Page 128 of Shrine of Fire

“No!” The Ember King shrieked, his hair falling out of its braid. “Take them. Take them all, they are not worthy. Spare me.”

Hella Mora cried out. “I will spare no one.”

Memories of my first pack cut through me. It was impossible to ignore the grief.

It hurt, but it didn’t hurt as badly as before. I had my packbonds to steady me, I had the men around me racing to put our plan into action.

I had their love.

Cuan dropped stones in a circle around us, improvising with some yarn.

“I’ll give us some time.” Kalahar stepped back and shifted into a massive phoenix. His fiery wings stretched out, and with a screech, he took to the air.

Cuan sat down and closed his eyes. The packbonds shifted, and magic flowed through him.

Hashir unwrapped the Seal of Souls, shining gold in the muted light, and put it at the center of Cuan’s circle.

I lifted my hands up. I pulled fire out of the torches, lighting them brighter than before. I circled the room with a small circle of flames, feeding my heart into it. My love for this place, the calming waves, the fierce pride of the people.

“Stand up,” I shouted. “Do not let her trick you. Grief is the cost of life, but it’s not the only thing that matters.”

My words had some effect. I pumped more warmth into the flames, and Hella Mora screamed.

“You fool,” she shook her head at me. “You have forgotten your pack. You haveforsakenthem.”

I sucked in a breath. It hit as bad as a knife in my heart. “No,” I whispered softly.

Cuan began humming a lullaby, threading the yarn through his hands. Kalahar weaved in the air around the spirit, forcing her to dodge him.

Stefan and Hashir stood with their hands on Cuan’s shoulders, and I felt their steadiness through the bond.

“You lie to yourself,” the spirit said, and blasted energy as cold as a tomb.

I stumbled back, blinking a vision of the cold forest away. It was mirrored over the throne room, as though I existed in two realities.

Spirits swirled around the room in a maelstrom. Some looked like ghosts, others like creatures I had no names for.

I shook my head. Images appeared in front of me.

Darrin, smiling, holding his arms out for me.

Hella Mora hit Kalahar, and he shouted in pain.

“It’s not enough, I can’t reach her prison.” Cuan gasped, and his bond went cold. People around us wailed, grief a thousand times strong.

I gritted my teeth, tasting coppery fear, cold sweat making me shiver. There was Geshon, throwing me onto the couch and tickling me.

“This could have been your life,” Hella Mora said.

Barrett tucked a blanket around me. “Go to sleep, little one. Tomorrow is a new day.”

I dropped to my knees, crying out. There would be no new days. No more forevers.

No, no.I shook my head, my body cold. I should have been there with them.

Hella Mora nodded. “You should have died with them.”

“No,” Hashir snarled. “She’s mine. She’s right where she needs to be.”

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