It took Koru two days to find him. Two days of following disturbed dunes, shattered rock formations, and traces of power to finally find Sagiri.
When he finally reached the cave, Sagiri was curled against the stone, groaning in pain. He was breathing hard, and his fingers had long ago worn through the skin. Blood stained the rocks around him. The markings beneath his flesh still writhed. Every few moments, his body would spasm violently as another wave of pain tore through him.
Koru said nothing, and Zaria did not stop him when he approached Sagiri. She was a smart beast, and she knew he was not their enemy. Even so, the beast whimpered silently. It must have been agonizing for it to watch its master suffer with no means to help. Koru simply knelt beside him and drove two fingers into a point beneath Sagiri's collarbone. Then another beneath his shoulder. Then his neck. Then his wrist. Ancient, precise strikes.
A secret art.
