A hard thump flew into Riyan’s back as the hilt of General Hyton’s sword made contact. Riyan fell forward and crashed into the ground. Snow mixed with blood on Riyan’s tongue. His muscles burned. Pain flared through his blood like blades. Cold tears stung his tense cheeks. His wool uniform tore at its seams. His bones cracked and re-mended. His scream shredded hisfrozen throat.
The pain was unbearable, made only worse by the barbed emotions sinking into the base of his brain and spreading through his body likea disease.
Terror. Weakness. Hopelessness.
Then his mind became a spiraling pit of grey, swirling storm clouds, barren of happiness, devoid of faith, or truthor light.
Guilt. The storm was guilt. He felt it in every nightmare, every breath, every heartbeat, and it screamedat him.
Your fault! Your fault!Your fault!
Hands clapped onto Riyan’s arms and shocked me out of the darkest depths of his mind. Riyan still refused to open his eyes, but I recognized the voice that commanded dozens of soldiers to haul Riyanto safety.
“Come on, boy!” the General roared. “You will not die on this mountain!Come on!”
Blood stained the snow. Tears streaked the dirt. Rocks dragged against raw skin. Muscles and joints ached. The screams got quieter. The snapping and crushing sounds softened. Everything faded intoblackness again.
Then another flashof white.
I was outside of Riyan’s head and floating around the peak of Nordingaard again. The foggy mountain pass poured fog out of its maw. Cold air whipped throughhoney-colored hair.
The taller, meaner Riyan that I knew stood in his uniform, towering over the dozens of the Duke’s archers behind him, including Grigory Thornebow. General Hyton stood with his archers but had his Hyton Blue eyes fixedon Riyan.
Riyan had both hands gripped on the hilt of Endre’s Revenge that he held aloft and ready. His muscles were tense. His chest heaved with his breath. His teeth were bared and gritted tight. His twilight eyes vibrated with intense focus on themountain pass.
The first stomp thundered through the pass. Then another. The giant emerged from the fog, blindly following the smell offresh meat.
“Come here, you fucking bastard,”Riyan growled.
The giant took one last step and Riyan’s feet sprang forward like he set offa trap.
Riyan roared like a lion freed from an iron cage. His boot kicked into the giant’s lumpy stomach. Magical grey flesh boomed as it hit the snowy plain. White knuckled fists gripped the sword’s hilt. Steel gleamed over the fallengrey mass.
Chop.
My eyes fluttered open to thousands of twinkling stars in an inky black sky.
My chest released a breath from my flushed lips and the mist curled like a phantom above me before disappearing into the night. Steam slowly writhed toward the heavens as warm water met cold air, each curve and bend lit from the calm blue glow ofthe water.
I was in the healing spring—free fromRiyan’s nightmare.
The warm water pulled at my submerged skin and my head rolled in the direction of its pull. Riyan sat next to me in the magical hot spring, guarding me as I floated above his arms. His face and chest were lit up by the cerulean glow of the water. His eyes were fixed on a faraway point, vibrating slightly as he stared. The muscles in his arms twitched under the water, ripples from each movement disturbing the calm surface ofthe spring.
The healing spring was full of enough magic to give Astrid pictures of her own memories when she bathed in it. The magic must have done the same for me, throwing me into Riyan’s head and showing me every cry, ache, and bloody scream that plagued him when he closed his eyes. The spring sent me to Riyan’s memory and brought me back, but Riyan was still fighting the giants. I needed to pullhim out.
“Riyan…”I whispered.
Riyan’s eyes sparked back to life and looked downat me.
“Shh, Sera,” he hushed. His hands rose underneath the water to support my back and legs. “Not so fast, you still needto heal.”
The black fire was gone, but a soreness remained on myright side.
“How much longer do you think I need to heal from a raven attack?”I asked.
“I don’t know, and I don’t know how but…” Riyan’s voice hitched and he swallowed. “You were poisoned. Your blood turned black. It’s…it’s even still coming outof you.”
My right hand tingled as it floated in the water, sensing something cold and devoid of magic dissipating under my fingertips. Riyan’s forearms tensed as I slowly brought my right hand to my side under the water. The coldness grew thicker as I pressed my palm against an open gash near my ribs. Poison leached out of me and yet I feltno pain.
