Chapter 27

Jovie wakes slung over Acker’s shoulder, nauseated and weak from days of lingering post-awakening pain. She notes Acker’s healed but mangled side and complains about the saigon root, while sensing her own magic curled small and seemingly afraid. Acker reveals it has been four days, not three, and that her pain has outlasted what he expected.

Acker warns that a band of rebels has been shadowing them for two days. Blue scouts their movements but the pattern is erratic, and the group keeps reacquiring their scent. Despite exhaustion, Acker carries Jovie steadily through dense forest, highlighting how dependent she is in her current state.

Reaching a gorge with a foaming, fast stream, Acker confers with Blue, who indicates the pursuers have dropped from twelve to about ten—possibly split by Acker’s false trails. Recognizing Jovie cannot cross on her own, Acker searches the riverbed with his magic for metal-rich stones.

With Jovie clinging to his back, Acker draws pebbles and larger ore fragments from the torrent, fusing them into a floating, metal-laden stone bridge. He steps across under spray and cold, maintaining the structure with one hand until they reach the far bank. He then releases the bridge, letting it collapse back into the rapids and erase any sign of their crossing.

Breathing hard but focused, Acker confirms Jovie can hold on and immediately pushes them into a fast, distance-making run through the woods. As daylight fades, Jovie slips into unconsciousness, their lead tenuous but their trail obscured behind them.