Page 156 of The Crimson Walls Of Algorath

Ariadne stopped just short of the threshold. Heat pricked her eyes as she looked in at that horrible, familiar entry hall. She was reentering beside the same man who had delivered her there over a year ago.

So much had changed…yet the dread remained the same.

“I do not think I can do it,” she rasped, stepping back again. “Please, Azriel…”

But he held firm. She saw in his eyes that he would not drag her in as he had done so long ago, but he also would not let her leave. Instead, he turned his back to the doorway and said, “I have seen you ride a dragon into battle and kill one of the most powerful mages I’ve ever met. You’ve stood up to your father, ran away from home, and befriended the monsters you once hated.”

She had no words. What could she say to that? That she was lucky?

“You are the bravest woman I know,” Azriel said and stepped closer, forcing her to tilt her chin back to look at his face. “Do not cower from your past. You are stronger than anything you have endured. Do not let him win.”

He was right. By staying outside, Ehrun won. Bravery meant acknowledging the fear and doing it anyway. Bravery meant being more than the nightmares.

So, for the second time in her life, Ariadne entered the dhemon keep.