won't sleep for days like I did, will he?"
"I don't know," she said. "He's badly injured."
"But he can't," Eref said. "Remember? The Exile said he won't live that long."
Balor felt the tiniest pang of fear in the pit of his stomach, but the lethargy overpowered it. What did he care if he died in his sleep? That was better than he deserved.
Images of his recent sins flowed through his mind. He'd broken into homes, he'd killed a defenseless animal, he'd attacked this poor girl, and he'd tried to murder Eref.
Fading out of consciousness, Balor wrapped himself up in a blanket of self-loathing. He only wished he could have lived long enough to make everything up to Eref.
"The coma should buy him a little more time," the Exile said. "Just let him rest."
"If you think it's best," Eref said. "I want to help him."
Balor stopped listening to their talk and instead focused on the soft lapping sound of the cave's river, grown calm again after their battle. The rhythm was so repetitive, safe, and simple. It was almost like a lullaby.
You're here with a friend. Everything is fine. You're here with a friend. Everything is fine.
Smiling, Balor finally fell asleep.
It was a good way to die.
Chapter Fifteen
Riddles
Eref paced the open cavern less than an hour after Balor had passed out. His cuts and bruises ached all over, but the Exile wouldn't let Caer tend to him.
"You said you wanted to defeat the Governors, right? Then I have to train you now. There's no time to lose."
"Sir?"
"Yes, Caer?"
She cleared her throat and asked, "Why are you so weak?"
"I'm weak because I defied the Governors. Everything rests on Eref now. Had I followed procedure, I would have gone to the Shade this month, transferred life to the Governors, and been given enough strength to last me until next month." He paused. "But if I had, Eref would be dead as well."
Caer looked at Eref for a moment before turning back to the Exile. She seemed to wait for him to continue.
"It took almost everything in me to create that hole in between Light World and Dark World. But it had to be done. For the sake of the Safety."
Caer nodded, a somber expression on her face.
They'd talked a lot since Balor had fallen asleep. She knew the Exile had brought Eref down from Light World to bring back the Safety. She knew about Eref's magic and that he needed to break through the Governors' riddle maze to use the Moonstone. She knew everything.
Well, almost everything.
She didn't know that this journey would be Eref's last. He couldn't think of how to tell her, and it appeared that the Exile was leaving that up to him.
"I want to help," she said.
"Caer, no - "
She pursed her lips. "Why not? Look at your friend lying there. He's going to die, isn't he? And that makes you ready to fight. Well, I have a friend who's about to be implanted with that horrible device, and the same thing will happen to her. I can't just sit here and do nothing."
Eref looked at her. She was so determined and yet clearly so frightened at the same time. Exactly how he felt.
"Please, Caer. It's going to be really dangerous."
The Exile interrupted. "What concerns me the most is not whether Caer can handle the danger. We should focus more on the obvious problem at hand."
"What's that?" Eref couldn't think of a more obvious problem than looming death.
"Her birthday," the Exile said.
Caer lowered her head.
"What? What about her birthday?"
"It's in two days," Caer said under her breath.
"No." He'd forgotten.
"The soldiers have already been dispatched to capture her," the Exile said. "Sending her into the Shade with you would be delivering her to the Eighteener Entrance."
"It doesn't matter," Caer said, lifting her head. "Can't you see I need to help him? I need to do it for myself as much as for Vul. This has to stop. If Eref's the one to save us, then I want to be there with him."
Her conviction almost frightened him. How could she be so certain any of this would even work? Was it worth the cost?
But she still didn't know the cost. Eref didn't entirely understand it himself.
"We'll see," said the Exile. "First, I have to train Eref alone. He needs all of his concentration to prepare for the riddle maze. Will you watch over Balor while we step into another part of the cave?"
Caer pursed her lips again, but she nodded. "Be careful."
"Thank you."
They