A Cutting Blow - Part 5

He saw the gold swirling around her. A blinding light. He saw the sparks racing up her forearms, and the light that blossomed in her chest. Oliver had seen the sight before in himself, and he'd even seen it in Jok, but seeing it in Nila, in that moment, when his heart was ready to shatter, he thought it might have been the most beautiful thing in the world.

She gave him a look that was half a smile, and half an embarrassed shrug, and then she collapsed headfirst into the snow.

Oliver didn't need to think. There was little he could do for the dead, and much he could do for the living. His mind had already been screaming at him for well over five minutes that his efforts were futile, and that his mistake was irreversible.

"Nila…" He said, reaching her, more than a touch of concern in his voice.

"Just… tired," she told him truthfully. "You make me push myself… so hard."