I’ve lost track of time, mesmerized by the miracle happening before me. The bowl returns to white and the smoke dissipates. I take a cautious step and stretch my neck to look inside. At the bottom rests a stone unlike anything I’ve ever seen. My breath hitches as I look closer, needing to take in its beauty. The Imperium reminds me of the aurora that I spent hours watching with Kyron, but deep in its fibers, clouds roll, stars sparkle, and colors in every imaginable hue hum in a harmonic swirl. I timidly inch my fingers inside the basin and brush them along the soft edges of the triangular stone. Warmth travels up my hand, the sensation extremely pleasant. I close my fingers around it and exhale. It’s done.
The stone is weightless and rests comfortably in my palm. I press it to my forehead and silently thank the Statera. Nosooner is my prayer done and the ground shakes beneath my feet. I shove the Imperium into my pocket and raise my gaze to the ceiling. Cracks inch across the dome, joining together in the center. The quaking grows stronger and pieces of marble crash to the floor.
I sheath my sword and run.
The steps are already cracking, creating enormous gaps between them. They slither away from each other, coiling like a snake around its prey. A large chunk of marble falls behind me, making it clear that I can stay and get crushed or take my chances with the stairs. It might only add seconds to my life, but I choose the latter.
My heart pounds and my body fights against me. I anticipate the moment that I will have nowhere left to run and I’m free falling. But it never happens. The stairs shift, hugging the rock spire and descending in a never-ending spiral, giving me a way back to the ground.
A column across from me smashes to the ground, bringing a large portion of the dome with them. The clash of marble against marble is like an explosion. It rattles my teeth and sets my feet in a sprint. The annihilation of the temple moves outward, following me down. As soon as my foot leaves a step, it breaks free of the rock, plummeting toward the ground.
My head spins from the constant turns, and my stomach lurches as the world twirls with me. I stumble a few times but catch myself before I hit my knees. The lower I get the worse the state of the stairs. The falling marble has taken chunks out of my path. I leap the gaps, not giving a second thought for my safety. As long as I’m anywhere near this place, nothing is safe.
The ground grows closer. The bones below are buried now, crushed beneath the rubble. I jump over another chasm and fall short. My chest hits the backside of the remaining step. My feet dangle below me, and my fingers dig into the edge. I kick atthe rock, trying to find a foothold. The destruction doesn’t stop. It rushes up behind me, threatening to take me down with it. I make the hard decision to let go. The fall is quick, and the landing is hard. I lose my balance and tumble down several steps, ass over head. I hurry to my feet, running with a limp. Pain shoots up my leg from my ankle, and I clench my jaw, fighting through the agony. I’m so close to the end. The final step is within sight.
The crunch of my boot on solid ground almost brings me to my knees. If I had time for gratitude, I just might kiss the dirt. But there’s no time, and the dirt is covered in pieces of the temple. The stairs are still falling, and I need to get as far away from here.
“Elle!”
I jerk my head up to find Greer sitting on her horse at the edge of the decimated marble. She holds Nortus’ reins, and Ashavee stands at her side in her animal form. Statera, they are a gorgeous sight. Pure awe shines in their eyes, and the sag of their shoulders tells me they are relieved to see me alive.
I stumble over the huge chunks of what was once the temple, crawling and clawing my way to my friends. My ankle screams and the bruises riddling my body join their protest. It’s the longest journey of my life, but when I reach them, it is all worth it. They’re safe and we have what we came for.
“Are you all right to ride?” Greer asks, her gaze scanning me from head to toe.
I take the reins from her, and with a grunt, climb onto Nortus’ saddle. “Never been better.”
It’s a half-truth. I hold the power to right so many wrongs. At the same time, my body has never been so battered.
“Do you have it?” she asks.
“I have it,” I say, spurring my horse into motion.
What happened in that temple is a story for another time. A time when our kingdom isn’t in peril, when we can relax with a pint and laugh about it. Right now, it’s time to get back to my parah and finish what we set out to do.
Twenty-Six
KYRON
“Fuck,” I groan, turning onto my side and pulling the blanket around me over my shoulder.
Pain shoots through every joint, every muscle. The surface I’m lying on is uncomfortable, but that’s nothing new. I’ve spent hundreds of nights making do with what I have. Sand, rocks, even mud, I’ve slept in the worst of conditions. It appears the situation I find myself in is no different, yet I can’t recall how I got into it.
The crackle of fire summons me to wrench my eyes open. I stare at the flames for a moment, wracking my brain for the missing memories. They elude me. Every time I think I’ve grasped one, they slip away like a pesky bee who won’t be caught. I gather the strength to lift my head and take in the rest of my environment. Snow glitters on the tops of towering gray rocks, and stars shimmer brightly in the clear night sky. It’s cold, so fucking cold. The kind of chill that is bone deep.
I run my hand over my chest and hiss. The number of scars I’ve collected over the years is countless. Stab wounds, burns, asolid punch to the face, but none of them compare to whatever this is.
An image flashes in my head—four sharp claws ripping down my torso. Images of a battle rearrange like puzzle pieces in my head until they are one clear picture. It was a brutal fight with the Allaji. We were overpowered, and I should have died on that snow-covered field.
“How are you feeling, Ky?”
My gaze darts to the side. Terro sits at the opening to the alcove we’re in. His back rests against a rock with his arm resting over a bent knee. He is bundled in a heavy jacket, and his braids peek out from the bottom of a cap. His attention splits between me and whatever lies outside of our shelter.
“I feel like shit,” I grumble.
“Being stupid and not treating wounds before riding for hours will do that to you.”
I glare at him and shake my head. “I was running off pure instinct. We needed to get the fuck out of there before more arrived and we couldn’t fight them off.”
