My heart has never hurt this much. But despite my sorrow—or perhaps because of it—I knew I had to help stop him. His strength, his speed, hispower…it was nearly impossible for us to seize him, and even then, unlike the other reapers, the Underlock’s warded cells weren’t strong enough to hold him. But we also couldn’t risk executing him, not with so much stolen ellixen inside him and the deadly magical surge it would cause if released. What he siphoned from Zeranthe alone…
If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, watched her glorious scales fade as her life drained away, then I never would have believed it.
Kadmus loved me, I know he did.
But his bond with his beloved dragon—there’s nothing more sacred.
So we did what we had to do.
Idid what I had to do.
Kadmus couldn’t be contained, and he couldn’t be killed, so we did the next best thing.
We¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
His strength was such that it took the combined powers of three healer mages, two enchanter mages, and my own alchemical elixirs to restrain him as he fought us magically and physically right until the end. But finally, he succumbed.
He’s not dead—but he also won’t be able to harm anyone again. Ever. We’ll ensure it by returning him to the mainland, entombing him somewhere deep and forgotten, hidden from anyone who might seek to aid him. It’s a peace many believe he doesn’t deserve, but I’m relieved. Despite what he did, what hechose, he was once good. I want to remember him that way, not as the monster he became.
With Kadmus no longer a threat, our attention must turn to the danger all around us—and on the horizon. Because try as we might, we haven’t been able to hunt down all the reapers, and their numbers are growing daily as more shallows succumb to the temptation of siphoning. Here on Elverdine, this is a worry, but it’s an isolated one. If, however, any of the reapers were to make it to the mainland…
The consequences would be catastrophic.
Kadmus was wrong when he theorized that the wards around the two other Hallow Streams are what prevent mages and shallows from siphoning from the natural world. It’s not the wards—it’s runes etched by the Elders themselves, powerful mental enchantments that make anyone who attempts to steal ellixen believe it’s impossible. It’s a safeguard to protect all living creatures, one I’ve never understood the need for until now.
If Elverdine’s reapers make it to the mainland, the runes preventing siphoning will be ineffective, because they already know it’s possible to steal magic—andhow. Not only would they have a near-endless supply of ellixen-rich beings to siphon from, but they could also teach the shallows there to push through the mental enchantments of the runes. The sheernumbersof shallows who might be tempted to steal power, especially if it meant they could take it from the mages who have governed them throughout the ages…
The reapers cannot be allowed to leave Elverdine Isle. Because if they do, they’ll siphon, and keep siphoning, until there’s nothing and no one left.
Only death.
We can’t allow that to happen.
Wewon’tallow that to happen.
The lives of every human and creature in this world are depending on us.
We must find a way to protect them—before it’s too late.
34
The battle died down swiftly after the Reaper Lord fled like a coward from the cathedral, his magic dissolving with his hasty exit, allowing the Nox and hunters to overcome the remaining reapers without having to worry about tumbling into coffins and fissures or being crushed by falling stone.
Viri left her colleagues to finish off the stragglers, focusing instead on guiding the shell-shocked Jessalyn over to where the other children were huddled near a broken pillar in the corner of the hall, their bonds having vanished at some stage during the commotion, enabling them to seek shelter from the worst of the fighting. Miraculously, none were harmed beyond a few minor scrapes, though all were clearly traumatized by what they’d experienced.
They weren’t alone in that—Viri herself would need time to recover from what she’d witnessed that night, the sights, the sounds, the smells. The blood, the screams…the death.
So much death.
Viri shuddered as the battle replayed in her mind, every moment burned into her brain—including the all-too-vivid memory of the Reaper Lord’s bone dagger striking toward Jessalyn’s heart.She shuddered again and held the young girl close, only releasing her when Soren appeared and drew his sister into his arms, both siblings weeping with relief at being reunited.
Tears burned Viri’s eyes as she watched them, but then she turned away to give them privacy. The other kids were already being seen to, so she cast her gaze around the mess of the cathedral, searching the moonlit wreckage for Reeve, Braedan, and Wynter, even Sage, Jonas, and Ardin, needing to reassure herself that they were all safe. It was difficult to see much of anything through the blurs of black and red as the last of the reapers snapped and snarled at the Nox and hunters, but she managed to catch brief glimpses of all six of them—just enough to let her know they were alive and ease the tension from her shoulders.
But a quick glance upward brought the tension straight back again as she watched the purple glow of the Aurora Comet continue to travel slowly across the starry sky. Her stomach churned with a renewed burst of dread, with it only fading when she reminded herself that the threat had passed. The children were safe, as were the obelisks. The Reaper Lord had lost his chance to complete the sacrifice. He’d failed—and he’d run.
Part of her was upset about him fleeing, since he’d beenright there, and while she might not have known how to counter his terrifying range of power, she could have attempted to capture him somehow, especially with Reeve’s magic backing her up, and an army of hunters and Nox ready to drag him to the Underlock. But another part of her couldn’t help remembering how a single wave of his hand had killed dozens at once, and a shiver swept through her as she realized someone like him probablycouldn’tbe captured. It was frustrating that he remained free, but at least she and her friends would live to fight another day—and hopefully,the next time they encountered the Reaper Lord, they would have the means to bring him down, forever.
“Viri!” Braedan cried, dragging her gaze from the comet to where he appeared before her, climbing over crumbled stone and withered vines to pull her in for a hug. “Elders, when we left Nevarnost and couldn’t find you—” He cut himself off, his arms tightening around her, making it clear how worried he’d been.
