Page 47

Or was it when my father died?

Even without the enchanted roses, the princes draw strength from their realms. And their realms draw strength from them.

I need to remember where my strength comes from.

I lift my chin, suck in a breath, then step onto my circle.

The stone beneath the princes’ feet blaze to life.

Dayton’s glows teal, pulsing like sunlight on ocean waves.

Ezryn’s is a radiant pink, like cherry blossoms floating on a breeze.

Farron’s burns orange, a fire smoldering with fury.

Keldarion’s hums sapphire blue, deep as a night sky.

And mine flares gold, bright as dawn.

The table in the center lowers with a groaning shudder. A sixth ring appears around it, glowing white. Caspian and Wrenley brace each other.

The walls tremble. Dust falls from the ceiling. And then the entire room starts to rotate. Slow at first, then faster. The walls blur, murals streaking past in a whirl. My feet remain rooted, but the world tilts. The force seems to shudder up through my teeth.

The gateway is opening.

Flames curl and crackle around Farron’s lance. From Ezryn’s hammer, petals and leaves spiral. A ring of water coils about Dayton. Their magic responds to the call. The landing knows them, or at least their weapons.

The walls stop spinning. Then, in a burst of light, they fracture and transform.

Lines of white light split through stone and ice, racing into the sky. The chamber dissolves into beams that stretch higher and higher, like we’ve stepped into a shooting star.

It’s so bright, the world vanishing into light.

My gaze finds Keldarion. The circle beneath him glows, pulsing like a heartbeat. It’s asking—pleading—for the power of his divine weapon, for the Sword of the Protector.

But he has nothing to give.

Kel meets my gaze and offers a small, sorrowful smile. No words. He doesn’t need to say it.

He was never meant to stand here like this, empty-handed.

Then my own circle begins its cry. The etching beneath my feet stirs, warm and aching, calling for something I do not have. The Bow of Radiance.

If I had it, maybe I could help.

The light intensifies, burning through the veil between here and whatever lies above. The princes blur, their forms washed in water and flame and wind. I can barely see them now, but I hear them yelling.

They are powering the Celestial Landing, even without all five weapons. Without me.

I feel something I haven’t felt in months. A rush, wild and beautiful, flooding through me. Magic.

Will it be enough? Can the three of them carry us to the Above, to Airaleth?

“Rosalina!” Caspian screams, catching my gaze. I find him through the glow. His stare locks with mine, wild and fierce.

What does he want from me?

His eyes flick to the pulsing circle beneath my feet, then back up to me. I shake my head. Doesn’t he see I’m like Kel? The magic won’t work without my bow.