Lilia and Dain took a torch and followed the network of tunnels back to The Hall of the Night Sky. Dain was limping and favored his right side; although he made no complaint, Lilia could see the effort it was taking him to keep up with her. Yet he would not be left behind.
Outdoors, sun streamed across the road. Lilia peered up at it, sighing at the warmth on her face. She could see the pale blue sky beyond, but the clouds were starting to close up. In a short while, the world would be cast in shadow once more.
Ryana spoke true—getting rid of The King Breaker was the only way to ensure The Shadow King was truly defeated. Even behind the Ice Door, he wielded more power than he should; for he knew the means of freeing him lay nearby. He gave his shadow creatures strength, and hope.
Lilia and Dain discovered Brand’s body a few yards in front of the entrance. He lay in a pool of congealing blood, staring sightlessly up at the heavens.
The two of then stopped and shared a bemused glance. “What happened here?” Lilia mused.
Dain shrugged. “Disagreement between thieves?”
Lilia glanced back at Brand. She would have felt pity for another man, slain in this fashion—however not for Brand. He’d murdered Rina in order to get his hands on the stone, and lied and manipulated those who’d trusted him. Whatever the reason for his death, she was not sorry for it.
Lilia turned away and followed Dain down the incline.
They moved as quickly as they were able down the road. The surface was rough and potholed, and Dain was now limping badly, which slowed their progress. As Ryana had indicated, the road forked about fifty yards down the mountainside. Here, the pair veered left and hobbled up the stony incline. The road narrowed to a track that twisted up the mountainside between towering tors of rock. Although she tried to hurry, Lilia felt exhaustion pulling down on her with every step. She had not slept during the night, and days of travel had taken their toll on her.
Even so, she would not let herself stop. The cries echoing up from the valley below, the clash of steel and iron, galvanized her resolve. She needed to get rid of The King Breaker—to stop the bloodshed.
The road wound up the mountain and the track grew steadily steeper. Ahead, Lilia saw that the Shadefell Mountains parted, a deep cleft forming between two walls of schist. Their destination was in sight.
The last section of the track was so step that they had to climb it, scrambling up the rocky slope on all fours. Lilia had tucked the stone away inside her jerkin. She could feel its chill through her clothing; coldness pulsed against her skin. Did it know what she intended?
Doubt filled her once more, as it had before the Ice Door.
I’m its protector—I shouldn’t cast it away.
Lilia shook her head to clear it. The King Breaker wielded far too much influence over her. She had carried part of it for too long. It knew her, knew how to weaken her resolve.
They reached the edge of the abyss so suddenly that Dain had to grasp hold of Lilia to stop her from hurtling over the edge. She’d just put on a burst of speed, one last effort to reach the top.
Panting, she collapsed on her belly, and looked out over a black pit. It yawned at least fifty feet across, spanning two rock-faces. A strange, warm wind wafted up from the dark depths, and the air had a strong sulfuric tang. Lilia felt a pang of unease. This was not a place she wanted to linger.
“Come on,” Dain gasped, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. “Do it.”
Lilia nodded and climbed to her feet. Then she reached into her jerkin, pulling free the stone. Its chill in her hand nearly made her gasp. It was so cold that it burned her skin.
Don’t throw it away!
The voice in her mind screamed the words over and over again, but she shut herself off from them. She had to do this, and she would.
Lilia held The King Breaker out over the gap.
She tried to open her hand, to release the talisman—but found she couldn’t. Her fingers wouldn’t obey her.
“Let it go, Lily.” Dain’s voice was low and urgent. “End this.”
Lilia inhaled, her heart now hammering so hard she felt sick. “I can’t,” she whispered. “It won’t let me.”
She heard the scuff of his boots on rock as he rose to his feet and shifted close to her. A moment later, his arms went around Lilia. The warmth and strength of his body seeped into Lilia, calming her wild heart. The warm, male scent of his skin slowed her pulse.
“Fight it,” he whispered in her ear.
Her breath caught. “I want to … but I’m not strong enough.”
“Yes, you are—you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.”
Lilia squeezed her eyes shut, leaning into him. There was no doubt in his voice, just a calmness, a surety, that anchored her to the earth.
“I love you, Lily. I know what you’re capable of.”
Warmth flooded over her, as if she had come in out of a hailstorm and now stood before a roaring fire. She felt his heart thud against her breast, heard the husky note to his voice, and knew a moment of absolute peace—as if everything was right in the world and always would be.
“Fight it,” he repeated, his breath feathering across her skin. “Open your hand.”
Lilia sucked in a deep breath and buried her face in his neck. The desire to keep the stone safe, to protect it with her life still raged through her, but this time she was able to step beyond it, to ignore instinct.
Slowly her fingers uncurled—and The King Breaker fell into nothingness.
Lilia and Dain pulled apart and peered down into The Chasm’s depths. The darkness swallowed the talisman. The same warm wind that smelled like rotten eggs wafted up, caressing their faces. They waited there a few moments, listening for the sound of the stone hitting the bottom, but there was nothing.
Lilia stepped back from the brink of the rift, and was surprised to realize she was shaking. Her gaze shifted to Dain; he was watching her, smiling. Lilia smiled back, before she glanced up at the sky. The brief burst of sunlight at dawn had gone and a heavy mantle of cloud covered the sky once more. Her smile faded and she glanced back at Dain. “I hope we’ve made a difference.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” he replied. “Come on, let’s get back to Ryana.”
Hand in hand, they descended the scree-covered slope, following the winding track down through the rocks. Half-way down the ground shuddered, and a deep boom sounded beneath their feet.
Lilia and Dain skidded to a halt.
A great roar went up in the valley below, causing the air to vibrate with its intensity.
“Shadows,” Lilia whispered, craning her neck to see the spreading vale below. She could see figures moving about on the valley floor, frantic. “What was that?”
Dain shook his head, his gaze following hers. As they watched, the morning began to transform around them. The cap of heavy cloud that had shrouded the world for days on end lifted. The sun broke through in a hail of gold, revealing powder-blue sky beyond.
The yelling and cheering continued below—it sounded like the cries of men, not the howls of victorious shadow creatures.
Dain glanced over his shoulder. “I think that abyss has a bottom after all.”
Lilia stared at him. “And The King Breaker just hit it?”
“Maybe the stories are true—that there is a lake of molten fire beneath the earth.” Dain glanced back up at the parting clouds. “Whatever the reason, the Shadow Army knows that The King Breaker has gone.”
“They’ve lost their leader, the reason they gathered here to fight.”
“Aye, they’ve lost hope.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “You did it.”
She wrapped her arms around Dain, smiling up at him. “No, we did.”
Back at the Ice Door, an unwelcome surprise awaited Lilia and Dain.
Stepping inside the chamber, they both froze. As hoped, Valgarth was gone—there was no silhouette lurking behind the wall of ice. Ryana lay on her side, eyes closed, her face ashen; and Saul was where they’d left him, on his back.
But Gael had disappeared.
Blood stained the ground where the enchanter had lain, and led out into the tunnel beyond, but there was no sign of him.
Lilia tensed, glancing over her shoulder at the shadowy tunnel behind them. “He can’t still be alive—not after those blades Saul sunk into him.”
“If he’s still breathing, he can’t have got far.” Dain drew a knife from his belt. “I’ll go and look for him. You check on Ryana.”
Lilia nodded, crossing to where their friend lay. She knelt next to her, relieved to see that she was still breathing. Ryana’s face was soft in repose, although the dark circles under her eyes, the lines either side of her mouth, revealed the strain of the last few weeks.
Lilia reached out and shook her gently. Ryana groaned, her eyes flickering open. “Sorry,” she rasped, “must have dozed off.”
“Gael’s gone. Did you see him leave?”
Ryana cursed, struggled to rise and failed, sinking back onto the stone floor. “He didn’t move after you left,” she panted. “I thought he was dead.”
“There wasn’t any sign of Gael on the way in—but Dain’s gone looking for him.”
Ryana’s mouth twisted. “The bastard will have hopefully crawled away to some corner to die. Can you help me sit up?”
Lilia reached down and pulled her up by the shoulders. Pale and sweating, Ryana rested against the wall. Lilia frowned. Her injuries were more serious than she let on.
“We need to get you to a healer.”
Ryana made an irritated sound, brushing aside her concern. “Is The King Breaker gone?”
Lilia nodded. “I think the battle has now turned in Rithmar’s favor.”
Ryana let out a long sigh and closed her eyes, the tension draining out of her. “Well done.”
The crunch of footsteps on gravel behind them caused Lilia to spin round, heart pounding. However, it was Dain, returning.
He met Lilia’s eye and grimaced. “No sign of him.”