The horn note faded, but its echo remained, a physical tremor in the air, a thrum in the stone beneath us. For a single, suspended heartbeat, Shi and I were still frozen in our shared moment, his hand on my cheek, the world narrowed to the space between us. Then, the rider's pointed finger shattered it all.
Shi was on his feet in a single, fluid motion, pulling me up with him. His body, which had been a moment ago lax with exhaustion, was now a coiled spring of pure tension. The hand that had been so gentle on my skin was now a manacle of iron around my wrist.
"Stay behind me," he growled, the words ripped from his throat. He placed himself between me and the rider on the ridge, a solid, immovable wall of flesh and will.
