She swallowed past the lump in her throat. If the queen forced her from the Territories, Lanthe would create another portal right back here and fix everything. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t killing her to see Thronos like this.
Morgana wasn’t finished with him. “Your love for her will remain. The yearning you would feel to be parted from her will endure. Yet you won’t understand the never-ending ache, won’t comprehend the source of your misery. Should anyone speak to you of your queen, you’ll react with anger, then forget the conversation. And, Thronos, should you live past the next two minutes, you’ll forget we were ever here.”
Lanthe swung her head around on Morgana. “What happens in two minutes?”
The queen looked like revenge personified as she said, “The mighty shall fall.”
Tick tock? Mother of gold . . . “What have you done?” Somehow, Morgana was going to bring the Territories down.
“With access to their power vault, I turned their infuriating defenses against them. Their magics will destroy all that was long guarded and shrouded. Tick tock goes the clock.”
Sabine began shoving Lanthe toward the portal. —This is a done thing. I have to protect you.—
Lanthe broke away from Sabine and lunged for the security lever just inside the doors of Skye Hall. The alarm roared to life, blaring across the Territories.
From the bastion, Vrekeners shot upward in a flood, wings spread as they evacuated according to plan.
At once, the late-day sky turned to night. The air grew chill.
Across all islands, they soared. Except for Thronos, who was still trapped by Morgana.
With her chin lifted, Lanthe turned to face her queen, to accept her wrath.
Morgana seemed to boil with fury, the very ground shaking beneath her. The rainbow colors of her powers merged to . . . black. Raising a hand, she hissed, “Ill-advised, sorceress.”
When Sabine lunged in front of Lanthe, Morgana hesitated, then seemed to rein in the worst of her rage. “I’d punish you for this—and them for fleeing—but I haven’t the time.” With another wave of her hand, Lanthe was propelled toward the portal.
“No, leave me here!”
Sabine snapped, “Not going to happen!”
As Lanthe clung to the edge of the invisible threshold, she screamed, “Thronos, leave this place!”
Though Morgana’s hold on him had eased—he could breathe once more—he continued to stare at the spot where she’d been standing.
“FLY AWAY!” Lanthe commanded.
But her persuasion had been drained from Morgana’s catastrophic use of it.
Sabine peeled her fingers away. “We’re running out of time, Lanthe!”
“Leave, Thronos!” With her grip loosened, Lanthe was sent careening into her room. “Please, GO!” she sobbed as the threshold closed behind them. . . .
The blaring alarm roused Thronos.
He blinked again and again. Why was he standing on the steps of Skye Hall, staring at nothing? He shook his head hard.
Vrekeners had surged upward from the islands, flying in the direction of the outpost. Why was he not moving with them? He wondered if this was another drill, until he heard explosions coming from the outer islands.
One blast after another detonated along the lines of the monoliths. Fires erupted, overrunning the islands in blue and white flames—an unnatural fire.
An immortal killer.
Burning rock shot upward—and downward, cascading toward the gulf far below them.
The warded and protected Territories were being annihilated by some unseen force.
Act, Talos. Move! He tensed to fly—