Arwel didn’t struggle against the knights. This made Rian worry only more. What was Trivius waiting for? Why wasn’t he trying to escape? There were wounded knights in the entry hall of the castle, with priests tending to them. The doors into the throne hall were open. The throne hall was filled with the terrified people of Derwen.

Halbert and Eiva joined Rian where he stood. He could still hear the sounds of battle, even after the thick castle doors were shut. Several knights stood guard at the doors. Some were Sancta Knights, and some were Knights of Derwen.

“The fighting continues,” a young man wearing the armor of a Sancta Knight said. “We must end Trivius.”

Frida looked at Halbert. “What do we do? How do we get Trivius out of him?”

The man who had spoken frowned hard. “More necromancy isn’t the answer. Necromancy caused all of this.” He glared at Rian and Halbert. “How do we know we can trust them?”

“They’ve been fighting Arwel and Norris all this time,” Eiva said. “We chased Arwel and Norris across the countries, trying to stop them. If they say necromancy is the only way to stop Trivius and his army, then I believe them.”

Frida nodded. “As do I.”

The young man turned away from them, his face slightly red.

“We need to take Trivius back to the Bone Garden,” Halbert said. “If we can do that, we can seal him away again. That will stop his army.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Frida said. “I know a back way out of Derwen, through the tunnels beneath the castle. That will get us past the army.”

Frida chose several Sancta Knights to go with them. The young man wasn’t among them. Arwel still didn’t struggle. Now he was frowning hard, as though concentrating. The dark red light in his eyes was only an occasional flicker. Was he holding Trivius back, stopping him from escaping? Rian, Halbert, and Eiva went with Frida and the others. The tunnels were narrow and musty, the stones damp, but Trivius’s army wasn’t down there.

Soon they were out in the fresh night air, crossing the plains. They reached the Grove of Thorns early in the morning. The way was still open, a deep, dark hole at the center of the cracked ground that formed a circle. They all jumped across carefully. Arwel was sweaty and pale, but still not struggling.

“You’re holding him back, aren’t you?” Frida asked quietly.

Arwel nodded slightly.

“Just a little further,” Frida said.

The knights, along with Eiva, stayed back while Rian, Halbert, Frida, and Arwel entered the Bone Garden. Frida had insisted on going with them, in case Trivius tried to escape. Rian doubted he would ever get used to falling down that hole and suddenly being in the cave, standing as though he’d just walked in there. Hopefully this would be the last time he had to come here.

They led Arwel to the giant skull of Trivius. Arwel struggled against Frida’s hand on his shoulder. The ropes on his hands began to fray as he pulled against them. Trivius had control again, the dark red light flaring brighter in Arwel’s eyes.

“Removing Trivius and calling his army back will be very difficult,” Halbert said to Rian. “Arwel clearly won’t be able to help, and Trivius certainly won’t be willing.”

“What do I need to do?” Rian asked.

There was no choice, other than to let Trivius have Virida, and that wasn’t an option. Frida had a grip on both of Arwel’s shoulders, but she wouldn’t be able to keep hold of him for much longer.

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“Are you sure?” Halbert asked.

Rian nodded. This was the point at which he couldn’t go back from his choice, but he wasn’t sure he ever really would have chosen otherwise. Even after resting on burial ground, the wound in his side was still deep and still bleeding. He was barely staying on his feet. Would he be able to do this? He pushed that from his mind. He had to do this.

“Focus on the skull,” Halbert said. “You should be able to feel Trivius through it. Pull him back. Through him, you’ll feel his army. You will have to call on the spirits of the dead to help you. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

Rian looked up at the giant skull, at those huge, dark sockets. Soon he could feel Trivius inside of Arwel. He could feel Trivius’s entire army, marching toward the Bone Garden to free their captain. At least they weren’t still attacking Derwen.

“I need your help,” Rian thought. They had heard him before.

“You will have it,” the raspy woman said.

Rian focused on the skull and felt Trivius’s spirit being drawn back toward it. Trivius held on to Arwel. He was a massive presence, stronger than anything Rian had felt before. Even with the spirits of the dead helping him, Rian’s power was nothing compared to that of Trivius. Rian couldn’t focus on Trivius and call back the army at the same time. He could barely do one of those things.

His wound was bleeding more now. The skull blurred. Rian stumbled to the side, but Halbert caught him, keeping him on his feet. Rian focused again on Trivius and his army, the souls of the dead helping him as much as they could. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t going to be enough. Trivius broke free of Arwel suddenly. Arwel forced him out, helping Rian and the spirits of the dead shove Trivius back into his skull.

Rian reached out to Trivius’s army, calling them back. The dead kept Trivius in his skull, the red light burning angrily in the eye sockets. The skeletal knights entered the cave, returning to the piles of bones. Arwel dropped to the ground. Rian saw it happen out of the corner of his eye.

“Don’t look away from the skull,” the raspy woman said.

Rian tried to focus, staring at the burning light in Trivius’s eye sockets. The light faded, along with the burning of Rian’s wound. Another moment and he couldn’t feel it at all. All his breath left him, but it didn’t hurt. The last of the light in Trivius’s skull faded. The spirits of the dead let go.

Rian woke up back outside the Bone Garden. The cracks in the ground were still there, along with the hole. Arwel lay off to the side. Rian knew Arwel was gone, he could feel it. Halbert helped Rian to his feet. Frida and Eiva were waiting by the hole that led down into the Bone Garden. The other Sancta Knights stayed at the edge of the Grove of Thorns.

“The way still needs to be closed,” Halbert said.

Rian and Halbert moved closer to the hole. Halbert reached out a hand toward the hole and whispered in a language Rian didn’t understand. Rian reached out as well, feeling he should. When he did, he realized he had fully become undead. At the moment, he barely thought about it. He too said the words. The hole shrank, then it shut. The cracks in the ground were gone. Six objects lay where the hole had been.

Frida knelt to take a closer look at the objects. “They’re dirty.” She sighed and stood. “Vitir told Dow this would happen if we closed the way. We’ll have to purify the objects in the waters of Divius. The Sancta will guard this place until we can properly seal the way again.” She looked at Halbert and Rian. “We’ll need your help for that.”

Halbert nodded. “You’ll have it.”

Rian looked at Arwel, then looked away.

“I’m sorry,” Frida said quietly.

“He helped,” Rian said. “He put Trivius back in his skull.”

Frida smiled. “At least he did the right thing in the end.”

Eiva didn’t go back to the Sancta. She set off to travel and find out more about her magic. Rian and Halbert returned to Fen to tell Andred and Mae what had happened, and to bury Arwel. Rian knew he couldn’t stay in Fen. He left with Halbert the day after they buried Arwel.

Rian hadn’t heard the other voice in his head in those days, not since that moment in the Bone Garden. He had heard the voices of the dead. He would go where the voices of the dead told him he was needed. And Halbert would go with him.