Magic blasted from my fingertips, colliding with the asteroid.
There was no sound as the magic struck the rock in a blinding explosion that sent the asteroid off course and toward Earth. The blast from the explosion punched my chest and blinded me.
I tumbled backward, space blurred. The stars seemed to tumble around me as I was hurtled toward Earth. With my magic spent, I felt like an empty shell, but that was nothing compared to the pain I felt inside—an all-consuming fear that our world would soon be destroyed—and that I’d been powerless to stop it.
I tumbled through Earth’s atmosphere. Below me, the continent of Faythander came into clear focus. It struck me then just how beautiful the planet was with its snow-capped mountains, green plains filled with grass swaying in the wind, and lakes and rivers with water so blue it dazzled the eyes.
And I’d been powerless to save it.
My descent slowed. I couldn’t feel my body. It was as if I were detached, watching from above.
I landed in the snow in the goblin lands not far from the cave. Time passed. I wasn’t sure how long, although I knew it was still nighttime. When I finally came to, I gasped in a lungful of frigid air. The feeling of pins and needles prickled my fingers and toes as my body became my own once again.
Tears of frustration and anger leaked from my eyes. I screamed, pounding my fists into the frozen ground. I’d never felt so helpless, so manipulated. Theht had used me, and I felt utterly abused. Emptiness filled me. After screaming until I’d grown hoarse, I collapsed and stared at the sky.
I wiped away my tears, knowing anger wasn’t the solution. Instead, I focused on breathing. In and out. Calmly. Was there a chance I could still fix this somehow?
The morning sun was beginning to rise over the mountains. Breathing in the cold air, I let go of my anger, thinking instead of what I still had. I was alive. But beyond that, what else did I have? Memories.
I’d seen sunsets and sunrises so beautiful they touched the soul. I’d ridden dragons through the clouds, seen the flowers bloom in springtime, and leaves punch the world with color in the fall; I’d heard music in the wind and touched the stars. It had all happened in the two worlds of Earth and Faythander, both with magic of their own, and they would be immeasurably missed, never to be replaced.
Kull, Heidel, and Maveryck made it to my side. Kull knelt and helped me sit up. Except for a hint of dizziness, I felt well. Emotionally, I knew I was scarred inside, a deep wound that was yet to heal, if ever it healed.
I hugged Kull to my chest, feeling the warmth of his embrace. The smell of sandalwood and leather calmed my frantically beating heart. He was here and he was alive. That was all that mattered for now.
“Olive,” he said as he drew back. “What happened?”
I glanced overhead at the depthless blue sky, feeling the weight of what I had been forced to do starting to collapse on me.
“I—” I started, but couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat. Of everything I loved in this world so much, I would miss him the most. “Kull, I am so sorry,” I finally managed. “There was nothing I could do to stop her.”
“Where is she now?” Kull asked.
“Gone for now, at least I think so. She used all her energy to control me.” My words came tumbling out, and I couldn’t seem to stop once I’d started. “I tried to manipulate time, but she controlled my magic. She used me to push the asteroid toward our world. As soon as the asteroid hits our planet, she’ll use the energy from the explosion to cross into our world.”
“How much longer do we have?” Heidel asked.
“I don’t know. Hours, minutes, I can’t say for sure.”
“Is there anything we can do to stop it?” Kull asked.
“Not unless you’ve figured out a way to manipulate time, which I still haven’t been able to understand.”
Kull’s shoulders sagged. He squeezed my hand, then looked up at his sister and Maveryck.
“The good thing is we managed to repel the queen’s army. They retreated almost an hour ago. Also, we were able to get your mother and father to safety.” He reached to his side and pulled the sword of Dracon free from his scabbard. Its blue crystal glittered in the sun. “And we still have the sword.”
“How did you manage to get it from her?” I asked.
He smiled. “You know nothing stands between me and my sword, Olive.”
After everything that had happened, he still knew how to make me smile. “Ah, I should have known. So it’s your sword now, is it?”
“Yes, and I swear to you, I will not lose this one.” He stuck it back in the scabbard as Grace trotted up to us and sat at her master’s side. Beyond the wolf, a small campfire burned at the bottom of a steep hill. Kull helped me stand and led me down the slope until we reached the fire, where I sat on a log and stretched my hands toward the flames.
As I sat by the fire, I studied the blue and gold flames, fuel and oxygen combining to form the blaze, leaving ash behind. A log split in half and sprayed a shower of sparks into the air. Watching the embers flitting past, an idea struck me.
I’d had the answer all along. I knew what to do. I knew how to stop the asteroid, and I knew how to destroy Theht once and for all. Best of all, I finally knew how to manipulate time. I had a portal, I had pure magic, and I finally knew where to find an anchor—the last piece of the puzzle—and it had been with me all
