The higher they climbed, the more Makaela's lungs constricted. She could feel the air getting thinner as they ventured up the snowy slopes. Her steady breaths turned to ragged pants with every passing second. Snow collected on her face, slightly obscuring her vision. Her teeth chattered so hard she thought they might shatter.

Following their escape from the Shades in Kimathanka, she and her group immediately began their descent up the mountain. They weren't left with much of a choice—or a chance to regroup. But with Yama gone and Han clearly needing medical attention, Makaela wasn't sure how much further they would be able to get without stopping.

Amora and her Shades were usually right behind them, though. Any delays or detours could spell their deaths.

Gritting her teeth, Makaela continued to trudge through the snow. Han's arms were draped around her neck now, as she had volunteered to take over for Ismael. Ismael led the group, the opened Andhis in hand and his nose pointed north. Karin walked alongside Makaela. The girl was constantly checking over her shoulder, making sure their enemies weren't on their tail.

The lack of shadows around them meant shadowjumping was out of the question. But it wouldn't be that way for much longer.

Makaela looked up at the sky.

"Sun's setting soon," she announced. "The Shades will have the advantage when the night comes."

Ismael ran a hand over his scalp. "We need to find shelter."

"We need to find that tower," Karin argued.

"I'm afraid our mission might be the least of our concerns at the moment," the bald monk replied.

Han mumbled something, but Makaela couldn't decipher his mindless babbling. His eyes fluttered as he feebly waved a hand in the air. She turned her head toward Karin.

"Ismael's right," she said. "Once we get Han back on his feet, we can keep going for the tower."

Huffing, Karin folded her arms. "Fine."

The group continued through the snow. The angry wind screeched around them, jostling them about as they struggled up the valley. Makaela's muscles waned as Han grew heavier on her back by the moment. Cold sweat dripped down her face before freezing against her skin.

Karin and Ismael didn't seem to be faring any better. Their steps were uncoordinated and labored. She could see their frosty breaths hanging in the air.

Makaela cursed.

They couldn't keep going. Not like this.

"We have to stop."

"No." Karin shook her head defiantly. "We can't stop."

"We'll all die if we don't."

"We'll die if we do."

She bit down on her lip. While Karin had a point, she would have rathered them go out fighting the Shades than freezing to death on a mountain. If they managed to get Han walking before the sun came up again, they would stand a chance at surviving another encounter with the dark magicians.

She looked to Ismael for help. The man clenched his jaw before averting his eyes to the snow. Sighing, he hung his head.

"Makaela is right, Karin," he said, his voice low. Grave. Defeated. "We'll have to stop. Just for a few hours."

"We have to try and help Han," Makaela added.

Karin whipped around, fury igniting her features. "And if we can't?"

She didn't respond. The answer in her head was too dire to say aloud. Karin seemingly knew the answer as well, as her anger morphed to sadness. Her grey eyes lingered on Han's limp body.

"We can't lose him too." Makaela's voice trembled, mirroring her shaking frame. "We have to try."

The silver-haired girl hesitated. Then she wiped her eyes and nodded.

"Alright," she conceded. "Alright, we'll stop." She jabbed a finger at her. "But only for the night. As soon as first light breaks, we move."

"That's the plan," Ismael said. He dipped a hand into his infinity container and retrieved one of the lanterns they packed. After transferring the lantern to his free hand, he held it towards Karin. "Would you mind?"

Nodding, Karin performed the quick sequence for a spark spell. A small flame flicked from her fingertips and ignited the wick within the enchanted glass walls of the lantern. She closed the open panel and watched as the light inside grew.

"You know, I could've just used an illuminating spell," Makaela pointed out.

"We should conserve our vitalae," Ismael countered. "You never know when the Shades may decide to make their presence known."

He had a point. Conjuring up a ball of light and having it follow them up the mountain would have used up a considerable amount of her vitalae, which was already low from their earlier fight.

The lantern would suffice for now.

Panting and shivering from the wind ravaging their freezing bodies, Makaela and her group soldiered onward. Han had fallen asleep her back. His low, rhythmic snores filled her ears, drowning out the sound of the howling wind.

They continued their trek for about ten more minutes before Ismael stopped. He glanced down at their map once more before pointing up ahead. His eyes scanned the wrinkled scroll, searching and wandering over the old parchment. After a few seconds, his face lit up in the cold swirling around them.

Makaela arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"There should be a cave nearby," he revealed. "We can settle in there for the night."

"A cave?" Karin furrowed her brows. "Why can't we just pitch the tent?"

"Out in the open?" He snorted. "And what if a blizzard strikes? We'll be wiped off the side of the mountain."

Karin simply rolled her eyes.

"Not to mention the Shades," Makaela added. "We'd be sitting ducks if we pitched our tent out in the snow."

"Point taken." The girl grumbled something under her breath as she crossed her arms. "If we get mauled to death by bears in our sleep, I will haunt you forever."

"How are you going to haunt us if we're also dead?"

She fell silent, her forehead creasing as she mulled over the question. Makaela and Ismael both laughed.

"You know what I meant," Karin said with a scowl.

Meanwhile, Han stirred from his slumber. Eyelids fluttering, he murmured something about bears. Makaela frowned as she glanced at him over her shoulder. Whatever spell struck him did a number on the monk.

They needed to hurry and get to that cave so they could assess his damage.

Makaela readjusted him on her back. He was starting to get insanely heavy now. Her knees trembled with every step she took. If she didn't set him down soon, she feared her kneecaps would explode.

"How much further is this cave?" she asked Ismael.

"A few more steps...I think."

Wheezing, she nodded and surged forward.

#

The cave was magnificent.

Snow filtered in slightly at the entrance before stopping completely about ten feet deep within the cavern. The temperature inside—while a tad bit warmer than outside—was still freezing. Their footsteps and breaths echoed around them, bouncing off the high walls and curved ceiling. Rocky stalagmites hung from the ceiling like massive bats. Glinting crystals were embedded in the rocks. The light from Ismael's lantern reflected off the bright crystals; their light stabbed through the darkness like daggers in a beast's heart.

Once they reached a suitable spot in the cave, Makaela set Han down on the hard ground and went to help Karin and Ismael set up the tent. After retrieving the tent from his infinity container, the three of them performed a spell that caused the folded piece of fabric to assemble itself.

They stepped away from it as it unfolded, expanded, and rose into the air. The tent was about the size of a small cabin with more than enough space to house them all.

Ismael hung his lantern on a metal hook sticking out from the hood of the tent's entrance. Pulling back the tarp, he gestured for the girls to step inside.

"I'll assess Han out there before I bring him inside," he told them. He motioned toward his bag. "You two can finish pulling out the rest of our supplies. There should be a few cots and blankets inside."

"Did you bring any heating pads by any chance?" Karin rubbed her hands together before blowing into them.

Ismael gave her a blank stare. "No. I did not."

Makaela stifled a giggle.

Karin shook her head in disappointment before disappearing into the tent. Makaela followed behind her and assisted with retrieving the rest of their supplies from Ismael's infinity container.

Once everything was set up, she took a seat on one of the cots and removed her boots. Even through her thick, layered socks, she could see the blisters forming along her sore feet. Grimacing, she rubbed the tender skin.

"I never want to walk again," she grumbled while massaging her heel.

"Careful what you wish for," Karin warned. She removed her coat, revealing her silver robes beneath.

Makaela noticed a small wound on her shoulder. "How'd that happen?"

Karin glanced at it before waving nonchalantly. "One of those stupid Shades got me with their vayrir. No big deal. It doesn't even hurt—" She winced, and her hand immediately flinched to her shoulder. "Okay, never mind. It hurts."

Makaela rose to her feet, her joints popping and muscles straining as she moved. She hobbled over to the girl and plopped down next to her on her cot. The skin of Karin's shoulder was slightly raised and darkened. It wasn't like Han's injury, but it looked just as painful.

"What kind of weapon was their vayrir?"

She shrugged. "Don't remember really. Was too busy trying not to get maimed."

Makaela carefully prodded the girl's shoulder. She then grabbed Ismael's bag and searched for a roll of gauze. Once her fingers managed to locate the bandages inside the deep, magical container, she pulled it out and fashioned a wrap for Karin's shoulder. After applying it, she nodded. "It's not much, but it should help keep it stable. Hopefully"

Karin rotated her shoulder, testing out the integrity of the bandage. Once satisfied, she smiled at the girl beside her. "Didn't know you knew first-aid."

"I don't."

"You don't?"

"I just did what I thought would help."

Kari nodded slowly. Her smile faltered a bit.

Makaela dropped her gaze as she absent-mindedly twisted the ring around her finger. "I just...I just want to say I'm sorry about what happened to Yama. I...I didn't think the Shades would find us so quickly. If I could—"

"No use dwelling. It happened."

"But she was your housemate. Aren't you—"

Karin's face hardened like the crystals in the ceiling. "She knew the risks and she accepted them." A sigh left her lips. "House Brynjir isn't the only house that values honor. We just do it differently."

Makaela blinked, not quite understanding.

"We do what we can on this earth," she explained. "We try to help whoever needs it whenever we can." She turned away from Makaela. "I know my house didn't come to House Lumai's aid, but that wasn't my call. If it had been me, House Tenebris would've never even made it to your headquarters that night."

"Why didn't Madame Alizeh help us?" Makaela asked. "There has to be a reason."

"I don't know," she said. "I was only a child back then. But trust me when I say that she still feels terrible about it."

Makaela went quiet.

"We'll make it right," Karin promised. "And we're going to start by finding Lumi's tower. If we don't, Yama's death will have been for nothing."

"We will find it."

Karin smiled. The pair shared a look of understanding for a moment before breaking eye contact. Coughing awkwardly, Makaela motioned toward her cot.

"I'm gonna go sleep now. We should get some rest before we go again in the morning," she said. "Yell if you need me."

She stood up and made her way back over to her makeshift bed. After wrapping two blankets around her shivering body, she dropped her head onto the small pillow. As she tried to fall asleep, she peered through the gap between the flaps of the tent's entrance. Ismael was knelt beside Han outside. The two of them had been out there for fifteen minutes now.

Makaela was beginning to fear for the worst.

Light from the lantern outside trickled inside the tent, casting a ghastly shadow against the back wall. Elongated silhouettes of the two men outside wavered along the tarp. Gritting her teeth, Makaela turned her head and buried her face into the stiff cot beneath her.

She hoped Han pulled through. They were going to need all hands-on deck for their quest—which had gotten a whole lot harder since the ambush in Kimathanka. They hadn't even started their search for Lumi's tower before Yama was murdered. They couldn't lose Han too. Not like this.

She fought back the urge to cry.

Their deaths—just like dozens more—were her fault. Her quest for the tower wasn't their responsibility. They should've been in Tenzin meditating and drinking tea. Not risking their lives for a girl who used to be a Shade.

Makaela grabbed a fistful of her blanket.

A Shade...

She had been a killer. A savage, bloodthirsty demon. A taker of lives.

Thorian's words resonated inside the walls of her skull. They were sharper than iron spears, piercing holes in her already fractured psyche. He said she was a monster; an even worse one than himself.

Was he right?

She had done so many terrible things in such a short amount of time. She thought by renouncing her allegiance to Thorian and the Order of the Black Lotus everything would go back to normal. How much more naïve could she be?

Nothing went back to normal. Nothing would ever go back to normal.

How could they after everything she had done? How was anyone supposed to trust her now? She knew Sebastian might've, but what about the others? Ajax, her cousin and uncle, Siren? The rest of the Eldenarian Council? There was no way they would truly accept her, even if she was on their side now.

And, frankly, she didn't blame them. She didn't deserve their trust.

Her eyes settled on Karin for a moment. The girl was asleep with her back facing Makaela, her body shifting every few seconds. Light snores filled the dimly lit tent. The Lumaian magician tensed as she watched her.

Karin's wariness of her was justified. While it might have hurt, she understood it.

Still, Makaela wouldn't stop until she earned her trust. Until she earned the trust of everyone.

She had to right her wrongs. She had to save the world from the dark lord who wanted to destroy it. She owed it to everyone—her parents, her house, the council, every magician on the planet.

She owed it to them all.

Yawning, she closed her eyes. A wave of drowsiness came down on her, its warm and welcoming arms wrapping around her like white foam atop massive, blue-green swells from a warm sea.

#

Makaela awoke in the center of an infinite grey sky.

The violent wind shrilled in her ears like a banshee. She could barely see five feet ahead of her; the clouds were thick with rainwater. Lightning crackled in the haze, illuminating the darkness threatening to swallow her whole. Moisture from the storm clouds wet her cheeks and momentarily impeded her vision.

She lifted a hand to shield her eyes.

Ahead of her, a dark figure floated like a spirit. They bobbed in the air, their face still and expressionless.

Makaela's mouth twitched at the sight of them.

"Thorian."

"Makaela."

"How did you find us?" she asked while urging her body to drift toward him.

Thorian chuckled. "As I told you before, we will always be connected." He tapped the ring on his finger. "Our artifacts are twins. Our roles in the prophecy are mirror images of each other. Our gods are archenemies." His blank eyes settled on her. "We will always be connected."

Makaela kept quiet. The two of them remained hovering thousands of feet above the earth below. More lightning exploded into existence around her, briefly lighting up the space they were occupying. She could feel the energy igniting the air; it was as if dozens of spells were being performed all at once.

"After our last conversation," Thorian eventually said, "I figured you would be heading for the Lumi's tower."

She scowled.

"You didn't think I'd let you go after it unopposed, did you? You aren't that naïve."

"You won't stop us. We will find it."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Thorian said. "When you do, I'll be right behind you. Then The Light will be snuffed out...once and for all."

"That's not happening."

"I'm afraid you won't have much say in the matter."

Makaela's hands curled into fists at her side. She could feel her Nightling forcing its way to the surface from the deep, dark pit inside her mind, but she forced it back down. Exhaling, she felt the tension flee her tense muscles.

"Your ambush didn't work." She smirked triumphantly at him. "Also, thanks for the tip about the tower. Had you never mentioned it, I would've never thought to go searching for it."

Thorian laughed, the sound intertwing with the thunderclaps booming in the background.

Squinting, she cocked her head at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you think I let it slip I was after Lumi's tower by accident?" He scoffed. "Please. I don't make mistakes like that. Unlike you."

She went cold—colder than the snow covering the mountains below her. Her eyes widened as her hands shook violently.

"What are you saying?"

"After you revealed you were hiding in Tenzin with Alizeh," he revealed, "I knew it was time to collect House Vaya's artifact. But I couldn't do that with you there. You alone I could handle. But with Alizeh backing you up? Even that would prove to be a difficult fight for me, especially in her home territory."

Makaela's stomach shriveled up. Her heartbeat sped up a couple of beats. Swallowing hard, she shook her head in disbelief.

"You wanted me to go for the tower?"

He nodded.

"But...but why?"

"You won't stop what's coming. You'll only delay the inevitable."

Angry tears sprung in her eyes. Her wild, black hair flapped behind her like a cape. She swiped a hand through the air. Almost simultaneously, a jagged line of white lightning stabbed through the clouds behind her. Her entire body was doused with bright light for a split second as she seethed at the man before her. Yellow flashed in her bright irises as she bared her teeth at him.

"I will destroy you." Her voice rumbled like the thunder.

He allowed a slight smile onto his face.

"I simply cannot wait." He looked above himself. "You best be waking up now. You have a long journey ahead of you."

She screwed her face at him. "What—"

He snapped his fingers.

Makaela felt like a rug had been ripped from beneath her. The clouds around her swirled like a tornado before fading from view. One final lightning strike ripped through the fleeting sky. It struck her in the back, racing down her spine and sparking every single nerve-ending she possessed. An earth-shaking cry erupted from her throat as her entire body felt like it had been dipped in molten lava.

Her vision cut out as she fell away from the grey expanse above. As her body tumbled through the vanishing clouds, she focused on that pain. She held onto it for dear life. With her eyes closed and the wind rushing in her ears as she hurtled towards the earth, she welcomed the drop.