Alderon's POV
I froze for a heartbeat, my chest tightening as I saw the agor lunge at Maria. She wasn't moving. Not a step. Not an attempt to dodge.
I was too far. Too far to reach her in time from the chariot.
The world slowed. Every scream, every panicked shout, faded into a dull hum. Only the sight of her—the girl who had saved me once—kept my mind from shattering completely.
I wrenched Elowen's hands off me as she clung to my arm, screaming for me to stop, and ran. Straight. Forward. My boots thudding against the forest floor, my sword drawn in a glinting arc, adrenaline burning through every nerve.
"Maria!" I shouted, my voice cracking with urgency.
Somewhere behind me, voices called my name. My father, my sister, even the guards. But I didn't stop. I couldn't.
And then it happened.
The agor reached her first.
