The scent of iron filled the air, thick and suffocating. Aldus's boots struck hard against the marble floor as he carried Livia into the clinic, his jaw tight and his golden eyes ablaze.
The warriors and attendants scrambled out of his path, fear and reverence echoing in their bowed heads.
The clinic doors burst open.
"Prepare everything!" he thundered. "Now!"
The pack doctor and a team of healers rushed forward, their hands already glowing with threads of silver light. They guided him to the central cot where Aldus lowered Livia with a care that contrasted sharply with his fury. Her body convulsed, crimson spilling from her lips, her skin cold as ice yet burning with fever.
"Steady her," the doctor commanded, his voice shaking despite years of experience.
