The vessel lunged.
Lillian threw herself sideways, dragging Matteo with her. The creature that had been Lady Mira crashed into the wall where they had been standing, splintering the wooden planks with unnatural force. Silver fire danced in its empty eyes, and its mouth opened in a silent scream that echoed with Lujayn's ancient fury.
"Keep moving!" Matteo shouted, his hands already crackling with blue lightning. "Don't let her touch you!"
Lillian scrambled behind the cluttered table, knocking over a stack of scrolls. The vessel turned, its head twisting at an impossible angle, and fixed its hollow gaze on her.
"Little investigator," it hissed, Lady Mira's voice warped by Lujayn's power. "So brave. So foolish. You think you can stop me with your rules and your notebooks?"
"I think I can stop you with this." Lillian grabbed a heavy brass candlestick from the table and hurled it at the vessel's face.
The candlestick struck the creature square in the forehead. It staggered back, more from surprise than pain, and Lillian used the moment to dive for the Keeper.
"We need to go!" she shouted, grabbing Elara's arm. "Now!"
Elara didn't move. Her ancient eyes were fixed on the vessel, burning with a cold, steady fury. "No," she said quietly. "No more running."
"Keeper—"
"I've been running for a hundred years." Elara stepped forward, her frail body suddenly straight and strong. "I've hidden in mountains and caves and shadows. I've watched my people die. I've watched Lujayn destroy everything I loved." She raised her hand, and the air around her shimmered with silver light. "I'm done running."
The vessel laughed, a horrible, echoing sound. "You think you can fight me, old woman? You're nothing. Less than nothing. You were always the weakest of us."
"I was never weak." Elara's voice was steel. "I was patient. There's a difference."
She thrust her hand forward, and a wave of silver energy exploded from her palm, striking the vessel square in the chest. The creature flew backward, crashing through the cabin wall and tumbling into the snow outside.
Matteo stared at her, his jaw dropped. "You can do that? Why didn't you do that earlier?"
"Because I wasn't sure if it would work." Elara lowered her hand, her breathing ragged. "And because I didn't want to reveal myself until I was certain. Lujayn has been hunting me for a century. I couldn't give her any reason to find me."
"And now?"
"Now she's found me." Elara grabbed her staff from beside the fireplace. "Which means the time for hiding is over."
They stumbled out of the cabin, into the freezing mountain air. The vessel was struggling to its feet, silver fire leaking from its wounds like blood. Around it, the snow had melted, revealing blackened, scorched earth.
"Run!" Elara shouted. "Get to the mountain pass! I'll hold her off!"
Lillian shook her head. "We're not leaving you—"
"This isn't a debate!" Elara pushed her toward Matteo. "You're the only ones who can stop Lujayn. You need to get to the ritual site before she completes the spell. The soul of the Keeper is the final piece. If she takes it, the ritual is done."
"What?" Lillian stared at her. "You're the final descendant?"
"Not a descendant." Elara's eyes blazed. "I'm the original. The one who made the deal with Lujayn a thousand years ago. I'm the reason she has power. And I'm the only one who can take it away."
The vessel lunged again, and Elara met it with another blast of silver energy. They crashed together, ancient enemies locked in a battle that had been brewing for centuries.
"Go!" Elara screamed. "Now!"
Lillian grabbed Matteo's hand and ran. She didn't look back. Couldn't look back. The sound of the battle echoed behind her, the crash of magic and the scream of ancient fury, but she forced herself to keep moving.
"Where are we going?" she gasped, her lungs burning.
"The ritual site." Matteo pulled out the medallion, which was glowing bright and hot. "The Keeper's compass. It's pointing to the mountain peak. That's where Lujayn is performing the spell."
"Then we go to the peak."
"You do realize that's a literal mountain, right? Thousands of feet up, in the middle of a snowstorm, with no supplies?"
"Then we climb faster." She tightened her grip on his hand. "Matteo. I'm not leaving you behind either."
He stared at her, his silver eyes wide. Then, slowly, his grin returned. "You really do like me, don't you?"
"I tolerate you. There's a difference."
"Sure there is." He squeezed her hand. "Now come on. I know a shortcut."
The shortcut was a narrow path carved into the mountainside, barely wide enough for one person. Snow and ice covered the rocks, making every step treacherous. The wind howled around them, biting at their exposed skin, threatening to throw them into the abyss below.
Lillian pressed herself against the rock face, her fingers numb with cold. "This is insane."
"This is efficient." Matteo was ahead of her, moving with surprising grace despite his injuries. "The path leads directly to the summit. We'll be there in an hour."
"An hour? We'll freeze to death in an hour."
"Then we'll freeze together." He glanced back at her, his grin bright against the snow. "Romantic, right?"
"Shut up and keep climbing."
They climbed in silence, the wind screaming around them. Lillian's muscles burned, her lungs ached, and her mind was filled with images of Elara fighting the vessel, of Lujayn's ancient fury, of the ritual that was about to destroy everything.
She thought about the merchant, frozen in the market square. The vampire, burned to ash. The warrior, drowned on dry land. She thought about all the lives that had been lost, all the pain that had been caused, all the fear that had been sown.
And she thought about Matteo. About his reckless grin and his infuriating jokes and the way he made her feel like she was strong enough to face anything.
"Matteo," she called out.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For not leaving me behind."
He stopped climbing and turned to look at her. His face was streaked with blood and ice, his coat torn, his body battered. But his eyes were soft, warm, full of something that made her heart ache.
"I would never leave you behind, Lillian. Not in a thousand years." He reached out and touched her cheek, his fingers cold against her skin. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
She stared at him, her breath catching in her throat. "Matteo—"
"I know. I know we're in the middle of a mountain, about to fight a dragon, probably going to die." He grinned, soft and genuine. "But I needed you to know. Just in case."
Before she could respond, the ground shook.
A massive crack split the mountainside, sending rocks tumbling into the abyss. Lillian screamed, her grip slipping on the icy rock. Matteo grabbed her wrist, pulling her against him.
"Hold on!" he shouted, his magic crackling around them. "I've got you!"
She clung to him, her heart pounding. The ground steadied, the shaking subsiding, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Was that—"
"The ritual." His voice was grim. "It's almost done. We're running out of time."
They climbed faster, their hands bleeding, their lungs burning. The summit appeared above them, a flat plateau surrounded by jagged peaks. And in the center of the plateau, a column of silver light blazed against the dark sky.
"Is that it?" Lillian breathed.
"The ritual site." Matteo pulled himself onto the plateau and extended his hand to help her up. "And there she is."
Lujayn stood in the center of the light, her silver-white hair streaming in the wind, her arms raised to the sky. Around her, six bodies lay in a circle—three dead, three still alive, their souls being pulled from their bodies by the ancient magic.
"The descendants," Lillian gasped. "She has them. All of them."
"Not all." Matteo pointed. "Look. Two are missing. She only has six. She needs nine."
"Where are the other three?"
"Still alive. Still hiding." He grabbed her hand. "We need to stop her before she finds them."
They ran toward the ritual site, their feet pounding against the rock. Lujayn turned to face them, her ancient eyes blazing with silver fire.
"Little mice," she said, her voice echoing with power. "You're too late. The ritual is almost complete."
Matteo raised his hands, lightning crackling. "We're not too late. You're missing three souls. You can't finish without them."
Lujayn smiled, cold and sharp. "You think I don't know that?" She gestured, and a portal opened behind her. "That's why I brought you here. You're going to find the remaining descendants for me. Or I'll kill everyone you love."
Lillian stepped forward, her dagger drawn. "We'll never help you."
"You will." Lujayn's smile widened. "Because I have the Keeper."
She reached into the portal and pulled out a figure—Elara, battered and bleeding, her ancient eyes dull with pain.
"No!" Lillian screamed.
"One word from me, and her soul is mine." Lujayn's voice was silk and poison. "So here's the deal. You find the three remaining descendants. You bring them to me. And I let the Keeper live."
Matteo's hands crackled with lightning. "We'll never do it."
"You will." Lujayn tightened her grip on Elara's throat. "Because if you don't, she dies. And then I'll find the descendants myself. I don't need your help. I just thought I'd give you a chance to save someone you love."
Lillian stared at Elara, at the ancient woman who had given up everything to stop Lujayn. She couldn't let her die. Couldn't let all her sacrifice be for nothing.
"Fine," she said, her voice breaking. "We'll do it."
"Lillian!" Matteo grabbed her arm. "You can't—"
"I can't let her die, Matteo." She met his eyes, her own burning with tears. "I can't."
Lujayn laughed, a sound of pure triumph. "Good girl. Smart girl. Now go. You have three days. Bring me the remaining descendants. Or the Keeper dies."
She snapped her fingers, and the portal vanished. Elara collapsed to the ground, gasping, as Lujayn faded into the silver light.
Lillian dropped to her knees beside Elara, her hands shaking. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I couldn't let her—"
"You did the right thing." Elara coughed, blood spattering her lips. "You bought us time. That's all we need. Time."
Matteo knelt beside them, his face pale. "Time for what? We can't actually find the descendants. We can't bring them to her."
"Yes, we can." Elara's eyes blazed with ancient fire. "We'll find them. And we'll use them to break the spell. Instead of completing the ritual, we'll destroy it."
Lillian stared at her. "How?"
Elara reached into her robe and pulled out a small, silver dagger. "With this. The Blade of Dawn. The only weapon that can kill a dragon."
She pressed it into Lillian's hands.
"Find the descendants. Bring them together. And when Lujayn tries to take their souls, use the blade." Her voice was fading, her strength almost gone. "Strike her heart. And end this. For all of us."
Lillian clutched the blade, her hands trembling. "I don't know if I can—"
"You can." Elara smiled, weak and fading. "You're stronger than you know, Lillian. Stronger than anyone knows. Trust yourself. Trust him." Her eyes flicked to Matteo. "And never, ever stop fighting."
Her eyes closed. Her breathing slowed. And then, she was still.
Lillian stared at her, the tears streaming down her face. "Elara? Elara!"
"She's alive." Matteo pressed his fingers to Elara's neck. "Barely. But alive. She needs rest. Healing. We need to get her somewhere safe."
"Where? Where can we go?"
He was quiet for a moment. Then, slowly, "The palace. It's the only place with enough protection. And the Council—"
"The Council is compromised. We can't trust anyone."
"We can't trust everyone." He met her eyes. "But we can trust some of them. Lady Vesper, maybe. Lord Fenris. The ones who knew Lujayn was a threat." He stood, pulling her to her feet. "We'll figure it out. Together."
Lillian looked at him, at his battered face and his steady eyes, and felt something shift in her chest. Something she couldn't name. Something that made her believe.
"Together," she repeated.
They carried Elara down the mountain, the silver dagger clutched in Lillian's hand.
The wind howled around them, the snow biting at their skin, but she didn't feel it.
All she could feel was the weight of the blade.
All she could hear was the echo of Elara's final words.
Find the descendants. Bring them together. Strike her heart.
As they reached the base of the mountain, a figure emerged from the shadows.
Lillian tensed, her hand on the dagger. But it wasn't Lujayn. It was Lady Vesper, pale and trembling, her crimson eyes wide with terror. "Lillian. Thank the gods. I found you."
Lillian stared at her. "Vesper? What are you doing here?" Vesper grabbed her arm, her voice shaking. "The Council is gone. Lujayn killed them. Everyone. Fenris. The others. All of them." She looked at Lillian, her eyes filled with tears.
"We're the only ones left." Lillian felt the ground shift beneath her. "What about the descendants? The ones who are still alive?"
Vesper shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know where they are. I don't know if they're even still alive." She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But I know where Lujayn is going next. The palace. She's heading to the palace."
Matteo stepped forward, his silver eyes blazing. "Why? What's at the palace?" Vesper looked at him, her face pale. "The final piece of the ritual. The heart of the kingdom. The one soul that can complete the spell."
Lillian's blood turned cold. "What soul?"
Vesper's voice was barely audible. "The soul of the one who carries the Blade of Dawn. The one who can kill her." She looked at Lillian, her crimson eyes filled with dread. "She's coming for you, Lillian. She's coming to take your soul."
The wind howled around them, and in the distance, Lillian heard the echo of Lujayn's laughter.
"Three days," the voice whispered. "Find the descendants. Bring them to me. Or everyone you love will die."
Lillian clutched the silver dagger, her heart pounding.
She had three days. Three days to find the remaining descendants. Three days to save Elara. Three days to stop Lujayn. And she had no idea where to start.