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'Fire will reign supreme, remember?'

'You mean there's fire under our feet? Like, right now?'

Scorpia muttered an impressive string of expletives.

'Is the dragon egg down there too?'

'What does it matter? You haven't yet united the Five Kingdoms, and you never will with this reckless stupidity.'

'The Fae'ch egg is missing.'

'Ours is warded.'

'So was theirs.'

'Damned Seven Hells. This is my retreat from the stressful realities of running a kingdom …'

Fyia let Scorpia rant, waiting for silence before she met her gaze. Scorpia had had hopes for this meeting that Fyia had obviously not met, but the fact she'd had hopes at all gave Fyia strength. 'Are you going to show me the egg?'

'How could I not, after that revelation?'

Scorpia's façade of annoyance was a thin one. She wanted to see the egg as much as Fyia did, but … why? Was it merely because she was old and wanted to satisfy her curiosity? Or did she believe in Fyia … that she was the one of legend?

'Stand behind me, and whatever you do, donottouch the tree.'

Scorpia led Fyia from pillar to pillar, rummaging in the vines, twisting a hidden cog here, pressing a piece of carving there. Once they'd made a full circuit of the room, Scorpia stamped on the ground, and a deep humming filled the air.

'What is that?' said Fyia.

'Sush, and don't move.'

Fyia watched in amazement as the ring of ground directly in front of the pillars began to spin, the floor twisting open to reveal a gaping hole that extended at least a hundred paces down, to where an orange glow emanated from the blackness. A stone walkway was all that remained of the floor, stretching from where Fyia and Scorpia stood, across the void to the tree.

Fyia looked down, feeling the heat from below. 'How is a hole like this possible? We're at sea level …'

'Magic,' said Scorpia, before setting off across the walkway. She didn't bother to look down, as though there weren't a death drop on either side. 'Come along.'

Fyia followed, her steps filled with caution, her heart thundering as she tried not to consider the imminent threat of death.

Scorpia reached the tree and held up her hands. 'If you touch the tree again, I won't be able to save you.'

'Youpulled me back before?'

'Why else do you think I passed out?' Scorpia gave Fyia a scathing look, then turned her attention to the tree. She hovered her hands over the bark and closed her eyes, muttering words Fyia couldn't quite make out.

A creaking noise filled the air, and Fyia shuddered, hoping the walkway would hold. A whoosh of energy pushed her back a step as the creaking turned to a thunderous cracking sound, and fear careened around Fyia's insides. She hoped whatever came next wouldn't push her over the edge, but before she had time to consider a tactical retreat, the sounds ceased, and the room became eerily quiet, unnaturally still.

Fyia started in surprise at the great fissure in the tree's trunk. She could see daylight through the middle, and, hovering, suspended in the space inside, was a small, round metal ball.

'Warrior's tits,' said Scorpia, snatching up the ball. 'What the Gods-damned hell is this?'

Fyia gaped. It was an exact match for the ball Essa had given her. The one she'd given to her brother. Her mouth went dry and her brain went blank. They'd lied to her … tricked her … betrayed her.

'Well?' snapped Scorpia, as though Fyia should know something of note.

'That's where the dragon egg is supposed to be?' said Fyia.

Scorpia scowled, and waved a hand across the space in front of the tree. The cracking noise filled the air once more. 'I'd get a move on, if I were you,' said Scorpia. 'The walkway is about to collapse.'