Page 112 of Somber Prince

Rha wouldn’t be able to hold the pole much longer. The Nerifir iron of the dagger was poisoning his blood, killing him from the inside. There was no one to help him. His warriors were fighting our attackers, the battle moving farther away from him.

He’d fall. The portal would close, cutting me off from my world and my sister forever. And Rha would die.

Coming to this dark world had not been my decision. Escaping from Teneris hadn’t been my idea, either.

But as I took off in a mad dash down the hill toward the man bleeding on his knees for my freedom, I had no doubts. No matter what world I’d end up in, I realized, I would never be happy knowing he died and I let it happen. It was that simple. I couldn’t let him die.

I just hoped I wasn’t too late already.

Rha swayed on his knees. The pole with the magical hexagon slipped from his shoulder and crashed to the ground, raising clouds of sand along its length.

The portal behind me closed.

Something rolled past me down the hill. A scream of horror stuck in my throat when I realized what it was—the lower part of Kostya’s body. Dressed in pants he’d been so proud of getting from the Keepers, it was cut off at the waist, the charred flesh sizzling and sparkling with a gold shimmer of magic that had sliced him in two.

Hot air scorched my lungs. I gasped for every breath. My feet slid in the sand and tripped over patches of grass.

I crashed down on my knees at Rha’s side. He bent forward, reaching behind him in search of the dagger, but he couldn’t find it, already disoriented from the poison in his bloodstream.

Hugging his shoulders with one arm, I yanked the dagger out with the other. Blood gushed out from the wound, dark like wine.

My first instinct was to toss the weapon away, but I realized I needed it. I sliced a length of fabric off my skirt, then shoved the dagger behind my belt. Wrapping my arms around Rha, I pressed the ball of fabric to the wound on his back, trying to stop the blood from leaving his body.

“Dawn…” He tipped forward, leaning his forehead against my shoulder.

“Why did you do it?” I cried. “Why did you come here?”

“I had no choice. I’ll always come for you…” his voice broke.

I rubbed the side of my face against his. “Don’t talk. Save your strength.”

But he wouldn’t stop.

“I woke up early. I couldn’t sleep without you by my side. But your bed was empty. And so was the sarai. Kanjie told me where you were headed. I was furious…” He heaved a labored breath. “Anger consumed me. You’re mine. I had to get you back.”

“But you didn’t. You kept the portal open.”

“When I saw you climbing up that hill, trying so desperately to get away from me, I realized something…” He lifted his head, searching for my eyes.

The movement cost him his balance. He swayed to the side, pushed by a gust of wind. The sky grew darker, with black clouds choking the sunlight.

The storm thickened around us, hiding everything from view. I could no longer see either the men or their horses. I had no idea if the fighting was finished or who won. The storm had taken over, burying the dead bodies and the magical pole under a layer of sand. If we stayed out here, Rha and I risked being buried alive too.

“We need to get out of here.”

The only possible shelter was the massive structure of the temple that stood out like a monolith of darkness in the storm. The golden hexagon glistened faintly with receding magic like a beacon in the sand-filled air.

I scrambled to my feet, pulling Rha up with me. But he was too heavy for me to drag him through the sand.

“Help me, Rha. Can you walk? Please?”

He groaned, trying to get his feet under him. Half walking, half crawling, we made it to the black rocks of the entrance to the temple. One side of the tall, thick doors was open. The wind had already blown a thick layer of sand through it.

I helped Rha through the doors into what looked like the front room of the temple. A second, far more elaborate set of doors was opposite the entrance. But these doors were firmly closed. They wouldn’t open when I pulled on the long carved-bone handle. Someone must have locked them from the inside. Not all Joy Guardians had been outside by the pole. Some must have stayed in the temple.

I slammed my fist against the doors, screaming, “Let us in, please!”

“They won’t,” Rha croaked. “Their purpose is to protect the Joy.”

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