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He wanted to come and see her die. Perhaps when he knows she is dead he will be able to rest.

But what if they do not kill her? What if her magic is too powerful? What if she takes him back?

Perl looks at Lyr. “We do not have magic, but Kerik does. Kerik is the Magician. If we free him, he will have the power to overwhelm her easily.”

“If he has such power why has he not used it to free himself?” says Damon.

“Because he does not know how. When he took Iceheart in his hands it opened a blood door instantly. I saw a glimpse of the power that sword gives him. All we need to do is find Kerik and place that sword in his hands. If you can distract her, Damon, I will find Kerik. And then we will destroy her with ease.”

Damon draws his own blade, the Amber Blade from its scabbard on his belt. “Very well,” he says. “Let us move now before she discovers us and we lose the advantage of surprise.” He turns to Lyr. “My love, you will stay here in the first cavern. Hide yourself. Do not come inside until I call you so you can witness me take her head. If we fail, you must flee. Go back to the fae ruins and travel through Karo’s connection to the Bride House.”

Lyr nods. He cannot imagine any other situation where he would flee leaving Damon behind. But if it were to save himself from becoming Jareleezi’s property once again, he thinks he truly might.

Damon walks ahead into the cavern, followed by Perl, with Lyr behind both of them.

When they reach the entrance to the inner cavern, Lyr hangs back as Damon bid him, hidden, but he can still see what is inside.

She is sitting on a tall throne of carved wood. Lyr stares at her.

Jareleezi. A woman with long grey hair and grey robes. She looks defenceless. Lyr knows she is not. He cannot sense magical power the way Perl seems to be able to, but he does not need that sense to know how dangerous she is.

There is something simple about this chamber. Deceptively simple. The scree and stones on its floor, the candles flickering in clusters upon rocks, lighting walls of ancient stone.

Jareleezi smiles when Damon walks in as if she is greeting an expected guest, saying, "Darek son. And so it comes to pass. Damon Darekul brings the rest of the fae princes to me, your Magician. Together we will defeat Ur-Durik.”

“I bring nothing to you except your death,” Damon growls at her, brandishing his sword before him in a double handed grip.

“And Perlash,” Jareleezi says, sounding quite pleased with herself despite Damon threatening her. “You are here too. Are you here to beg my forgiveness for trying to keep my Magician from me?”

“I am here to take him back,” Perl snarls.

Before Jareleezi can respond, Damon rushes her. Lifting his sword and tearing across the cavern.

Jareleezi sighs. She shoots a bolt of magic, like a stream of hissing blue steam from a finger. It hits Damon. He falls back, motionless on the ground.

Lyr has to swallow his scream, as Perl shouts, “You cannot fight us that way. You cannot kill him. He is the Warrior. You need him. If you kill Damon you doom the world. Now, release Kerik to me or Ur-Durik will never be defeated.”

Jareleezi stands from her throne and walks towards Perl. Her face is set with anger. She steps over Damon. Her hands are still glowing with magic. “I told you to kneel and beg my forgiveness, Perlash,” she says.

“You think I will kneel for a witch like you. I am a high fae of Ulla.”

“You are a corrupted thing, rejected by the Ice Court,” Jareleezi says.

Lyr ought to run. He ought to flee now as Damon instructed. But Lyr can see what Perl is doing. Perl, Lyr thinks, has another plan. One he hopes Lyr will understand. Damon was meant to be the distraction. With Damon felled, Perl is doing his best to distract Jareleezi. Which means Lyr needs to play Perl’s role.

He needs to find Kerik and release him so he can use his magic to fight Jareleezi. He scans the cavern.

Behind Jareleezi’s wooden throne is another small entrance. A further cavern. That must be her ritual chamber. Lyr knows she must have one. And there is nowhere else it could be.

He has only moments. Lyr bolts into the cavern and around the edge of it, staying in the shadows. Through the small entrance way, he finds himself in another space, a smaller space and one that snatches his breath.

It’s all so familiar. The sigils on the walls, the smell of the fires. Everything. He has to fight back sickening memories before they overwhelm him. And the altar, a wide stone table, exactly like the one he was strapped to. But in his place is another. A man who looks a little like a young Damon. He is naked but for a small hip cloth.

“Kerik?” Lyr rushes forward and starts to unfasten the bindings that hold Kerik in place.

Kerik looks at him. “Who are you?” he says, sitting up as soon as his upper body is free. He sways a little.

“My name is Lyr. I am married to your brother Damon.”