He stands, drawing his sword, a giant silver blade with a ruby in the pommel.
I glance back, searching to see if my allies have caught up with me. They haven’t. The elite soldiers are keeping them at bay. I start to turn back to Levi.
And see his sword lunging for my throat.
I spin out of the way, then strike back. Our blades clash, and the ring of steel echoes in the empty hall. Levi pivots, then strikes for my legs. I parry and strike for his hands. Yami screeches, and Levi flinches in surprise. I see an opening. I strike.
And stab Levi in the heart.
He collapses, blood pouring from his lips, his eyes fading.
I tremble, unable to accept that this is over. The war with Levi is over. Stonehill is reclaimed. Tears of happiness well in my eyes, mixing joy with shock. I had heard Levi was a master swordsman, but it must have been a jest. A lie to scare his enemies. He was weak all along. As weak in body as he was in mind.
I look at the Prince of Envy one last time. And I watch him fall.
And then…
Then I see the blood begin to disappear.
I see his clothing fade away.
I see his face change.
No. It can’t be.
The man at my feet isn’t Levi. He’s an imposter. A decoy. Masked by illusion. How could I have missed it?
I look around, shaking with dread. If this is a fake, then where’s the real Levi?
I flinch at every shadow. Shake at every sound. And then I glance at the windows.
And outside, at the top of a snow-covered cliff, I see Levi.
His red cloak sways in the wind. His white hair falls over his dark eyes. He lifts a hand.
And the throne room explodes in fire.
***
I feel the force of the explosion first, pushing me back, throwing me against a wall, crushing my bones. The hall before me rips open, stone and wood splintering into oblivion. Next, comes the fire. It shines like the blazing sun, setting flame to the great tree, burning stone itself, and it makes it way forward. Forward. To me.
There is no time. Nothing I can do.
I glance at Yami once last time, and then I smile, facing my end. I will not fear the flames as I did before. I will fall into their warm embrace. I will see Daison once again.
I sigh, letting go of all my fear and hate. Forgiving all those who I had yet to forgive. I do not know how I do this in a blink of an eye, but I do.
I surrender myself to what comes next. The fire falls upon me.
And then he is there.
Fen.
He jumps in front of me, his face twisted in pain and effort. He throws up his arms, and a wall of stone rushes up from the ground. It blocks the fire. It blocks the end.
And finally, time seems to move at a normal pace.
I grab Fen as he falls to the ground, panting heavily and shaking. He used too much power to control the earth and summon the wall. He needs to rest. Without proper training, the act could still cause his death.
Dean and Asher run in behind me, Baron at their heels. "Get him to a healer," I say. And then I run.
I run past the wall of stone.
I run over the burned and shattered floor.
I run through the torn away window.
And I jump.
I fly through the air, Spero raised high. I come for justice. I come for Levi.
He sees me, and his eyes go wide. He dashes forward, jumping off the cliff, down below to the frozen lake. I fall after him, pulling back my hands to speed my decent. And then I feel Yami against me. He is bigger than before. Not as giant as when consumed by the Darkness. He is more my size. And I grip the spikes on his back and let him take me down and forward. Together, we glide over the frozen lake. Over Levi.
I leap off Yami.
Striking at Levi as I fall.
He dashes out of the way, and Spero pierces the ice. I rend my blade free and strike again. Levi parries, then retaliates with a series of attack so fast I barely avoid death. This is the real Levi. The sword master.
Yami swoops down, striking at Levi from behind, but he avoids the assault, and I need to dodge to evade the dragon myself. I regain my stance and lunge. But no matter what attack I try, Levi is always a step ahead. He fights both Yami and me at the same time. And he’s winning.
There’s a reason the vampires won the war, I think. Even the Midnight Star could not stand against them.
I spin forward, lashing out with my blade. But Levi sees a weakness in my technique. He slashes through my assault.
And cuts into my shoulder.
The pain sends me to my knees, makes me shake and scream.
Levi raises his sword. One final blow. He strikes.
And the ice between us shatters, throwing both of us back. A serpent, massive and wild, rushes up from the water, roaring into the sky. Wadu.
She’s here.
I jump to my feet and run.
Wadu lunges forward, razor sharp teeth aimed to tear me to shreds. But Yami crashes into her head, clawing at her eyes. It’s the distraction I need. I can flee. Wait for Dean and Asher to reach me. To help me.
But I forget.
Where Wadu is, Metsi isn't far behind.
She springs from the ice before me, blocking my path, her dark skin gleaming against the white of the snow and ice.
"You're mine now," she says.
And then Wadu breaks through the ice below me. Wrapping around me. Pulling me under.
My lungs fill with water as I thrash and fight and try not to scream.
But the water is so cold. And thinking so difficult.
So I close my eyes.
And let the ice pull me in.
***
My lungs burn as water pours out of my mouth. I choke. I gag. I try to move. Try to break free, but I am shackled. Chained. My wrists and ankles immobilized. I peel my eyes open and see Metsi, the Water Druid, standing before me, using her magic to pull water from my lungs.