Icebound

Chapter 36

Anyu and the others watched, numb and still half in disbelief, as Igni and the summer indwellers tightened restraints around Siku's wrists. Someone had healed Sakari, though the girl hadn't woken up yet. The two women, grandmother and granddaughter, were defeated. It was over.

Kano winced again, pulling Anyu's attention away as she remembered his injury. He grit his teeth together, a hand clasping the bloody wound on his stomach. It looked deep, and he must have lost a large amount of blood during their fight. Anyu tensed, a small panic returning to her. Supporting Kano between them, Anyu and Tavra moved to stand before Igni, letting Kano lay on the ground.

The summer indweller wasn't wearing his wooden mask anymore, and Anyu couldn't deny that the sight of his sharp-toothed maw was disconcerting. But Anyu knew the incredible powers in those teeth, and she wouldn't take it for granted.

Igni's gaze met hers as she let go of Kano and looked up at him.

"Can you heal him?" Her voice was much calmer than she felt.

Igni's eyes slid to Kano, lying on the ground at his feet. Blood continued to seep from his wound, staining the snow red around him. His breathing was labored, his expression one of clear pain. Tavra hovered next to him, looking afraid and uncertain of what to do. After seeming to take in the scene, Igni's gaze returned to Anyu.

"He's a winter indweller, isn't he?" His voice was colored with mistrust.

Anyu froze even as her blood boiled in incredulous anger. She had saved the summer indwellers to make things right, to return the world to its proper balance. If they thought they could get away with imbalancing it again, they would have to face her first.

"He was imprisoned by Siku because he tried to save you." Anyu's voice was icy, with a dangerous undertone to it. "He's risked his life this whole time to save you. He's dying right now because he helped save you." Her glare burned right through Igni. "If you don't heal him..." Anyu trailed off, not even knowing how to finish her sentence. There was nothing she had to threaten him with, nothing except her burning anger and fierce resolve, and those were both evident without her having to speak it aloud.

Igni paused. He assessed Anyu for a moment longer. Anyu gripped her knife tighter, prepared to rip a tooth out of the indweller's mouth if she had to. She refused to let Kano die here, not after everything they'd been through, not after finally winning. But Igni at last gave her a small nod and knelt to the ground beside Kano.

He opened his jaw wide, exposing the rows of pointed teeth. Tavra let out a noise of disgust and recoiled at the sight, but Anyu only watched intently as Igni plucked out a seemingly random tooth.

He crushed the tooth in his palm and let the white powder fall onto Kano's wound. Anyu watched anxiously, and behind her Shesh whinnied in concern.

The effect was immediate. The pained expression on Kano's face eased into one of tired relief, and his breathing began to return to normal. Anyu didn't know how long Igni's tooth would take to heal him completely, but the danger was past now- he was going to survive.

Kano's eyes suddenly opened wide, glancing around him in surprise. He sat up too quickly and winced, holding his side. He looked from Anyu and Tavra to Igni and seemed to understand what had happened.

"Thank you," he said to the summer indweller. He didn't seemed fazed by Igni's strange appearance, or perhaps he was still too much in shock to take notice of it. Igni merely shrugged.

"It seems I'm the one who owes thanks to you," he replied, his gaze flitting to Anyu quickly. "To all of you." He bowed his head.

Kano was about to say something but a punch to his shoulder interrupted him.