .”

His eyes are so tired. Mine are filled with tears. He reaches up and pushes his thumb across my cheek.

“You have to finish this,” he tells me. “Get Jackson back. Find Alyx. Take our egg to the temple.”

“No,” I sob, pushing my face against his. “You fucking stop that. How am I supposed to do any of this without you? You’re my Guardian.”

Kalistratos smiles again. “You’ve never needed my protection.”

“I need you . Kalistratos!”

This can’t be happening. It’s not supposed to go down like this. I’m not going to lose him.

I press my lips to his, but he barely has the strength to return the kiss. Tears roll down my cheeks and drip onto his face, mixing with the flecks of ash stuck to his skin to form little streaks of white. I can feel it—he’s at the edge now, fighting to keep the darkness from pulling the very last drop of life force from his body.

Kalistratos closes his eyes.

This can’t be the end.