POV: Aphrodite
After battle, Lyra tends my wounds and my heart.
We've found temporary shelter in a rocky overhang while Kai scouts ahead for better defensible positions. The twins are posted at either end of our small camp. Cassian tends to Bastien's mangled arm with supplies Kai provided. Everyone is exhausted, bloodied, functioning on adrenaline dregs. The air still smells of blood and fear-sweat, acrid and cloying in my throat.
Lyra approaches me with clean water and bandages, her expression gentle but determined. The water sloshes quietly in the wooden bowl she carries, sending tiny ripples across the surface that catch the fading light. "Let me see your shoulder."
