by Jayne Castel
The force of it hit the others in a great gust, slamming Lilia and Dain back. Lilia stumbled, tripped, and fell against the cavern wall, only narrowly missing cracking her head.
In the center of the chamber, two figures dueled. The Dark swirled around them like ink-back smoke.
Ryana flung out a noose of shadow, which wrapped around Gael’s neck and snapped tight. However, he twisted free, thrusting his right hand out and slamming a fist of darkness at her face. Ryana dodged, narrowly avoiding the blow, but he struck out again, this time catching her shoulder.
Ryana cried out, yet she did not lose focus. Instead, she twisted sideways and released a black coil that curled around Gael’s ankles. Then she yanked him off his feet. Once again, he rolled like a tumbler, freeing himself of her snare as he went.
Gael got up, grinning savagely.
Watching him, Lilia felt panic rise. Ryana was trying her best, but she was clearly outmatched, and Gael knew it. If they didn’t do something, he’d kill her.
Gael sent a bullwhip of darkness lashing down on Ryana. She spun backward. Her scream of pain echoed in the stone cavern, cutting off only when she collided with the wall.
She slid down the smooth surface and lay unmoving on the floor.
Gael moved to finish Ryana off, but never reached her—for Dain jumped in. Ignoring Ryana’s earlier advice, he swung the sword he’d drawn from the scabbard on his back. If it had met its mark, the blade would have cloven Gael in-two. But the enchanter darted back as the sword whistled down upon him—and as a result, Dain overreached.
He lost his footing and fell forward. Now that he’d lost the element of surprise, Dain let his sword fall. It tumbled to the ground with a clang while Dain rolled to his feet. He yanked a fighting dagger from his belt and lunged for Gael once more.
Dain moved fast, and his blade found its mark, slicing down Gael’s forearm.
The enchanter’s roar reverberated around the chamber. His face twisting, he flung out a hand and released the Dark. A wall of shadow hurtled into Dain. It picked him up and flung him hard against the side of the cavern. He slid to the ground, groaning, yet still gripping his blade. A second volley of darkness slammed his head against the stone.
Dain slumped, the knife clattering upon the stone floor. Gael gathered the Dark once more and moved in for the kill.
Lilia watched, horrified.
No.
Terror pulsed through her then—fear for Dain, for Ryana, and for herself—and Lilia felt herself shift.
A feral cry echoed through the chamber.
The enchanter twisted around to face her, his dark gaze widening in shock. His reaction gave her the element of surprise. Lilia flew at Gael, snarling, her claws raking across exposed skin.
He snarled a curse and clubbed her across the side of the head.
Ears ringing, Lilia flew back, rolled, and bounced up onto all fours. She sprang toward Gael once more, but he gathered the Dark and flung it at her. A shield of shadow slammed up in front of Lilia and repelled her, catapulting her across the cavern.
With all of them temporarily disabled, Gael moved swiftly.
Two paces took him into the light streaming down from the crevice above. Still dazed from colliding with the wall, Lilia looked up to see the enchanter reach into his jerkin pocket and draw forth two gleaming pieces of grey stone.
The King Breaker.
Beyond the Ice Door, the silhouette moved, hands sliding expectantly across the smooth surface. Valgarth was about to walk free. Even through the thick layer of ice, Lilia could feel his raw excitement.
Gael lifted the two pieces of the stone into the sunlight and placed them together. A burst of silvery light illuminated the chamber as the two halves of The King Breaker fused.
It was then that Lilia spied the key hole.
She’d been too distracted earlier to note the change in the surface of the door when the light touched it; but now she saw it—an indentation the shape of two interlinked spheres sitting around seven feet above the ground.
Gael saw the key hole too and moved toward it.
Lilia couldn’t let him do it, couldn’t let him set The Shadow King loose on the world again. She lunged for Gael once more, sailing through the air as she aimed high. This time her teeth sank into the back of his neck.
Gael let out a strangled cry and sagged against the Ice Door, still clutching The King Breaker. Lilia clung on, her teeth sinking deep. The enchanter grunted, twisted, and threw himself back against the Ice Door, crushing Lilia.
Gasping, she let go of him and slid down the cold, slippery surface.
The enchanter staggered, raising his hand to where blood ran down the back of his neck. His mouth twisted, and he gathered the Dark.
Terror thundered through Lilia’s veins. He was going to kill her this time.
Two fighting knives thudded into Gael’s torso.
The enchanter let out a ragged gasp and staggered, clutching at the hilts: one protruding from his right shoulder, the other from the lower left side of his ribcage.
Gael stared across the cavern, at where Dain crouched. The enchanter’s mouth twisted, his dark eyes glassy. Then his face sagged, and he sank to his knees. A heartbeat later he fell forward onto his face, still clutching The King Breaker.
Behind the Ice Door, The Shadow King began to beat upon the ice. There was no sound, although Lilia could see the desperation in his movement. The ground trembled beneath her with each blow of his fists.
Lilia inhaled deeply and shifted back into her human form. Cold air feathered across her naked skin, and she shivered.
“Lily.” Dain appeared at her side. His voice was ragged with pain. “Are you hurt?”
Lilia tore her gaze from the looming outline of the frantic Valgarth and glanced over at where Gael lay, face-down.
“I’m alright,” she gasped. Her attention shifted to the pale-faced woman on the other side of the cavern. “Just bruised … Ryana?”
The enchanter groaned as she pushed herself into a sitting position against the wall. Her face twisted from the effort it had taken to sit upright. She now lay back against the wall panting, a faint sheen of sweat covering her face. “I’m sure I’ve broken something,” she gasped. “A few ribs … and my right arm, I think.”
Lilia glanced back at Dain. He’d just saved both their lives—and had prevented Valgarth from walking free. Blood trickled down his cheek from a graze to his forehead and like Ryana, his breathing was labored. Lilia reached out to him, her fingers entwining with his.
“Lilia.” Ryana’s voice, weak but nonetheless insistent, intruded. “You need to take The King Breaker to Asher.” The enchanter broke off here, her breathing coming in short gasps. “Before it’s too late.”
Lilia nodded, before she glanced down at where Gael sprawled on his stomach, unmoving. Dain’s knives had evidently done their job well.
She crouched down next to Gael. Just a few feet away, Valgarth had gone wild—pounding at the ice with all his force—but Lilia ignored him. Reaching out, she grasped Gael’s hand. His fingers were still curled around the talisman, and she had to pry it out of his grip.
Sitting back on her haunches, she looked down at The King Breaker. Finally whole after all these centuries, it sat cool and gleaming upon her palm. She suddenly felt loath to get rid of it. “Are you sure there isn’t another way?” she asked hesitantly. “We could hide it again … somewhere no one’s ever thought to look.”
“Folk already tried that, Lily,” Dain reminded her. “It didn’t work, remember?”
“The stone is working its charm on you again,” Ryana rasped. “It knows you well, and knows you feel compelled to protect it.”
Lilia stared at her a moment. Ryana was right. She couldn’t explain the intense desire to keep the stone safe. There was no logical reason for it. She glanced over at the Ice Door, at the threatening figure still hammering at it. While this stone could be found, Valgarth remained a menace to them all. “I’ll make sur
e Asher gets it,” she replied firmly, her fingers closing over the stone.
Ryana exhaled slowly and closed her eyes once more. “The battle below should be near its end.” Her voice was barely above a whisper now. “I fear the Shadow Army will be the victors. If you hurry … you may be able to turn things around.”
“How are we supposed to find Asher in the midst of a battle?” Dain asked hoarsely.
Ryana’s eyes flickered open, and she focused on Lilia. “You need to shift again. It’s the only way you’ll be able to cross the battlefield.”
Lilia rose to her feet. Her limbs were trembling slightly, both from cold and the aftermath of her fight with Gael. Clamping her jaws tightly to stop them from chattering, she nodded.
“Do you remember the way out?” Ryana rasped.
Lilia stilled, before shaking her head. She hadn’t paid much attention earlier, leaving the navigation to Ryana.
“I do,” Dain spoke up. “I’ll lead her out.”
The enchanter nodded, her gaze remaining on Lilia. “As soon as you get outside, shift.”
Dain frowned. “What about you? Someone needs to help you down the mountain.”
“Come back for me,” she murmured, her eyes closing once more. “I’ll be fine here in the meantime.”
44
Into Battle
Lilia and Dain took a torch and followed the network of tunnels back to The Hall of the Night Sky. Lilia hadn’t bothered to get dressed. It would waste time, and she would only lose her clothing again when shifted. Nonetheless, it felt strange to run barefoot through the tunnels, to feel the cold air whisper across her naked skin.
Dain set a fast pace, his blood-streaked face white with pain. He made no complaint though, his hand firmly clasped around Lilia’s.
Outdoors, sun streamed across the road. Lilia peered up at it, sighing at the warmth on her chilled skin. She could see the pale blue sky beyond, with the shell of the moon and ‘Ninuil’, the Morning Star, shining brightly against it. However, the clouds were starting to close up. In a short while, the world would be cast in shadow once more.
Panic fluttered up within Lilia. Getting rid of The King Breaker was the only way to ensure The Shadow King was truly defeated. Even behind the Ice Door, he wielded more power than he should; for he knew the means of freeing him lay nearby. He gave his shadow creatures strength and hope.
A few yards in front of the entrance lay a body: Brand. He sprawled on his back in a pool of congealing blood, staring sightlessly up at the heavens.
Lilia turned to Dain, raising an eyebrow. “Disagreement between thieves?”
He pulled a face. “Doesn’t surprise me.” His gaze met hers. “Are you ready?”
Lilia nodded. She was grateful then that Ryana had taught her how to make herself shift. She’d been so terrified inside the mountain that she hadn’t needed the skill. But she did now.
She was about to close her eyes and begin, when Dain reached for her. He pulled Lilia into his arms, kissing her. His embrace was passionate, hungry, and held an edge of desperation. He was worried for her.
“Be careful,” he said roughly, pulling back.
Lilia drew in a shaky breath. “I will,” she whispered.
He stared back at her, his midnight blue eyes glittering. “Come back to me, Lily … safe.”
Lilia favored him with a soft smile and closed her eyes.
She focused on how she’d felt a few hours earlier, when Saul had attacked them. The fury that he’d been about to kill the man she loved swamped her, blotting out all other thought. She’d shifted then—and so she did now.
Heat exploded through her body, and her skin started to crawl and stretch.
The King Breaker dropped from her hand to the ground, and when Lilia opened her eyes, it sat before her on the dirt. Dain stood above her. She could feel him watching her, yet she didn’t look his way. She had to focus now on the task before her.
Picking up the stone in her jaws, she shot off down the path, away from the Caverns of the Lost.
The track wound its way down the mountainside, its surface rough and potholed. However, the uneven going didn’t bother Lilia. One of the things she’d always enjoyed when she shifted was her ease of movement, the way she could run tirelessly. Her reactions were quick, her senses razor-sharp.
Cries echoed up from the valley below, alongside the clash of steel and iron. The sun had risen above the hills to the east when she reached the vale below. A frisson of panic jolted through Lilia. She was almost out of time. She had to find Asher, before the moon and the morning star both faded from the sky.
A carpet of writhing bodies covered the valley floor. The roar of battle was deafening. The charnel stench of blood and guts, metallic and foul, was almost overpowering in its intensity.
Panting from her sprint down the mountainside, Lilia’s keen gaze surveyed the battlefield. She had to dive into that nightmare. There was no other way.
Teeth clenched grimly around The King Breaker, Lilia flew into the melee.
In her fox form, everything seemed huge. Standards stuck up at odd angles, rising up like great sails above her. The carcasses of dead horses littered the ground like boulders. Men and shadow creatures were giants thundering around her. The slashing and stabbing was brutal, the choking and wheezing of death, terrifying.
But Lilia didn’t falter.
Dashing through the forest of legs, she did her best to avoid shadow creatures: the snaking white bodies of Hiriel, the jabbering and snarling clusters of Dusk Imps, and the long-limbed Nightgengas.
Memories of that awful night in the wild, when she’d shifted to escape them, resurfaced. Terror pulsed through her—and yet she ran.
She’d thought she would have to break through the lines between the two armies, but the fighting was now so advanced that the two forces had blended together. It was a fight to the death, and she saw that Rithmar was losing. They should never have faced this fight alone, but time had been against them. With Thûn defeated, Anthor on the warpath, and Farras far to the south, Rithmar hadn’t been able to call allies to its side.
Rithmar soldiers, blood-splattered and grim-faced, hacked at the men and shadow creatures surrounding them. The Shadow Army was slowly tightening the noose. Lilia passed the king. He fought on foot—a tall, broad-shouldered man with close-cut dark hair who roared orders to his soldiers, urging them on even in the jaws of defeat.
Eventually, Lilia found the enchanters, a ragged group that were struggling to hold their own now.
Thrindul was nowhere in sight, yet she spied Asher and Irana, fighting side by side.
Lilia dove through the fray—dodging sword-blades, darting shadows, and tongues of flame—and halted before Asher.
His gaze trained on the Nightgenga lunging for him, Asher didn’t even see her.
Lilia yelped, trying to get his attention, yet he didn’t look down. He held a guttering torch in his left hand and threw a bolus of flame in the Nightgenga’s face with his right.
The creature staggered back, only to be cut down by a Rithmar soldier.
Frustrated, Lilia yelped again. Asher still didn’t hear her.
It was risky to shift in the midst of battle. She was safer as a fox. Yet she couldn’t speak in this form.
Lilia rose to her feet, The King Breaker falling into her outstretched hand.
A hand-axe flew past, frighteningly close. Lilia cringed, aware of her nakedness, her vulnerability.
“Asher!”
Dispatching two Dusk Imps, he whirled round to face her. Blood encrusted, his smoke-grey robes tattered and filthy, the enchanter looked near to collapse. Blood and gore splattered his face, and dirt matted his pale-blond hair; yet his silver eyes gleamed at the sight of Lilia.
“Shadows,” he choked. “You did it?”
Lilia nodded, holding the stone out to him. “Now, Asher … it has to be now!”
“Protect me!” Asher shouted to the surrounding enchanters. They all obeyed immediately ex
cept Irana, who hesitated. Like Asher, she was injured and filthy—still, her emerald gaze was sharp, her face resolute. Those green eyes narrowed when they focused on the stone in Lilia’s hand. “Asher … we—”
“Do it!”
Jaw tightening, Irana did as bid, joining the enchanters who formed a protective circle around Asher and Lilia.
“Hold the stone out,” Asher instructed as he shifted stance, planting his legs apart. “Flat on your open palm.”
Lilia swallowed, obeying. She hoped this wouldn’t hurt.
Asher gathered the Light, moving his right hand in a circular motion, palm upraised. His torch flared, the firelight bouncing onto his hand. The Star of Light tattooed there started to glow gold.
Murmuring words that were lost in the roar of battle around them, Asher raised his palm, summoning the other sources of light above him.
Lilia craned her neck upwards. The dark clouds had almost covered the sky. The sun, the moon, and the morning star were just moments away from being obscured.
Asher thrust his hand high, his shout cutting through the din.
Three beams of light shot from the sky: one gold, the other two silver-white. They exploded on Asher’s palm so brightly that Lilia cried out, raising her free hand to shield her eyes. When she glanced back, eyes smarting, she saw that a sphere of white light pulsed upon Asher’s outstretched palm.
His face was taut, sweat-slicked from effort. He swayed slightly on his feet, fighting exhaustion. He met Lilia’s gaze then and stepped close to her, tossing away the torch as he did so.
“I hope this works,” he muttered.
A heartbeat later he turned his palm over and placed the pulsing sphere of light over The King Breaker, cupping Lilia’s hand underneath with his own as he did so.
Time stood still for a heartbeat.
Lilia tore her gaze from Asher’s and looked down to see white light explode through his fingers. Heat seared against her palm, pain jolting up her arm. She tried to yank her hand back, but Asher held her fast.
