Grim stepped onto the bridge. Exactly where they needed him. He was wearing his full armor, the one she had seen in her memories. Spikes everywhere. On his shoulders. On his helmet. He looked the part of a demon. Shadows swirled and lashed out around him.
But the ones at his feet puddled. “This is obviously a trap,” he said, taking a step forward. “You knew I’d find you.” He smiled. “You knew nothing could ever keep me from you.”
“Even certain death couldn’t keep you away?” she asked, voice trembling.
He smiled wider. “Oh, Hearteater,” he said. “You and me . . . we’re infinite. Death doesn’t stand a chance.”
Isla couldn’t breathe. She was drowning from the inside out, knowing what was about to happen. Knowing what she must do—
Oro landed in front of her, and power rumbled across the island.
Grim only smirked at the king. “And neither do you.”
And then he struck. A burst of shadows erupted from him, right at Oro, but the king shielded it with a covering of flames so saturated, they were tinged in blue.
Isla prepared to block herself from the shadows too, her Starling shield forming, but they moved around her almost gently, like extensions of Grim himself.
Oro burst forth with a thick cord of power—a mix of silver energy, water rushing from the sea, and flashing flames. Grim met it with a chain of pure darkness.
Their powers clashed and reverberated in waves. The bridge below them shook. Isla barely kept herself on her feet. She felt the force of their strength in her bones.
Both were too powerful. They roared, fighting, each with equal hatred clear on their faces.
Grim was gone—then, he was right behind Oro. He hit him with a wave of shadows, and Oro only just barely blocked it with a shield of crackling Starling energy. Still, the impact knocked him onto his back.
Before Grim could take another step, Oro’s arms went wide, and the sea rushed from hundreds of feet below. It hit Grim, then hardened, then cracked as he fought to melt through it with his shadows. He couldn’t move his arms. Oro shot enough fire to char Grim through the ice, but, at the last moment, he portaled away, leaving the frost behind. It fell back onto the bridge and shattered.
“Behind you!” Isla shouted, and Oro turned just in time to block Grim’s blade. Oro created a sword out of Starling energy, and they dueled across the bridge.
Grim grinned as if he was having the time of his life. “It’s been a long time since we fought, Oro,” he said, advancing. “What a shame that it will also be the last time.”
Oro let his sword disappear and shot up into the air.
Grim followed. He portaled so quickly that it was as if he were also flying, appearing then disappearing in wild spurts. They dueled in the sky, this time with streams of power.
Isla watched from below, finding herself cringing at every blow the other landed. She bit the inside of her mouth, dread churning in her chest.
There was no winning.
A rumble sounded before the sea below spiraled up, becoming a massive snake that lunged at Grim. In response, he spun a wolf formed of shadows. The creatures battled, mauling each other, protecting their creators.
Oro shot out his hand, releasing a dozen throwing blades made from flames. Grim blocked them with a dark curl of smoke before that shield became a dozen arrows all aimed at Oro’s chest.
They ricocheted against Starling sparks, and both of their attacks quickened. Grim was portaling so fast, she could barely track him in the sky, and Oro was creating so many weapons, she missed half of them by blinking.
Finally, Oro paused for a moment, as if gathering his energy. This was it. It was about to be over. The air seemed to go taut in anticipation before he shot out his hand—and released a strike of lightning. It raged across the sky, charged with energy, a combination of his abilities.
It all happened so quickly.
Before the lightning could hit Grim, he was gone, then replaced—
With Oro.
Grim had portaled him there, using his power, in that fraction of a second. Isla watched helplessly as Oro’s own lightning struck him.
And then, he was falling.
He landed on the bridge with a force that threatened to make it crumble away beneath them. She raced forward, but Grim landed between them.
“No!” she screamed.
Shadows burst forth from his palm, but before they turned Oro to ash, he came to and lifted his own hand. Fire, energy, and wind wrapped around and around. Their powers met in the middle.
Oro was injured. He looked like he could pass out at any moment. She knew what she had to do.
It was time.
Don’t do it. The voice was firm, speaking from the past. Her own voice.
She didn’t want to. But the oracle had made it clear—it was either Grim or Oro. Her choice would define the world.
She had to decide. As Grim and Oro dueled, so did past and present Isla.
Don’t do it—
She had to do it.
DON’T DO IT—
Her fingers shook. Tears blinded her. She closed her eyes and followed Remlar’s instructions.
She reached for the link. The one between her and Grim. It held every memory of them together, like beads on a bracelet. She saw them in her mind. The first time they met. The first time they kissed. The first time they were one. The first time she made him smile. A sob scraped the back of her throat, and Grim’s eyes went to her. A stream of power was hurtling toward him, and he didn’t seem to care. He looked at her.
It nearly broke her to reach for their thread. To reach for his power.
And take it.
