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“And so our people fled through the pass,” Ysara said. “Many of them froze. Hundreds of them were children.” She showed me the Asric Pass next. The hybrids traveled in groups, and the trail was littered with…

Bodies. The ground was frozen, and there was no time to bury them. Bile flooded my throat as Ysara showed me a tiny girl, no more than four summers, lying with a doll in her arms. Her mother lay beside her, clearly unable to continue without her daughter.

“Stop,” I croaked out. “Please.”

“No.” Ysara’s voice was pitiless, and she showed me more and more. The bodies, the hybrids who arrived in villages, begging for help. Some of those villagers took them in. Too many of them turned them away. More and more died every day. Those who lived were shadows of themselves. My blood burned for retribution.

Ysara showed me those who made it to the fae lands, only to pound on that impenetrable ward, right as Regner’s guards caught up to them.

Even knowing Conreth and Lorian weren’t responsible…

Fury burned through my insides.

“Nourish the spark of your rage, Nelayra.”

“Why?”

“When you have to, you will change the worlds. If I have to torture you to convince you that you’re the only one who can do it…” Ifelther shrug. “Well, what must be done must be done.”

Another person attempting to use me for their own goals.

“End this. Now.”

“Or?”

“Or I’ll make youpay.”

“That’s better.”

I woke up on the ground. Every muscle in my body burned as if I truly had been set aflame. My gaze met Ysara’s. And then I scanned the rest of them. I was drained, my body numb, my limbs strangely light.

None of them were wearing jewels or finery. No, they wore clothes similar to me. Another one of their manipulations. Who knew why?

“It pleased us that you were someone who judged us for turning to such things,” Ysara said.

Rivenlor nodded. “You may have been someone who saw such wealth and longed for it.” Something about his tone made me wonder if he was disappointed that Ihadn’t.

All I longed for was to get the fuck out of here.

“So that’s a no on the allying?” I guessed, getting to my feet.

Tymriel gestured at my sword. “The blade of your sword was repeatedly heated and then hammered into shape. Not only did it give it the desired form, but it strengthened the sword by aligning the internal structure of the metal.”

I stared at him, exhausted. “And?”

“Just as your blade had to endure the intense heat and the force of the hammer to become a strong, reliable weapon, so must you. Except you must choose to be forged in fire so you will become the queen we need.”

I tried again. I couldn’t just leave empty-handed. I neededsomething. “I want to know the state of your armed forces. How many people are left? Is there any kind of army on this continent?”

They just watched me.

“I need to know what we are working with. Surely there’s some kind of general or leader I can talk to.”

Nothing.

That strange, frustrated fury bubbled within me once more. “I’m trying to save this kingdom,” I snarled.

More silence.