Page 46 of The Serpent’s Shadow

“Go!” he said, and pushed her hand away.

“What?!” she cried out. “We must retreat to Alfheim!”

“Tell the others what has happened here,” Corym yelled at her. “GO, sister!”

“I’m not leaving without you!”

Corym made a quick gesture with his hands.

The portal rippled, and then closed in front of Deitryce like a thin, watery film.

“NO!” she wailed.

Within seconds, just as I got ten paces from Corym and the congregated elves, the portal vanished into thin air.

With it, the Ljosalfar elves of Alfheim were gone.

But not Corym E’tar.

He spun around, twirled his blade, and faced me head-on.

I made it to him. “Corym! Why did you do that?!” My face was plastered with sweat and blood.

He gave me no answer. He simply looked over my shoulder.

Then he grabbed my hand and yanked me toward him.

“Come on,lunis’ai! We’ll find no solace here. We must make for the woods!”

I nodded dumbly.

As he pulled me along, I got my bearings and ran on my own. We pushed through trees, out of camp, and into Delaveer, running blindly. Trying to escape our would-be captors and executioners.

With a bit of space away from the moment, the camp, I realized why Corym had pushed his sister into the portal, and why he was still here in Midgard.

He had stayed because of me.

Chapter 16

Ravinica

WE KEPT RUNNING. ANDrunning. Past the end of the razed elven camp with smoke rising up like black fingers into the bruised night sky.

But we were tiring. At leastIwas tiring. We had already sprinted the entire way from Elayina’s cave, through a treacherous path over swamp and forest.

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