He didn't know how many hours had passed.
Tave lay sprawled on the jagged peak of that cliff, the wind ripping dust and grit through the air with such force it felt like it could peel the skin from his bones. It howled endlessly, and any weaker soul might've been thrown clean off this rocky outcrop.
He didn't move.
Lina had finished healing him. She was no longer by his side, off helping the others now, no doubt patching broken bones and torn skin, doing her part like the healer she was meant to be.
She hadn't taken heavy damage in the fall, thankfully. And now, she was working hard to make up for it. Making up for nearly dying, and nearly killing him.
Stupid. Completely, utterly stupid.
Tave clenched his jaw.
He wasn't trying to be a hero. He didn't jump to save her because of some noble instinct to protect others in danger.
He did it because she mattered. Because her role mattered.
