"Is that all you've got, wimp?" the Queen laughed, throwing me against a wall with her Aura once again. My mother had obviously planned the force of these impacts to an Iceheart-worthy degree of precision, so that each one was infinitely painful, but did not break my skin. By keeping me from losing blood, the Queen cruelly prevented me from entering the blissful state of unconsciousness while she slowly destroyed first my will to fight, and then my will to live.

What felt like ten minutes had passed since the raging flames outside had forced me to seek shelter in the Sanctum, and still, not a single drop of blood had been spilled. I wondered if she had challenged herself to kill me without dirtying her floor. That definitely sounded like something she would do.

I crashed into the door, feeling a concentrated burst of pain as the diamond-encrusted doorknob pierced my back before I flopped uselessly onto the ground. The cold marble soothed my heated cheeks, and I lay, sprawled across the floor, for a few moments, concentrating on my own breathing. I inhaled deeply, but was immediately met with a sharp burst of pain just under my chest. 

I might've broken a rib. 

Or worse. 

"Stop being weak," my mother growled. "Stand up and fight like an Arystenn! Do you want to die curled up on the floor crying, or do you want to die making this family proud!" 

"Correction: Empire," I spat, employing all of my willpower to push myself up, first onto my knees, and then onto my feet. "I'm going to die making this Empire proud. That includes the Rhenans, the humans, the slaves, everyone! After I'm gone, Lessaenes will remember my name longer than even you will ever live." I readied my now dull Aura, forcing it to form a weak shield around me. I grew slightly dizzy from the effort, beginning to feel a dull throb at the back of my skull. 

Come on, Gift. You've always been there for me. First, you helped me win the Glitchketball Championship, which seemed impossible at Team Sloppie's first few practices of the season. Then, you allowed me to save my friends from that airplane crash back in the Program, and to fight Chief Kandain, and win. You've saved my life so many times, I can't even count. 

All of those little things you've done for me were for this moment. This is when everything comes together, or falls apart. Please don't let me down, now. 

I paused, to see if my mental pep talk would have any effect. 

Nothing. 

You've got to be kidding me. 

Only when it was absent did I realize how much I had been depending on my Gift showing up when I needed it the most. 

I wasn't even sure what I could do without it. 

"You call that a shield? The spirit of King Airel is laughing at you right now," my mother chuckled. 

"And a million Rhenan spirits are rooting for me!" I yelled, throwing an Aural fireball at the Queen. It glanced off her powerful shields like a dead insect, vaporizing on the smooth, cold floor. 

"Your comebacks are even more pathetic than the Scientists'," the Queen retorted. "And I thought they were the lamest people in the Empire."

Just as I was beginning to think of something to say back, the doors to the Sanctum swung open, belching a gigantic cloud of smoke into the room. An unrecognizable figure that appeared almost half dead tumbled in, gasping for breath as it dropped to its hands and knees. Almost instinctively, I rushed forward and shut the doors. Oddly enough, at that moment, I found myself preferring what could be a very quick death at the hands of my mother than the agony of slow suffocation.

The figure lifted its head, and I gasped, beginning to recognize some of its features. 

It was Aron, though I wouldn't have been able to tell if it weren't for his telltale, gray eyes and the barely visible Flame tattoo on his sooty wrist. His face, shoulders, chest, and abs were completely blackened by layers of ash, and his bottom lip was split, oozing a fresh stream of blood. His blond hair, usually pulled neatly back at the base of his neck, hung loose in stringy layers around his ears. 

"Aw, look who came to save you," my mother smirked, putting her hands together to form a heart. My cheeks instantly reddened, which only made her laugh. 

"Aron, isn't it? It's so nice of you to join us! I thought this was going to be interesting before, but you've just made it even more so! Before we begin, allow me to explain a little bit of the historical background of our-" 

"I have neither interest in nor a desire to play your sadistic game," Aron spat, his voice hoarse from the smoke. When I had been in the halls, I had barely been able to find my way back to the Sanctum without burning alive. The fire, as fire does, must've grown exponentially in volume and level of smoke emission since then. It was a miracle that he had gotten up here alive. 

"Ooh, a smart Flame," the Queen grinned. "It's been a while since I've had one of those. I can understand why you take an interest in him, Viviana. I'll have to admit, he's intelligent for a Rhenan." 

"Intelligence is not the only quality to be valued in a person," I crossed my arms. 

"That's what all the young ones are saying these days," the Queen shook her head. "It's all just useless Keeper propaganda, if I do say so myself. Well, why don't you say hello. I take it you've been apart for a long while." 

Aron and I stood awkwardly across from each other, too scared and apprehensive of the Queen's next move to speak. 

"I said, talk to each other!" 

"Why did you come up here? You could've survived!" I yelled. 

"I saw you hanging out of the window," Aron replied. "I couldn't just leave you here with her!" 

"What about your mission, or whatever you're supposed to be doing right now?" 

"I cut my communications link as soon as I realized you were in danger." 

"Alright, talking time is over!" the Queen chirped. "It's time to fight! It's two against one, now, and I can barely move in this gown," she gestured to her long, layered dress. "That should make this easy-peasy for you guys."

She shot a volley of Aural Icicles in my direction, and Aron quickly put up a shield around both of us that was much stronger than my own. Yet, it shuddered at the impact, barely holding the icicles back. I could tell that the Queen wasn't even putting effort into her attacks- her icicles were small, and blunt. Well, for her standards, at least. She was toying with us, mentally mapping out our combined strengths and weaknesses. 

I didn't even want to think about what would happen when she actually started trying to kill us. 

"Remember, kids, whatever you do, make King Airel proud!" 

King Airel. 

I ducked behind Aron, jogging toward the marble statue of Lumys at the back of the Sanctum as an idea began to form in my head. My Gift clearly wasn't working with me, so there was only one way for me to hold off the Ice Queen for long enough to allow the Flames to get Tara out of the city. And it would involve my least favorite ancestor. 

I shot a concentrated Aural blast at the case that contained King Airel's staff, making sure that I did not hit the staff itself. The blast was too weak to do much damage to the room around it, but was enough to shatter the glass, causing the wooden staff to tumble into my arms. King Airel's Aura buzzed with negative energy for a moment, before allowing its noncooperation to fade into reluctant acceptance. 

"That is a priceless historical artifact!" Queen Saralee yelled, her eyes widening. "Put it down! It's not a toy!" 

"Come on, King Airel," I whispered. "I know I'm not the Wielder you've been waiting for, but you've got to work with me. Please." 

Imbuing the weapon with my own Aura, I felt a surge of energy flow through me as my energy connected with that of the deceased first King of Lessaenes. 

...it holds inexplicable power that defies the very Laws of Aurology themselves. 

My mother's words, spoken to me just over a week before, rushed into my brain, filling me with new hope. 

Before the Queen could orchestrate another attack, I raised my arm, hurling the staff at her. Its point pierced her first shield, and for a moment, it hung in the air until the Aural force was drained from it. 

My mother stared at her most prized possession, horrified, as it clattered noisily to the ground. Then, she turned her attention to me, her violet eyes blazing a bright blue with anger. 

Stupid Viviana! Why did you have to touch that staff?!

Yet, I knew that regrets were useless, now. I could've just damaged the single most valuable thing in the Empire. There was no going back.