As soon as I got back to Lemnos Woods, I found myself engulfed by a brilliant white light. It burned too hot for my own comfort, so I zapped myself a little bit farther, putting some fifty yards between myself and whatever was happening with Inalia. Thankfully, it didn’t look as though I’d been noticed. Then again, I’d only spent a second in that light before realizing how badly it might burn me.

My heart crumbled with every second that passed, but I knew I couldn’t intervene. I’d thrown quite the tantrum back at the palace, and I was aware of that, but I never would’ve stopped Inalia in her tracks. As much as I’d denied it, I, too, had to admit that her ascension was the only surefire way we knew that would stop Cerix from freezing and its people from dying slow and painful deaths. I didn’t have to like it.

But I couldn’t stay away from her. I couldn’t just chill in the palace, while she altered her life forever, all by herself and surrounded by the Hermessi. I just wanted to be here, to watch it happen, to understand what it entailed—not just for her. For us, also.

The light dimmed down a little, and three figures became visible inside it. One was white, barely distinguishable from the massive glow. The other was blue. And the third was green. They were mere wisps, but I could certainly recognize them. The Air, Water, and Earth Hermessi. Inalia stood before them, burning bright and orange, her Cerixian figure still there. I had a feeling she’d yet to ascend.

Glancing around, I noticed the Shills had moved back. They were quiet, hidden behind the black trees, their numerous eyes watching this exchange with childlike interest. I couldn’t see any Brothers left in sight, apart from those they’d already torn apart, parts of them freezing on the forest floor… I swallowed back a little bit of bile, then shifted my focus to Inalia.

She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but I found her bravery inspiring. It wasn’t for lack of fear. She was scared, that much I knew. Yet she was doing this. Making the ultimate sacrifice so we’d escape, so her people might live to fight another day. Gah, it hurt me too much. I shook it off and took a deep breath as Acquis seemed to move forward.

“That was a neat trick you pulled,” he said, his voice rippling across the woods. The Hermessi were definitely growing stronger through the fae bodies they’d been claiming. Up until recently, they couldn’t even manifest without possessing someone.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Inalia replied, her arms crossed. Even burning like this, she still had the spark to be sassy. I felt a smile sneak across my lips. “I merely said I’m ready to take my place as Hermessi.”

“You knew it would stop the creatures,” the Air Hermessi hissed.

“You told me to tap into my Fire knowledge, and I did. What’s the big deal? Not my fault that I learned how all your abominable monsters freeze in your fully manifested presence.”

“And you could only get said presence if you summoned us for your ascension,” the Earth Hermessi replied. “Acquis is right. You were pretty smart. However, you should know, it only stopped us temporarily. We will not rest until your outsider friends are destroyed.”

Inalia laughed. “Wow, the mighty Hermessi are scared of a handful of bipedal creatures from the far side of the universe. It’s a little bit embarrassing, if you ask me.”

I had to give the girl credit. Once she surpassed her fear and embraced her true self, nothing seemed to intimidate her anymore. Not even the Hermessi. She did remind me of something I’d almost forgotten while knee-deep in Shills earlier: the elements wanted us dead. We were their biggest threat.

“Are you ready to ascend, Inalia?” Acquis asked, preventing his siblings from verbally sparring with her. Maybe they didn’t know he was a rebel, but that didn’t mean he had to put up with their nonsense. The clock wasn’t just ticking for us.

“What will it be like?” she replied. “I mean, it’s already started, right? I’m shining like a mini sun.”

“Yes. Your Hermessi inner being is ready to come out,” Acquis said. “From the moment you tapped into your Fire and declared your willingness to ascend, the process began.”

The silence around us was so intense that if a pin dropped, it would make the trees shudder and shed the ice that had been creeping up on them. The sky above was cleared, as Inalia’s light shone brighter. Becoming a Hermessi definitely seemed to take a little while—a natural process of sorts, I assumed, yet remarkably easy to kickstart, based on what Acquis had just explained.

“Once I become a Hermessi, everyone will be okay, right?” Inalia asked. “The heat will return, and my people will no longer suffer.”

“Indeed.”

“How will I know what to do? What is it like to be a Hermessi?” she continued, her voice shaky. I could almost feel how nervous and terrified she was, deep down. Her body was heating up, emitting this insanely powerful light that burned through everything. Every tree around her that the light touched was instantly charred, threads of smoke rising, then spreading overhead. It was strange to watch, but also beautiful.

“You’ll know, Inalia,” Acquis said. “Once you shed your body, it all becomes clear and palpable. If it makes you feel any better, it was difficult for me, too, when I assumed my role.”

“Spare us the pity party,” the Earth Hermessi replied. The contempt he carried for pretty much anyone was obvious. It did explain how an entity like him could create monstrosities such as the Shills. It must take a nasty kind of being to produce them.

“You may be an ancient,” Acquis said, “but that doesn’t mean you get to dictate how the younglings ascend. Be thankful you now have extra fire in your arsenal, brother. Don’t take her for granted.”

“She knows what fate awaits her if she turns against her own kind,” the Air Hermessi replied.

“I’m not liking these thinly veiled threats,” Inalia said. “If I become the Fire Hermessi, I will do all that I can to protect my planet.”

“Brothers, please, let us not escalate this conversation just yet,” Acquis interjected, sounding more like the mediator between polar opposites. “Let Inalia ascend first and understand the existence of a Hermessi, before you ask anything of her. Regardless of what we’re meant to do now, she needs a little bit of time to adjust.”

“You mean, to try and pull one over on us,” the Earth Hermessi replied.

Oh, if only I could find a way to permanently destroy a Hermessi. He’d be the first I’d obliterate.

“Okay. How do I do this, Acquis?” Inalia asked. This was a shaky alliance she was entering, and I knew she had to tread carefully. Acquis was right: the Hermessi needed another one of their own, another fighter on their side, but it wasn’t an absolute necessity. They could do without it, as well. In short, Cerix needed Inalia more than the overall Hermessi… Inalia had to make herself useful and find a smart way to work against them, without any suspicion. Otherwise, all she was doing with this move was buying us all a couple more days. We needed more to figure out how to stop that damn ritual.

“Let go, Inalia. Simply let go.”

All I could do now was hold my breath and hope she wouldn’t become our enemy once she turned. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but at least the Cerixians got to live another day—and we had another chance to stop the Hermessi.

Inalia released a final breath, tilting her head back. Her figure lit up even brighter. Then, gradually, she began to disintegrate. Ember particles left her and drifted with the wind, which carried them far and wide and… everywhere. It was as if millions of sparks spread out, lighting the world in a warm hue before darting away.

Once the last bit of her flew away, the empty space she left behind rippled with pure energy. A loud bang crackled through the woods, and a pulse was released. It exploded outward, tearing down hundreds of trees and shrubs and solitary rocks in its mile-radius.

It knocked me backward so hard, I forgot to breathe for a moment.

I heard the Shills hissing somewhere in the distance. The rock I’d been hiding behind had been crushed, the rubble covering me from head to toe. I sat up, listening to the calm and quiet of Lemnos Woods. Dusting myself off, I noticed that the Hermessi were… gone.

Inalia, too.

The Shills had left, as well. All I was hearing now were mere echoes.

A massive crater had been left behind, with a healthy chunk of the woods leveled around it. But the instant change in temperature was impossible to miss. I felt the air get slightly warmer. These were still the northern regions of Cerix, and it was generally cold in these parts—however, the cutting chill was gone.

“Goodbye, Inalia,” I murmured, wondering if she’d hear me.

Maybe she was still around, or perhaps she’d left with her “brethren.” I only hoped we hadn’t made the biggest mistake of our lives by letting her do this. I couldn’t even be angry with Eira anymore. I understood why she’d done it. Why she’d helped Inalia.

A spine-tingling growl made me freeze.

Slowly, I turned my head to look to my right. I was met by four pairs of black, marble eyes and fangs I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with again so soon. A Shill had snuck around and found me. It didn’t look as though it was willing to back down without a fight. I was on the menu again.

Its hind wiggled, much like a feline before it pounces on its prey. My insides heated up, ringing bells in my head.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” I said, then instinctively put my hand out. It lit up orange as I released a sturdy fireball.

It hit the Shill and swallowed it whole, the flames licking at its short, black fur before burning into it and sprinkling blisters across its reddened skin. The creature wailed and screamed, rolling backward in a desperate attempt to put the fire out.

I hadn’t had a chance to speak to Inalia before she became a Hermessi, but I was whole again now. Thanks to her.