Chapter 19: Why talk too much
Heat exploded behind them.
Kaedros clenched his jaw as searing fire licked his back, burning through cloth, blackening ash where his coat once was. His skin crackled for a moment, then healed as quickly as if the heat wasn’t there at all.
His eyes flared gold.
"Taria," he said, voice low and tight.
She trembled beneath his arms, curled against him where he’d shielded her from the blast. Despite all their fights, all the monsters they’d faced, that had been too close.
His investment was nearly gone, just like that.
Her voice came small, shaken. "I’m alright... Are you? Kaedros, you..."
She tried to wriggle free from his grip, reaching for his face, his chest, trying to see if he was hurt. All she’d seen was the blinding flash, then his body shielding hers from the full force of the explosion.
"Are you burned? Let me see..." she pressed, her voice high with worry.
His hand tightened around her, just for a second.
His time and money was almost gone, just like that.
The explosion had been more light than fire. His Draconic blood, especially since he was a Sun Dragon him resistance to heat, and with his regeneration, even the worst of it had already vanished from his flesh.