{VIVIENNE'S POV}
We finally reached the grove where we left the horses. My legs were trembling from the run, my lungs burned with every breath I took, but I forced myself to keep going. The moment we broke through the treeline, Kai and I lowered Riven to the ground.
The sight of him nearly made me sick.
His body was a map of torment. His hair clung to his face, soaked with sweat and darkened with blood. Open wounds carved across his chest, his arms and legs. His face was pale, lips cracked, his skin clammy as if the life had already been wrung out of him. And his hands—
My throat went dry as I swallowed.
Both palms had holes bored straight through, so deep I could see the ground beneath. The edges were raw, torn, blackened like the flesh had been seared and cut all at once.
Kai crouched beside me, his voice low, almost breaking. "What… what did they do to him?"
I turned to Eden. He looked shaken, but steady enough. "Please," I begged, "heal him."
