Still, if I wanted to set my parents free, I would have to do it with this sword. Reluctantly, I grasped the sword’s pommel and lifted it up.
The blade reflected my face. My eyes, still tinged in a red glow, made me quickly glance away.
I’m here, she said. I will be with you until the end.
Not unless I kill you first, I answered, which I absolutely intended to do.
As I stepped out of the cave, the frigid air froze my exposed skin. Without my cloak, the thin shirt and pants I wore were no match for the blast of arctic air, but as I focused on my parents still tied up outside the cavern, thoughts of my discomfort faded.
Mom’s face was ashen and her eyes were closed. Snowflakes were frozen on her eyelashes, and I feared the worst as I crossed the distance toward her, but as my boots crunched the bits of ice on the ground, her eyes opened. Still carrying the sword, I knelt beside my parents.
“You’ve found it,” Dad said.
“Yes. Where’s the queen?”
“Behind you,” he said, his voice haunted.
I rounded to find the queen approaching me, her eyes focused on the sword.
“Give it to me,” she demanded.
“No, not until you release them.”
“Fine,” she spat, turning to the elves who trailed behind her. “Cut their ropes.”
The elves did as she said. Mom collapsed as her cords were cut, and Dad caught her in his arms. I turned to go to Mom when the elves caught me under the arms and turned me to face the queen. I still held the sword, my heart beating wildly in my chest. Kull and the others stood behind the queen, held captive, a host of basita weapons focused on them.
I gripped the sword’s hilt, its magic making my skin tingle. Whatever decision I made seemed as if it would lead to death and destruction. The only choice I had was to let the queen have the sword. If she was successful in harnessing Theht’s power, she would kill all magical creatures except elves. If Theht managed to overcome the princess, then she would use me to bring an asteroid to our world and destroy it.
The only chance I had to stop anyone would be to try and kill Theht once she’d fully emerged into our world. If that failed, then I would open a portal and manipulate time, possibly try to make things right before they started. I had no clue if I would succeed. A portal like that—if I was able to create one—could easily tear me to pieces, but I was out of options. Even without an anchor, I would still try.
“Give it to me,” the queen said quietly, though her voice scared me more than if she raised her voice.
Reluctantly, I handed the sword over.
Queen Euralysia took the sword from me. Magic sparked around her, then spiraled in a cloud of white and blue. I stumbled back as the power coalesced into a whirlwind, growing to tornadic fury as she held aloft the sword.
I backed away from the queen and toward my friends. Kull came, pulling me toward him and away from the queen. An overwhelming sense of guilt came over me as I watched the queen manipulate the sword’s powers, but I’d had no choice. Mom and Dad would’ve died.
“My parents,” I said to Kull. “We have to help them.”
“We will. But are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” As he held my hand, I looked up into his eyes, realizing Kull knew nothing about what Theht had told me—that he was destined from before the world began to kill her. I wanted to tell him everything, but now wasn’t the time. My mom was still on the verge of death, and my dad probably wouldn’t last much longer.
We moved to where my parents still sat by The Hollow’s entrance, but as we crossed toward them, Queen Euralysia’s magic exploded in a flash of blinding white light. Kull and I both fell back. I hit the ground, and Kull landed beside me. Above us, magic spiraled into the sky, creating a maelstrom of spinning winds and flashes of lightning. Thunder boomed, shaking the pebbles on the ground.
The queen rose into the air. She held the sword high, the magic gathering around her. I crawled to Kull, then focused on my parents. Mom was still unresponsive, although Dad held her in his arms. Her red hair whipped back and forth as the wind increased.
“She’ll be all right,” Dad yelled over the howling wind as he focused on Kull and me. “You have to stop the queen. Do whatever it takes to stop her.”
“You’re sure she’s okay?”
“Yes, but not for long if you don’t stop the queen. She’s going to use Theht’s power to recreate the same spell she used against the goblins. Except this time, she’ll destroy all races except elves. She’ll kill them, Olive, and then she’ll kill anyone who opposes her. Stop her now before she can use the sword to amplify her spell.”
“But how do I stop her?”
“You’ll think of something!”
Great. Thanks, Dad. That’s really helpful.
Kull took my hand, and we attempted to walk against the wind. I felt as if my knees would buckle at any moment and I would be swept away, but with Kull’s help, I managed to move forward.
The queen rose higher into the air as the whirlwind gathered in strength around her. A spark of electricity shot outward from the sword’s blade, igniting the grass. With the wind gusts, the small flames quickly grew into a bonfire. The flames shot upward and got sucked into the vortex.
Kull and I jumped back as the flames erupted around us. The elves scrambled as the fire engulfed
