King Balen’s smile widens as his second companion steps forward. I watch in horror as the woman flicks her wrist in the direction of a fallen soldier. The dead man shudders, then lurches to his feet like a puppet on strings, his face a vacant mask.
Death Magi possess the ability to communicate with the departed. Yet this Demari canresurrectthem.
Fear fills me to the brim. Fox’s eyes are wide, yet he shows no sign of retreating.
King Balen’s gaze lands on the talisman round his neck. He chuckles. ‘Oh, nephew. Always one step ahead. And yet think of all you have lost, how much more you have to lose.’
I move closer to Fox, ice crystallizing at my fingertips.
‘My spies tell me poor Haldyn is almost at death’s door,’ his uncle continues. ‘How sad that you won’t be able to save him, just like you weren’t able to save your sweet sister.’
With a howl of rage Fox lunges. But the female Demari snaps her fingers and the dead soldier raises a sword to block his advance.
King Balen’s raven eyes gleam as he turns his attention to me. ‘I do so enjoy a family reunion, don’t you, little dove? Tell me, how are those dear brothers of yours?’
I clench my hands into fists and the sky rumbles with thunder.
Seconds later a shimmering wall of ice erupts from the ground, separating us from King Balen. Then River is there, trident in hand.
‘You have to get out of here,’ he shouts over the tumult.
‘We’re not going anywhere!’ I yell back, as the airborne Singers rain arrows down on the other side of the barrier.
Fox snarls as he attempts to hack his way through the sheet of ice.
‘This is what Balen wants,’ says River. ‘He’s protected. You’re outnumbered.’
Far above, a Singer is thrown from her mount by a powerful gust of wind.
‘You can’t win, Blaze. Not like this.’
I hear the truth in his words. King Balen planned this attack. It is to his advantage. He has the element of surprise on his side, as well as two lethal Demari and an army that is not only disposable but also able to be resurrected. I watch as the fallen Singer’s body is dashed against the cliffs, and I know the same can’t be said for our own.
My resolve begins to weaken, and I catch hold of Fox’s arm. ‘River’s right.’
He shakes me off and slams the butt of Silverclaw into the frozen barrier. I try again, my eyes burning into his.
‘Fox,’ I say. ‘Please.’
He looks down at me, his face twisted with anguish. Scout appears at his ankles. He picks her up, and I watch him unravel.
River doesn’t waste a second before drawing a portal – a watery sphere glistening blue and boundless at our feet.
I shake my head in alarm. ‘But – but Queen Hydra only taught me how to transport objects. I’ll get us both killed!’
‘No, you won’t,’ River tells me. ‘Concentrate. Clear your mind. Think only of your destination and will yourself to go there with every fibre of your being.’
I swallow.
‘Now,’ River demands.
At that moment the wall of ice finally shatters. King Balen’s furious scream barely has time to pierce my ears before the portal swallows us whole.
54
Blaze
Fox and I tumble together through the churning portal, swept along by a powerful current. I can’t breathe, or hear, or speak, but I can see. Images appear like mirages through the crystal-clear water – the steel gates of Harglade Hall, the rocky cove beneath Bartell Manor, the sprawling front steps of the Golden Palace. Yet none of them is the place I’m searching for.
