Every fiber of Elurra’s being protested as she approached the cloud of shadow and smoke. She forced her feet to move forward without faltering. Stumbling could be the end. She noticed there were different levels to the beast. The outer layer was mostly smoke, but as they ran further in, the vapor deepened and took on a new layer of darkness. Everything became deathly quiet, as if the shadows around her muffled all sound. She was sure on the outside it was making plenty of noise, but inside the shadows silently pulled away, like dark snakes waiting for their time to strike. She felt the temperature drop, even inside her well-lit bubble of protection. Goosebumps covered her arms and legs, and she could no longer feel Kai and Tristen’s warmth beside her. If they didn’t make it out before the torches burned to nothing, the darkness would find a way inside and kill them, protection or no protection. She could barely see. The gloom around her light was tangible like a thick blanket. The only assurance she had that her companions were still there were the firm grips on her arms and Aleah’s hand on her shoulder as her torch hovered above them.

“Princess of Ice, do you think you can escape me?” the Demon hissed scornfully, its voice echoing around her. She felt it trying to attack her mind, but she refused to let it in. She felt Kai’s step falter, but she squeezed him with her arm and pulled him along. “You will never reach Amora alive. You will all die. I will let you watch as your kingdom crumbles and your people burn and scream. Flames and fire, the enemy of ice. You will fail.”

Her torch flickered, and the light dimmed. She could feel the clouds closing in on her, waiting to swallow her whole. Faces and figures started to appear, laughing at her before vanishing into the mist. Nitiri’s face faded into focus, smiling cruelly with black slits for eyes.

“Why are you running, direi? No matter how far you run, I will catch up with you. You can never escape my grasp,” she chuckled, reaching out her hand. The bubble stopped her, halting her in its tracks. Elurra grinned grimly as the image of Nitiri faded into the darkness.

“Those torches will not last forever,” the Demon hissed.

“We know,” she growled as she paused the party, whose torches looked as used as hers despite the short time they’d been inside the monster. She grinned spitefully as she lit another branch Kai held under his arm before dropping her old torch, which had burned down completely. Tristen lit a new one off of her flame, and Aleah as Kai did the same. They continued through the sea of black in silence.

“Elurra, how far away are we from the border again? I feel like we’ve been walking for hours,” Tristen admitted doubtfully. She had no idea how far they’d gone.

“You cannot keep us, devil!” she shouted, raising her light high.

The shadows fled in front of her, cowering in the light of her torch. Kai copied her movements. Suddenly the darkness peeled away, and they were in the sunlight again. The blinding light made her eyes water. To her astonishment, the first thing she saw was the army standing a few feet away, their faces twisted in confusion and terror. Their horses pawed the ground uneasily.

Elurra heard Kai take in a sharp breath and murmur, “Father.”

She focused her gaze on the center of the party, where a richly dressed man on a horse surrounded by guards was coming forward, a frown painted on his face. It was clear he was the king. Something hot burned her skin, and she realized she was still holding the torch and quickly dropped it. A hand appeared on her shoulder, and she whirled around to find herself staring into concerned periwinkle eyes.

“Snow, are you okay?” Terrin asked, their silent feud forgotten for the moment.

She nodded weakly. Behind him, Rowan was openly gaping at the thousands of soldiers facing him. Snore and Plague were panting and wide-eyed. They immediately dropped the charred butts of their sticks and bent over to catch their breath.

“I’m going to have nightmares for years,” Snore panted. Plague was too busy coughing up a storm to say anything. Elurra was just glad they were both alive. The soldiers were talking uneasily between each other, and the king was having a heated debate with his advisers. He finally rode forward with guards flanking him.

“What is that?” he demanded, glaring down at the travelers. His horse stopped unexpectedly, jerking him to a halt. He dug his boot into its side, trying to make it move forward, but the horse was adamant.

“I would suggest listening to the horse, Your Majesty. It knows danger when it senses it,” Elurra warned. He glared down at her.

“Who are you to tell me what to do, you impudent girl?” the king shouted, clearly enraged. “Furthermore, what is the meaning of this impediment of my army?”

Before Elurra could answer, red eyes appeared in the wall of swirling mist, causing the horses to rear against their masters in fright. Panic spread through the army like a wildfire as the soldiers shouted in terror and their horses bolted.

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“Do not think you are safe, cursed ones,” it hissed angrily, glaring directly at Terrin and Elurra. “I will track you down and kill you, no matter where you run. The Prath’s bunker cannot protect you forever! You have defied me for the last time, Princess of Ice.”

“Return to your master in defeat, Lord of Darkness,” Elurra screamed, her steely blue gaze locking with the Demon’s. It hissed angrily as its body began vanishing until all that remained were its eyes. “And take your threats with you! You no longer scare me, Tiberius.”

Its eyes turned to angry slits as they vanished. She didn’t dare breathe again until the sun came out, bathing the road in welcomed warmth. She turned and saw the entire army staring at her, speechless. The king was the first to find his tongue.

“Will someone explain what on Incari is going on here?” he demanded, sounding a bit shocked.

“I am Princess Elurra, the granddaughter of the Great King Rodith, the only child of King Simon and Queen Iara of the family of Isálte, heir to the throne of Lur Alava.” She removed her hood to reveal her hair. “Both my parents were recently murdered. My aunt, Nitiri, who was banished from the land, returned and took my throne. She has revealed herself to be a dark sorceress and plotted to start a war with your regal kingdom by kidnapping Prince Kai and faking his death using dark magic. My companions and I helped him escape her dungeon. We hastily traveled the length of Lur Alava with Nitiri’s dark minions pursuing us. We thought we had escaped them, but then this foul beast appeared in broad daylight, stopping us before we could reach Your Majesty.”

The King was silent for a moment, considering her story. His gaze fell on Kai, who was staring hopefully at his father. For a long moment, he studied his son.

“Your tale sounds far-fetched. Princess Elurra is younger than you, and she vanished after her parents died. You are some sort of impostor. This sounds like a plot to keep Lur Alava from war,” the king said, his expression guarded, “How could I possibly believe my son is alive when I saw the body myself? Do you think I do not know my own son? And what has happened to this boy’s face? Did you think you could deceive me if he was battered and bruised?”

Elurra looked over at Kai’s face in dismay. The bruises were mostly gone, but his skin was still discolored and sickly yellow in places. Kai stepped forward.

“Father, I know all of this is hard for you. These trustworthy men behind me and the princess rescued me and protected me from the many attackers Nitiri sent after us. My face is a result of an attack from a group of Nitiri’s soldiers. One gave me a nasty beating, and without the princess and her allies, I would not have lived through it.”

His answer subdued the king for a moment. The army held its breath and looked at the king, waiting for a reply.

“You do sound like my son, and you bear a striking resemblance to him, but I need more proof than this. Tell me things only my son would know.” The king sounded like he was torn between belief and disbelief. No parent would pass up an opportunity to get their child back, no matter how obscure.

Kai pulled up his shirt, revealing his well-toned chest. Elurra couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, and Aleah took in a sharp breath. A large scar ran the length of his torso, starting below his collarbone and ending above his left hip. “This was from my childhood, when I became too curious and decided to try my luck with the sword. Thankfully, the blade did not slice too deeply. I lived, although I lost a lot of blood and ended up with this scar.” He lowered his shirt, never breaking eye contact with the king.

“The corpse had that scar as well. Who is to say you are not the copy?”

“When I was a little boy, I used to ask for the story of the war between the Demons and the Guardians every night, and you made up stories for me after a while, depicting me as the protagonist,” Kai related fondly as he approached the king. “I sing Sunshine on the Valley every new season for Mother and bring her lilies, and I have done so ever since her sister passed. During my eighteenth birthday celebration, you told me a cautionary tale about my grandfather’s first decree, and the many problems it caused during his rule to help me prepare for my birthright. You refrain from speaking much of my grandfather, but those words moved me, and I still think about them to this very day.”

The king didn’t respond for a long time. His face was awash with disbelief, and tears started to form at the corners of his eyes.

“My son? Is that really you?” he asked softly. He slowly dismounted and stepped toward the prince until he was eye to eye with him. Abruptly, the king threw his arms around Kai, wrapping him in a bear hug. An overwhelming roar escaped the army, and everyone erupted in applause. Elurra had a feeling most of the soldiers were simply glad the war was averted. Elurra smiled widely, looking back at all her grinning companions.

“My son has been returned from beyond the grave! Let us have a celebration!” the king bellowed joyously.

Elurra exchanged quick glances with her fellow travelers.

“Are we actually going to Amora?” Tristen asked, sounding excited. Everyone in Incari had heard of the Amorian castle, which was rumored to be the most magnificent structure ever built.

“Well, we cannot let the king enter Lur Alava, and the Demons are not able to cross the border because of whatever ‘bunker protection’ is, so what other choice do we have?” Elurra reasoned. “Besides, the king himself has invited us. There is no way to politely turn down a king.”

The rest of her companions followed with relief plastered to their faces. Elurra glanced over at Terrin hopefully, but he glared at her and looked away.

I guess the shunning has resumed, she sulked.

“Come, my son, bring your friends and introduce them to me. I must hear more about your travels,” the king called, signaling for the army to turn around. The call for the return to Amora rang through the throng of men.

Kai waited until he was in step with Elurra to say, “My father will want to know all about your situation and Nitiri’s plans. He will be very sympathetic to your cause.”

Elurra smiled ruefully. “We will doubtlessly have a long time to talk matters over, but for now, can you have your father send someone across the border to collect our horses? I would rather not risk any of us retrieving our mounts, but I also do not want to walk to Amora again.”

Kai smiled and agreed with her.