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I was going to die. Worse. I was going to lose my soul and become a monster like her. It was too late. Even if they freed Rhyan, he couldn’t get here in time—even if he traveled.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Rhyan was screaming my name; the sound of the crowd was deafening.
Haleika roared in hunger as I felt her clawed hands coming for me. There was a tug, her nails piercing through my necklace, the chain and clasp digging into the back of my neck. But the moment she made contact, she roared in agony, as if she’d just been burned by fire. Her grip on me faltered, and I fell unceremoniously to the ground in a heap, landing on my left hip.
I groaned in pain, watching the horror in Haleika’s eyes as she stared at her hand.
Something similar had happened the night before when the other akadim attacked. I stared down at the collection of golden stars covering my chest and shoulders.
It was the necklace. Akadim didn’t like it.
But before I could figure out what that meant or how to use it to my advantage, Haleika punched me square in the chest. Even with my armor on, I wheezed, the air knocked out of my lungs as I heard the sound of glass shattering. I fell on my back, dizzy, seeing flashes of white and gold before glancing down. It wasn’t glass I’d heard breaking. It was diamonds.
My necklace. She’d broken three of the starfire diamonds, their precious centers spilling down my armor. The starfire ran into the blood dripping onto my body.
“LYR!” Rhyan screamed again. “LYR!”
In the stands were shouts of, “Free him! Free him!”
Haleika abandoned the fight against me, turned, and started racing for Rhyan. His arms were still pinned above his head to the pole, his body restricted by the bindings, his magic and strength cut off.
No. NO! I needed to get there first, between him and her.
But the moment I moved to stand, my vision blackened. Something warm was growing inside my body, a heat, an inner fire. I’d been freezing the entire time I was out here, but now my insides felt like they were singing with flames I’d only felt once before—when the nahashim had snaked their way inside of me.
I screamed. I was lying on the snow, my body bruised and broken, my necklace and blood spilling out across me. I felt like my insides were on fire.
“Help!” I screamed. “Help him!” But I was screaming at myself. At my body. To get up, to find strength, to do this one final thing. Protect Rhyan.
Red flashed in my vision, and I saw a glimmer of gold before the flames within me increased. My entire body seized, my arms and legs stretched out like I’d been blasted back by some unknown force. The pain in my hand vanished, and I knew without looking it was no longer broken but healed. My ankle righted itself, and a surge of power burst inside of me.
You’re the fire.Rhyan had told me, both in my dream and asleep in my arms. Mercurial had said the same.
And though I saw no flames anywhere, their words had become truth. I was fire.
Some inner strength, some inner power, blazed inside of me. I felt strong. Energized. Full of light. Ready to end this, once and for all.
A mage who served the Emperor leaned over the wall of the stadium, his stave pointed at Rhyan. But he made no movement to undo the spell. He was waiting on a command from the Emperor that was not coming. Rhyan’s eyes were on me, his face torn in anguish, and with a cry of my name, he released his arms from their bonds.
Gods, he was freeing himself.
But not fast enough. Haleika was going to get him. Unless I got there first.
And I would get there first.
Flames licked me from the inside, singed around my heart. I didn’t care. I rolled onto my side, coughing blood, and jumped to my feet, my eyes on Haleika’s back as I tore across the arena, running at a speed that shouldn’t have been possible. Power surged through my veins, and I picked up speed, my feet barely touching the ground, some inner wind carrying me forward.
She would not lay a hand on him, not when I still had breath.
“HAL!” I screamed. “HAL!”
I reached for another Valalumir, ripped it from my belt strap. My fingers tightened over the sharpened blade, and my arm pulled back before I swung it forward, releasing the golden star with a force I hadn’t known I could possess. Time seemed to slow, and my vision cleared, my body free of pain as I watched the star fly. The Valalumir spun and shimmered across the arena, a hum of magic sounding as it flew and hit my mark, slicing through her back.
Haleika shrieked and turned from Rhyan just as he freed himself from the bond, the black ropes around his body dissolving into black shadows disintegrating at his feet. All at once his aura surged, a coolness in the air I’d been missing while he was bound.
The Emperor’s mage cried out in protest. Rhyan had torn the ropes apart himself. Even without his magic, without his power.
But now Haleika was racing for me. My heart pounded. Good. I was ready.
