Page 66 of The Lost Nation

“Whatever it is, I will give it,” Conan panted, and Beros nodded his massive head. The horn on his head glinted against the unnatural light from the pit. Astrid had tears coming from her eyes.

“I agree,” she whispered.

It was up to me. “I will pay this cost in full," I grit out. "My brother will not.”

It was tricky to try to impose conditions on raw magick, but I’d be damned if Ronan would share in my punishment. I needed to do this to repay for the massive amount of wrongs I’d committed over the course of the war. Letting my people languish for centuries in that mountain, making deals with Severn, kidnapping Wren, turning away the mountain men ... how was it possible I earned anything good in this world after what I'd done?

I was willing to pay anything to be absolved.

The room exploded, throwing Ronan away from the circle. There was a flash of heat, and I assumed I was dying. Why else would I feel like my skin was melting, and my very bones being turned to dust?

Then it was over.

Chapter 28

Ronan

There was a massive backlash of magick, and my body smacked into the cave wall. Something in me broke, but the backlash kept pushing through us like a pulsing wave, pinning me in place. The rumbling above us ceased for a moment, then resumed.

I crawled to Benedict, who looked half-dead. All of them did, as a matter of fact. Even the blood witch Nuva looked like she’d been dragged through hell and back, but at least she was standing. We weren't.

“Did it work? Are we free of him?” Georg asked, wincing as he tried to stand. We all crawled to the pit, but it looked unchanged.

“It wasn’t enough,” Nuva said dazedly, stunned by our lack of success. “Magick took our price, but found it unequal to the lives already lost.”

Shock and horror settled on all the faces around me.

“What was the price?” I asked. “It seems unfair to have something taken from us if it didn’t even work.”

Nuva sat down on the ground, covering her face with her hands.

“What was the price?” I demanded again.

Kali took a sudden step forward, her breath hitching in pain. A dark, crimson stain was spreading over her dress, starting from her hips, and spreading down her legs.

“No...”

I almost missed Benedict’s whisper, so caught up in watching Kali crumple into her man’s arms. He wanted to lift her dress to find the wound, but she slapped his hands away.“There's nothing you can do. I know the price," she sobbed.

I whipped around to Benedict, even as Conan and Beros exchanged sad looks. Astrid was staring off into space, looking lost.

“What was thedamn price?!” I roared, afraid and confused. The cavern shook around us, and the rumbling intensified.

“Run! The black magick is trying to cleanse the fortress. It will bring it down upon us!”Nuva shrieked.

Erik picked up Kali and ran, Georg hot on his heels. We all made for the exit, but Benedict snapped in fury.

“NO! I PAID THE PRICE! FIX IT!”

I shouted at the others to go on, and I grabbed his arm and tugged. Just as the others cleared the passageway, a large stalactite detached from the ceiling and shattered in front of the entrance.I fell back on my ass.

“Benedict! You need to shadow-walk us out!”

He whipped around, his dark braid smacking me in the face even as his purple eyes blazed with fury.

“You don’t understand THE PRICE! I PAID IT! WHERE IS MY REWARD?”

I didn’t understand his anger. I didn’t understandanything.

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