“Farron.” The voice is weak but as strong as an anchor to my heart. Pulling me out of the flames. Out of the crashing waves. “Farron, please. Come back.”
Hands touch my face. But what hands could brave the Green Flame?
It’s him. The real him.
My vision clears. His powers settle within me, fitting into the tight spaces between mine. Dayton, pale and blurry-eyed, kneels before me.
“Hi,” I whisper.
“Hi,” he says back.
I look at my hands. They’re the same as always, a scholar’s hands, the calluses only where my pen rubs, but I know they’re different. I am infused with power. No sword could stand against me.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Weak. You really took it out of me.”
I tilt my head, examining him.Did I?I ask my friend.Did I take the Green Flame away from him?
No, the Baron purrs.Just as you could never remove his blessing, my ember still burns within him. It is what keeps him alive. Do not fret. It will flicker to life again once he’s rested. In the meantime, you have done very well. I am proud of you, son.
84
Keldarion
The Prince of Thorns should have chosen somewhere else tofight me. The deserts of Summer, the lush fields of Springs, even the murky forests of Autumn would have been a wiser choice. But not here, not in my realm.
And he should know better than to threaten my mate.
Ice crawls along the briars impaling me and then cracks them to splinters.
I leap to my feet, every fiber of my being ignited with fury, and close the distance between us in a single breath. Caspian has no time to react before my hand clamps around his throat.
“You will never touch her!” I snarl, slamming him against the jagged mountainside with such force that the ground trembles. The echo of the impact reverberates through the ice and stone.
Caspian’s eyes blaze, his lips curling into a cruel smile. “Fine.” The heat of his breath brushes against my face. “Then you will burn.”
Green flames erupt from him, consuming us both in an instant. They’re searing, alive, and all-encompassing, like a swarm of fire-driven serpents biting into every inch of myexposed skin. The pain is excruciating, but I don’t release him. Ice cracks and melts along my body, steam rising between us.
“Do you hear that?” Caspian whispers, leaning closer, his tone mockingly soft, lips brushing mine. “It’s the sound of Winter melting beneath my hands.”
I growl and shove him harder against the wall, my other hand forming an icy dagger, but the flames roar louder, making every breath a struggle. My vision blurs, but I refuse to let him go.
“We’ve done this dance before, Cas,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “I’ll never let you win.”
“Enough!” Rosalina’s voice cuts through the chaos.
Caspian falters, his flames flickering as he turns his head. My breath catches as I see her in a place she should not be. Rosalina has suspended herself off the side of the mountain, golden briars coiled around her. The wind tears at her hair and dress, but the light of her magic glows bright against the cold, harsh landscape.
“Rosalina!” I yell, my voice raw with fear. If she loses control of her magic for even a second…
Her words ring clear in my mind, soft and sure.Trust me, Kel.
Trust her?
I look at Caspian, his expression dark, flames still curling around his hands as he watches her, warily curious.
Trust.
