Page 90 of Mountains of Mist and Magic

There was no response, but he felt the shiver of something hot and piercing move down his spine. He tried to roll his shoulders, trying to do something to stop the pain, but it kept flooding him, as if he was being repeatedly struck by lightning. Then, as suddenly as it started, the red hotness stopped. Relief sang through his body, every nerve ending tingling with the sudden absence of pain.

But it only lasted a second. The coldest chill he had ever experienced replaced the heat, and his body felt completely iced over. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, and he could swear he felt ice crystals forming on his skin.

When he was sixteen years old, he'd been swept up in a small avalanche. It was minuscule compared to the ones that frequented their lands now, but he remembered the undying cold he experienced as he had waited for several hours to be freed by his fellow soldiers. He had laughed off the experience, in true Phillippe fashion, but the numbing memories of the cold never fully left him. He had pushed those memories aside, thinking he'd never experience that type of cold again.

But he was wrong. He felt his entire body freeze, and like an icicle hanging from the rooftop, he waited to fall as he lost consciousness. His last thought before the darkness claimed him was of Esmeralda, and a silent promise that he would return to her, no matter what.

Chapter Forty-Three

Renya's back ached and she felt a bit faint. She'd underestimated the journey up the mountain, and combined with the fact that she was pregnant, it made for a slow trek. She stopped under the shade of a fir tree to drink some more water, adjusting her pack and pulling out a small shawl to throw over her shoulders. The path she was on seemed to be getting darker. At first, she'd thought that it was approaching night and she'd lost track of time, but when she reached one ridge she looked to her left and saw that other parts of the mountain were still bathed in light.

It didn't bode well for her, and she was starting to feel apprehensive about whatever trial she faced.

She knew she was going to have to be brave and face whatever it was, which made her all the more panicked. It seemed as if this mountain was going to test them all in ways they couldn't comprehend.

And then there was Phillippe. She didn't know why she hadn't told him that his trial was about sacrifice. From the fable Cressida told her, it sounded like he was going to have to give up something he loved, and that made her incredibly nervous. Would it be his strength? Some part of his character? Or worse...could it be someone he loved?

Renya tried to push the thought away. She knew that it wouldn't do him any good to dwell over it, and she also didn't want him overthinking it.

Her feet kept going, one foot in front of the other, even though she was getting tired. The switchbacks on the mountain were numerous, but she was coming to the end of one. As soon as she turned the corner, the entire landscape changed.

A dry, dead forest spread before her, eerily reminiscent of the Sunset Lands. Renya walked through the lifeless trees, the branches bare and brittle. Leaves, long since fallen, carpeted the ground in a dull, brown layer, crunching underfoot with each step she took. The underbrush was sparse, as if nothing that took root here could survive for long.

Everywhere she looked, there were signs of death. Fungi, parasitic and opportunistic, clung to rotting trunks, feeding on the remnants of what once was.

She wanted to turn on her heels and run, panic starting to overwhelm her. Memories flooded back, and she remembered riding through a forest very much like this one, clinging to Grayden as she tried not to think about what happened to her at the Sunset Castle.

But her trial was bravery, and she knew she needed to swallow her fears. She moved farther into the decaying forest, her ears trained for any bit of sound. She half-expected Brandle to show up, but then remembered he was dead.

Up ahead she saw a clearing, and she hurried towards it, hoping she'd soon be through the forest. But rather than a clearing, it was a giant chasm, with nothing but a tiny, flimsy rope bridge across it. Renya looked up and down the length of the giant canyon, but the forest seemed to stretch on and the canyon with it. In her head she knew that there was no space on the mountain for this type of landscape, so she knew the trial was at hand.

This area had been manipulated by magic. She rubbed her face, her nerves nearly making her shake. Her hands started to tremble, and then she made the mistake of looking down into the crevasse.

There was nothing. Bits of mist swirling, and no bottom to be seen. The second she realized she was going to have to cross the bridge, nausea overtook her and she vomited on the dry forest floor.

Pull yourself together, Renya, she told herself. In times like this she could usually sense Grayden, and he would lend her courage or have a reassuring word. She reached for him, only to find him absent through her bond. This time, she felt sheer alarm as she realized that she was completely cut off from her mate. She felt empty, and like a piece of her body, or worse, soul, was missing. The emptiness made her knees buckle, and she crumbled to the ground, hugging her legs tightly to her body. It was physically painful, and whatever had happened to her, either when her magic was taken or when she stepped through the veil, was now in full effect.

Eventually, she stopped quaking, and her breath steadied. Part of her wondered if she went into such a state of shock in hopes that Grayden would sense it and the strong emotions would be enough to awaken their bond, but even if it was, it hadn’t worked.

Her lungs greedily sucked down air as she tried to calm herself and urge her body forward. Step by step, inch by inch, she approached the rickety bridge, placing one foot carefully on the first rung. She tested its strength by putting a little weight on it, increasing the pressure to ensure it didn't buckle. Once she was satisfied, she put both feet on the step, and then moved the other foot to the next rung.

She'd seen movies back in the human world where the character always had to cross some decrepit bridge, and it always seemed to break mid-way across. It was such a cliché that she actually had a false sense of security as she took the next step, thinking that if she encountered any trouble it would be either in the middle of the bridge or at the very end.

But she had been very wrong, and that single thought raced through her mind as the bridge collapsed and she fell, feet first, into the mist.

Time seemed to slow as Renya plummeted through the air. The wind whipped past her, tearing at her clothes and hair. Her stomach lurched, the sensation of falling making her feel as if her insides were trying to escape through her throat. Instinctively, her hands reached out, grasping for anything to slow her descent, but finding only empty air.

As she fell, the mist around her thickened, obscuring her vision. She couldn't see the canyon walls or the forest above her anymore. Panic threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced herself to focus. She was the light bringer, and she had to be brave, even in the face of certain doom.

The thought of Grayden and their unborn child flashed through her mind, and she felt like she’d failed them both. The wind rushed past her ears, drowning out her own terrified scream as she plunged deeper into the abyss.

The mist grew denser, wrapping around her like a cold, damp blanket. Renya closed her eyes, bracing for impact, wondering if this was truly the end of her journey. As she fell farther into the unknown depths, she realized that sometimes bravery meant facing the inevitable with dignity and grace.

And still, she fell, disappearing into the swirling mists of the chasm, her fate unknown.

Chapter Forty-Four

He was solid, and real. Selenia felt his face, his hands, his jaw. Everything about him seemed real. And yet...it wasn't possible.

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