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“Always,” he promises, and I know he means it, in every possible way.

But before I can take a breath, the mountain lets out a terrible groan, like an ancient beast awakening from hibernation.

“Run!” Riven grabs my hand, and then we’re sprinting across the rocky terrain as the mountainsidebegins to crumble, boulders tumbling down as the entrance to the Pyros Vault collapses.

The ground trembles as we race toward a small outcropping, my lungs burning with every breath, the Ember at my hip pulsing with heat against my skin.

“Jump!” he commands as we reach the edge of a steep drop.

Without hesitation, I leap forward alongside him, magic surging through us both, the wind propelling us farther than what should be possible to jump.

We slam into the ground on the other side, rolling across sharp rocks as the final implosion sends a shockwave through the air. Riven pulls me against him, his body shielding mine as debris rains down around us, as if his only purpose in life is to keep me breathing.

When the rumbling finally stops, we lie there tangled together, covered in ash and blood from dozens of small cuts that are already healing. Morning light breaks over the horizon, bathing the land in a golden glow that feels jarringly gentle after the hellfire we just escaped.

Riven’s silver eyes are already on me, intense and searching as his hand finds mine.

The contact grounds me, anchoring me to this moment—tohim.

“The Ember?” he asks, sitting up slowly.

I reach for the pouch at my hip, feeling for it.

“Still here,” I confirm, and he exhales, a mix of relief and exhaustion that I feel in the depths of my soul.

Now that the world’s finally still, I look back at the destroyed mountain, thinking of the two summer warriors who gave their lives for this mission. They swore an oath to us, and they followed through. Just like Lysandra said they would.

“Come on,” Riven says. “We need to get moving before something else tries to kill us.”

“Such an optimist,” I mutter, but I let him pull me to my feet, since he’s right—we need to move.

He looks at me then, and something vulnerable passes through his eyes as his arm slides around my waist, as if he’s grounding himself in me. “I almost lost you back there,” he says quietly. “When you slipped?—”

I press my fingers to his lips, stopping him. “You didn’t lose me. I’m still here.”

“Promise me you’ll stay that way,” he says against my fingertips, his eyes deadly serious. There’s no teasing in his voice now. Only fear. Only fire.

I slide my hand to cup his face, brushing my thumb over the angles I’ve memorized perfectly by now. “I promise to try.”

“Not good enough,” he says, his eyes darkening in that haunted way they’ve been since he stopped time and killed his guards in the clearing.

“It’s the best I can do,” I tell him. “We don’t knowwhat’s going to happen in the future. But I swear to you, Riven Draevor, that when this is all over, I plan on being here, with you, forever.”

He sighs, leaning his forehead against mine. “You better be,” he says. “Because if you’re not…”

He trails off, as if the thought is too painful for him to think, let alone say out loud. And for a moment, we simply stand there, foreheads touching, as the sun rises higher in the sky. Our magic swirls between us—ice, water, air, and starlight—moving in a synchronized dance that feels as natural as breathing.

But amidst it all, the Ember pulses at my hip, a reminder of the unfinished mission.

“Ready?” I ask, pulling back to study his face.

He nods, as if he’s drawing strength from the determination in my eyes. “Ready.”

RIVEN

The jet hums around us,the sound hollow and distant compared to the silence between Sapphire and me.

T is locked away in the cockpit. So, given that Thalia and Maeris are gone, Sapphire and I are the only ones in the cabin.