I can’t suck in a breath. Where do I go? To Farron, before Quellos sears a hole in his head? To Dayton, stuck in a net like a fish caught at sea? To Rosalina and Kel, trapped in the heart of the swarm? Or stay with Caspian, before the Green Flame rouses him and takes him once and for all?
Where do I go? How do I fix this?
I was supposed to protect them.
But I can’t. I can’t.
So are you going to stand here and do nothing?
What? I turn in a circle. My feet slip out from under me, and I collapse to the debris.
Are you going to moan to yourself that you can’t do anything? Going to keep believing that lie?
There’s a voice in my head. One I haven’t heard in so long. One that used to speak to me from the depths of my darkness. But I silenced that voice?—
Because you didn’t want to hear what I had to say.
It was Kairyn’s voice, wasn’t it?
No. No, it was never Kairyn’s voice.
It was mine.
You are stronger than you think. Do your job, Ezryn. Protect them!
“I–I can’t?—”
Rise up, the inner voice says.You will not break!
“I will not break,” I echo.
You will not break!
“Rise up.” I push myself to my feet and stare at Rosalina. “I will not break.”
I have to protect them. There’s no other choice, and that means there’s no option for me to fail.
I choose this life with her. With them. Whatever it takes.
“I will not break.” The inner voice doesn’t respond, but in the back of my mind, I hear the powerful howl of a wolf.
40
Rosalina
Despite the ache and exhaustion in my bones, I stagger to allfours. Something cuts my palm, and I pull back.
A shard of luminous steel, appearing as if carved from ice?—
With a gasp, I stare up at Kel, who holds a hilt, no blade, in his hands. He’s looking at the broken Sword of the Protector as one might look at a dragon: an impossibility made real.
Faustrius stands calmly with his huge, black sword drawn. How is it possible? The Sword of the Protector is a divine weapon, crafted of ore from the Above. What could shatter it?
“I’m sorry, Keldarion. May your death bring you peace,” Faustrius says.
His threat shoots me to life. There’s no magic left within me and apparently no sense either. I do the only thing I can think of. I snag Kel’s hand and pull him away from Faustrius.
“Run! Up the bridge house!” I shout.
