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Zander's hand remained on her arm. "Are you all right?"
"His eyes," she whispered. "They looked so sad."
"He knew what he'd become," he said. "I thought these creatures were empty,
mindless. I was wrong. They've lost even more of their humanity than I have& but they
retain enough awareness to know what's been stolen from them." A pause. Then, "It's not
easy to live as a monster."
Wendy looked at him, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. He stared straight ahead, jaw
clenched. "Zander& " She froze. Goose bumps rose on her skin. Power crawled over her,
warm and cool at the same time, like a breath of ice and fire.
"What is it?"
"I feel it. Eloria's Tear. It's close." She grabbed his hand and jogged toward the
doorway, heart racing.
They ran through the doorway and into another stone corridor. The corridor branched
off into three separate halls. She took the center one without hesitation. The power
beckoned her. Magic sizzled in the air, sharp as lightning. With each breath, its hot,
bitter-sweet taste filled her mouth and slid down her throat, warming her insides. She
came to another set of three doorways and took the leftmost one.
"I hope you know where you're going," he said.
"We're going the right way, I'm sure. It's getting stronger." They reached the hall's
end and found themselves faced with another stairway. "How deep do these dungeons
go?"
"Is it down there?" he asked.
She nodded. "It's almost directly below us." Her tongue darted out to wet her dry
lips. "I'm pretty sure we'll find it at the end of these stairs. But& "
"But what?"
"It feels different than it did before. Darker."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. Poisonous. Like something bad has been added to it."
"You're sure it's Eloria's Tear?"
"Yes, I'm sure. But it's been twisted, corrupted. It's like hearing the same song, but
played in minor key. I can't explain it any better than that. I don't know what it means, but
I have a bad feeling about it."
"Wait here," he said. "I'll go on alone."
She shook her head. "Not now. Not when we're so close." She forced a smile, though
she was trembling. "You think I'm going to let you hog all the glory for yourself?"
"And what if Threed is waiting for us at the bottom of these stairs?"
"Then we'll face him together."
"This is madness."
"Maybe. But we've come this far. I'm not going to stop now."
He stared into her eyes as they leaned toward each other. His hands framed her face,
and before she knew what was happening, he'd pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes
widened. A wave of pleasant weakness washed through her, and her mouth softened
beneath his. Her eyes slipped shut as her world contracted to the point where his mouth
touched hers. The walls around them fell away. The floor beneath her feet vanished, and
she floated, anchored in place by the pressure of his lips and the wet velvet of his tongue.
He pulled back. His eyes burned with a fierce longing, a terrible pain. He caressed
her cheekbones with his thumbs. "I beg you," he whispered hoarsely. "Turn back."
She inhaled slowly, steadying herself. Her mind spun. His kiss had blown through
her head like a whirlwind, scattering her thoughts in every direction, but she didn't have
to think to answer him. "No."
"For God's sake& "
"We've been through this already. I'm not leaving you. We both go on or we both go
back."
"You shouldn't be entangled in this mess. Threed is Ajed's successor. That makes
him my enemy. I must kill him or die trying."
"That's stupid," she said, "and you know it." She grabbed his hands and pushed them
down. She held his wrists tight as she glared at him. "You're a swordsman, and a damn
good one, but that doesn't matter right now. You can't beat magic with a blade, no matter
how good you are. He's going to be shielded with magic, you can bet on it. I may not be
very strong, but at least I can try to neutralize his shield long enough for you to have a
shot at him. If you go down there alone, you're dead."
He shook his head, a quick, almost violent jerk of movement. "You don't understand.
I have to do this alone."
"Sacrificing your life won't do anyone any good, and that's what you'll be doing if
you go down there with the intention of fighting him to the death. I won't let you."
His jaw clenched. "I can't lose you."
"You won't."
A spectrum of emotions moved across his face: fear, pain, anger, tenderness,
longing, and finally a quiet resignation. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when they
opened, they were clear and calm. "This is your choice?"
She nodded.
He took a slow, deep breath. "Then let's go."
Together, they descended the stairs.
Chapter Eleven
They reached a solid oaken door, crisscrossed with iron bars. The Tear's power
seeped through the wood and filled the hallway, making the hairs on Wendy's arms and
neck stand on end.
"Should we knock?" she asked and cracked a weak smile.
"I have the feeling he already knows we're here."
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