The Cave smelled of must and bats and age. It was old when the world was new, one of the books had said. And now, having traveled down into its depths for the better part of two days, I could see why. Strange formations dotted the walls, and every so often an otherworldly glow would appear from a random direction, as if a menacing wizard was just on the other side, practicing his dark arts.

My pack was loaded to the brim with all eight Crystals. Despite the distances that they had been kept, it had only taken less than 12 hours to collect them all again. I had breathed a sigh of relief when we had returned to the Sunless Marsh to find the last one sitting at the bottom of the muck, where I had left it three years ago.

“Not much further now,” said Lyra. “I can feel the Circle’s magic pulsing outward like a beacon.”

The Summoning Circle was another relic of the past that we had uncovered in our travels. In the Library of Tanath, I had learned about how the wizardess Terruna had summoned the great water spirit Kikyorra to vanquish the invading armies from across the ocean. This knowledge, like so much I had gleaned from books stored in forgotten nooks and fraying scrolls hidden underneath towering cases, was not something that we had ever learned in the Valley’s schoolhouse. But this was to our benefit, I posited, for if everyone knew about the Circle and the Crystals, there would be no way that we could have gotten as far as we had.

A few hours later, the path bottomed out, until it spilled into an enormous cavern, filled with gray water. At its center, incredibly, was a small island directly underneath a beam of pure moonlight that somehow had descended from the surface. A rickety boat was tied to the rocky shore, and I half-expected it to break as I stepped onto its planks, but somehow, it held. Before I could grab either of the tiny oars inside, the boat suddenly propelled itself forward.

“What’s happening?” I asked, as we sped through the water.

“Not sure,” said Lyra. “Maybe all of the Crystals are being pulled to the Circle. Like a magnet.”

We reached the island a minute later, but the boat shattered on impact, and my pack nearly sank into the murky depths. Fortunately, my reflexes were still quick even after the long hike down, and I pulled it free, its weight sending me careening onto the island.

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“Guess we’re going to have to swim back?” I said.

“Not so bad,” said Lyra. “Honestly, if you told me I had to walk across a pool of lava, I would be happy to do it. It’s been so long since I …”

“Soon,” I said. “Let’s start the Ceremony.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?” asked Lyra.

“Yes,” I said. “I think practicing the Summoning more would just make me more nervous.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” chirped the girl in the sword.

“You,” I whispered to myself. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Around the Circle were eight depressions in the rocky ground, at the bottom of which were eight distinct symbols. I unwound the Scroll and studied the drawing inked in the middle. Eight symbols, each corresponding to one of the eight elements. Thankfully, the Scroll did the correlation for me, and I managed to slot each Crystal where it was supposed to go with ease.

“It’s time,” said Lyra, and I nodded. At the center of the Circle, there was a perfectly square rock and on it I placed Hauteclere. The sword began to quiver, its vibrations drowning out Lyra’s voice from my ears, but I could make out two words that spoke to her urgency.

“Hurry. Please.”

I unfurled the Scroll the rest of the way and began to speak in the ancient tongue.

“Eight Elements that form the World. Eight Crystals that hold their power. The Light pierces the Dark. The Metal burns in the Fire. The Wind blows across the Water. The Earth trembles from the Lightning strike. And together they undo what was bound. Release!”

The center of the Circle exploded, and I was blown backward into the water. Dazed, I pushed myself up in a rush, wondering if I had messed something up. There was nothing in the Scroll about what would happen if the Summoning was done improperly, but I had to imagine that, with all I had seen, it wouldn’t be good.

But when I walked back up to the Circle again, inside the smoky haze, there was a silhouette of a person. I clenched my fists and swallowed, and a second later, a young woman, maybe not more than 22, emerged.

The smoke clung to her body like a dress, and she was looking down at her hands, which she turned to and fro, almost as if she had forgotten what they were.

“Lyra? Is that you?” I said, and the woman looked up and met my eyes.

And there she was, the girl from the drawing, the girl from my dreams, the girl I had been carrying on my back across the Continent. The girl made flesh.

“Mati!” she cried, and bolted the gap between us in a single bound. She wrapped her arms around me with a fierceness I had only imagined.

“Ow!” I said. “You’re strong!”

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that!” she said, pulling back slightly. I brought my hand up to her cheek and marveled at how soft her skin was. She stared back at me, her eyes bright and nearly tearing, and her mouth formed into the happiest grin I had ever seen.

“Can I…” I said, trailing off.

“Oh, Mati,” said Lyra, grabbing the back of my head. “You’ll never have to ask.”

She pulled me forward into a kiss that stretched on to eternity.