I bow my head but decide I’d rather look at my friends one more time. At Kaelen—my prince. My love. “Please be safe. And succeed. You brought more to my life in the short time we were together than I can possibly tell you.”
They all start talking again—protesting—but the goddess stops them with a raised palm. “There are two things I can do to restore the balance shaken this day.”
She lifts her hands to the sky and calls out aword.
A word I don’t hear so much as feel resonate in my bones. A power-filled word.
And the skies open up above us.
“It’s snow!” Bern cries out, spinning in a circle like a child. “She made it snow!”
“With the second key,” Artemisen intones, “I’m now strong enough to return this much to Altarra. The winter snows will bring spring waters to sustain the crops.”
We stare into the sky, letting the snowflakes drop icy kisses on our skin. The flurries eddy faster and faster until we stand in a tempest of white.
“Solitude,” the goddess continues, “because you obtained the key through unwarranted action, you may not keep it.”
I gasp as the key dissolves before my eyes. Anguish shreds my resolve. “That’s it? The quest fails?”
“No, my amulet bearer. There is yet a final chance to free me. One key held in reserve against catastrophe.”
“Where?” Kaelen demands.
“Fitting that you should ask, princeling. For your keep holds the final key.” When Artemisen looks back to me, the intensity of her gaze is already beginning to fade. “You have not failed me or this quest.Indeed, I find hope in your discovery of your own strength. But do not disappoint me again, or all may well be lost.”
Before I can think of how to answer her—how to thank her—her image starts to dissolve.
“On to Valourian, my amulet bearer. And look to the thief’s wisdom. All will be made clear.”
“My lady.” I drop to one knee. “Thank you.”
“Success may yet be yours,” she says kindly. “Be strong, Solitude Grace. You will need every ounce of your newfound strength, but I have faith in you.”
As she vanishes, realization strikes:
I have faith in me, too.
Legendsin both Khyrrus and Valourian tell of the famous snow leopards of the Panterran Mountains. The mountains themselves, some claim, were named in honor of these fierce warrior animals. Valourian history records that, on very rare occurrences, a human would bond with a snow leopard in such a way that the two could communicate telepathically. Furthermore, the Valourian royal family is believed to have formed an alliance with the snow leopards in ancient times. Tangible evidence of the latter claim can be found in the architecture of the Valourian Keep.
However, these claims are clearly nonsense.
—Journeys through Myth in Altarra, Volume 5, Nias Enaj
Epilogue
After the fire from Trick’s pyre fades, I say a final goodbye to my friend and mount Cloud, joining my companions. We ride along the path up the mountain in silence. Through some unspoken agreement, Kaelen and I drop a ways back from the group, giving us privacy that feels like a gift.
When we summoned Artemisen, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be alone with my prince again.
No one seems to blame me for the loss of the second key—another gift, which I appreciate even more than these stolen moments with Kaelen.
But the truth is, I don’t blame myself, either.
I made the choice I needed to make in that moment.
I’d make the same one again.
And we can still succeed. Artemisen said so. She said she believes in me, and—
