“What?” Prince Terminus said. “Why? I have done nothing wrong.”
Fan’twar growled. “You have caused the near destruction of the entire fairy race. How can you say you have done nothing wrong?”
Heidel grabbed the prince’s wrists and tied them, although she kept the ropes loose enough in order for him to climb. Having spent time being bound, I didn’t envy him, yet letting him go free would be a huge mistake. I had trouble understanding his motivations for aiding the bloodthorn, but then again, I hadn’t been in his position. He’d lived his life in a fairy utopia, and perhaps the allure of something dark and different had blinded him to the danger it possessed. Whatever his reasons, I would never fully understand them.
We started across the bridge with a gunmetal gray sky looming over us, an ominous warning to the danger that lay ahead. Despite wanting to focus on the precarious bridge crossing, I could not keep the witch’s words from echoing in my mind.
You must be prepared to pay the price.
Chapter 28
Patches of ice crunched under our feet as we climbed up Dragon Spine Mountain. The air grew thin, making breathing more difficult. The rocky terrain was challenging to traverse, and even the Wults, who were used to climbing, found the task harder than expected.
When we reached a flat outcropping, we stopped to catch our breath. I found a pair of snug leather gloves in my pack and put them on to get some relief from the cold.
“The summit is not far,” one of the elves said, pointing at the narrow trail that wound up the mountain.
“Aye,” Brodnik answered. “But it’s steeper than the trail we’ve been on. It won’t be an easy climb.”
I sat on a rock, chewing a mouthful of dried fruit as I scanned the rest of our group. Kull sat a distance away from me, his gaze a million miles away as he stared out over the precipice. We’d climbed so high that the clouds were now beneath us, stirring like an agitated soup about to reach their boiling point.
I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but he must have felt lost without Bloodbane. The sword was more than just a weapon—it was a family heirloom. What would Grandamere do when she found out he’d lost it? Still, I had to give the guy credit. I’d almost had to part with my magic box, and I wasn’t sure how well I would’ve handled it. Yet he seemed to be dealing with the loss of Bloodbane appropriately. After losing his girl, his father, and now his sword, I supposed he was becoming used to losing the things he loved. But this time, he’d given the sword willingly to help a greater cause.
No matter how much heartache he’d caused me, I had to admit he’d proven himself a worthy person—a worthy king—whether he realized it or not. His people needed a leader like him. He’d not merely given away his sword, he’d sacrificed a piece of himself so that others could live. I wasn’t sure how many people would be willing to make the same sacrifice. In my eyes, he’d proven himself an honorable man.
We gathered our things after the meal and started up the trail. My feet grew numb with the cold, which I supposed I should have been grateful for as it helped mask the pain of the blisters forming.
The only one who spoke was Prince Terminus, who complained about his bound wrists. As the day wore on, even he grew quiet, leaving the sounds of our feet tromping over rocks and ice patches to break the silence. Several times, we scaled up one cliff only to traverse another.
The rocks were cold under my fingertips despite the gloves. The exertion, coupled with the thin air, made me lose my breath, and the sound of my own breathing was loud in my ears. Images of my couch back home kept plaguing me. What would I give to be curled up on the sofa under a soft blanket with a cup of hot cocoa in reach, Han in my lap and a book in my hand? I’d almost consider trading the mirror box for that one.
Going back home wouldn’t be so bad after all, I decided. In fact, I couldn’t wait.
Dusk descended, so the elves ignited their fey lanterns, lighting the world in an eerie blue glow. We scaled a cliff taller than all the rest, and as I pulled myself up and over the ledge, I noticed the others were huddled around something.
As I stepped closer, chills bristled my skin as the feel of dark magic caressed me. The group parted as I approached, and I focused on a cavern I’d seen before—the place where the bloodthorn had tried to make me take him when he’d held me captive in the forest.
I recoiled at the sight of the tall, gaping fissure, like a wound splitting the face of the mountain. Jagged rocks rimmed the edges of the opening, and fog slunk along the ground as it surrounded the cave. Approaching the entrance, I reached out with my magic and could sense Cyren’s blood ward blocking the entrance. Someone—most likely the bloodthorn—had recently used the fairies’ stone to pass through it.
Kull, Heidel, and Brodnik stood at the entrance. Brodnik began walking toward the cave’s mouth, but I stopped him.
“Don’t,” I said, “it’s protected with a blood ward.”
The elves also approached, as did the two fairies. Terminus looked with fear at the cave’s opening.
“What can you tell me of this place?” I asked him.
“Only that this is where the bloodthorn and spider beast first emerged. A portal exists inside this cavern, and without your help, the bloodthorn will not be able to use it to return to his realm.”
“Then how do we get past the ward?”
Terminus turned his gaze on me, his eyes dark under the light of the fey lanterns, making a shiver run down my spine. “We cannot. Only you can.”
“Me?”
He nodded.
“Your Earth and Faythander
