“This way,” Heidel called. Leaving the blowing snowstorm behind, we followed Heidel deeper into the tunnel. As we treaded through the cavern, our way was lit by magic sparking through the crystal formations growing along the ground and in the ceiling above us.
“How far does this tunnel go?” Kull asked.
“All the way through the mountain, although it should not take us long to pass through,” Heidel answered. “Once we’re on the other side and across the lake, that’s when we should worry.”
Water dripped somewhere in the distance. In a few places, we found evidence of goblins—a broken weapon here and a discarded cauldron there. In some places, we found bones or dead animals.
We entered a larger chamber with several paths branching away from us, but Heidel led us without hesitation down the path to the left.
“How much time did you spend in these lands?” Maveryck asked Heidel.
“More time than I should have,” she said, then stopped and unsheathed her blade.
Grace raised the hackles along her back and stood perfectly still, her ears pricked forward. Kull also unsheathed Gnat Biter and held it at the ready. Listening, I used my elven hearing to pick up the sound of breathing coming from up ahead.
“There’s something up there,” I whispered.
But as I listened, the sound soon disappeared, leaving us in silence.
“What was that?” I asked after a pause.
“Could be anything,” Kull answered. “Burbonski, grimwelt…”
“Jagamoor,” Heidel interrupted.
“You’re sure about that?” I asked. “I didn’t know they wandered this far north.”
“They don’t,” Kull said. “Not that I’ve heard of.”
Heidel only shrugged, then replaced her knife. “I’ve heard rumors.”
“Rumors of what?” I asked.
“The queen has been using certain breeds of animals in experiments,” Maveryck answered. “Jagamoors among them, including some she was creating to be larger, more vicious, and some that are more tolerant to the cold.”
“Well then,” Kull said. “If that’s the case, it’s a good thing we’ve brought along the only person who has beaten the largest one on record—and happened to do it while tied up.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Is that really true?”
“Of course!”
“But these are no ordinary jagamoors,” Heidel interjected. “They’ve been transformed with the queen’s magic.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Sister. We don’t yet know what we’re dealing with—could’ve been an uncommonly large field mouse we heard.”
“That was no field mouse,” Heidel said.
“Let’s keep going,” I said. “I have an uneasy feeling about this, and the more time we wait, the less chance my parents have of surviving.”
We hiked through the cave until the tunnel narrowed, but as it did, I caught a whiff of fresh air. Soon, we walked out onto an open tundra. A frozen lake spread out before us. Snow whipped across the frozen surface, and tiny icy crystals sparkled in the moonlight.
Far across the lake, past the other shore, orange pinpricks of light flickered on a hillside.
“Are those campfires?” I asked.
“Yes, most likely,” Kull answered.
“It’s the elves,” Maveryck said. “That is where we will find your parents.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“On the other side of that hill is the entrance to The Hollows,” Heidel said. “Be warned—it is a place of dark powers and of death. There is no other place more evil in Faythander. There is a reason why Geth chose to hide the sword there, because its dark powers occlude even the purest forms of magic. There is no other place like it. Not even the queen can enter the inner chamber. That is why she needs Olive.”
I swallowed my fear as I studied the dark form of the hillside. A cold chill crept up my spine.
We pulled on our cloaks before setting out across the lake with only the moonlight to illuminate our path. Carried on the wind, sparkling ice crystals danced past us as the haunting howl of the wind resonated in our ears. The thin layer of snow covering the ice kept us from slipping. As we approached the lake’s center, something moved ahead of us. I could only make out several large figures moving fast toward us.
Kull and Heidel unsheathed swords. I readied my magic, letting it pool into my fists until they glowed blue and amber, like fire.
Two monsters appeared under the moonlight. I’d never seen anything like them. They resembled large predatory cats, but their bodies were skeletal, with heads resembling the skulls of a jaguar. Each creature wore a pelt of black-and-gray-striped fur, resembling a tiger’s stripes.
Their eye sockets glowed the way a cat’s eyes would reflect the moonlight.
“Are those jagamoors?” Kull asked.
“Not anymore,” Maveryck answered.
Magic glistened around the animals. The power felt wrong, as if it had been tainted with blood magic. Growling, the monsters approached us. Their magic pressed against mine, challenging me. Unsated violence emanated from their magic. It had the characteristics of Queen Euralysia’s powers—although they felt darker than I’d ever sensed before. There was only one thing that could make someone’s magic get that tainted—murder. She had the blood of innocents on her hands.
She’d killed the babies with gray magic, and now her magic had warped into something dark and evil as the result.
The creature closest to us leaped forward. With massive claws, it swiped for Heidel’s vital organs. She jumped back, but the beast’s claw snagged her leg, ripping her calf muscle open. She fell back, screaming. I reacted with magic as the second creature attacked Kull. He stabbed at the beast, but his blade had no effect on it, so I released my magic, punching it with a wave of blue and amber in the chest.
The beast roared and fell back as the second monster attacked. Maveryck released the staff’s magic and hit it in the face. The monster screamed, but continued forward, swiping its massive claws and catching the thief across the middle, the same way it had tried
