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He thought for a moment, then seemed to come to a conclusion. “Remember that you trust me.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Cover your eyes,” he demanded.

I frowned but lifted my hands to cover my eyes, unable to stop myself peering between my fingers to see what he was doing.

He pulled the chain as far as it would extend from my throat, ignoring the pain it was obviously inflicting on him.

“What are you doing?”

“Just… don’t move.” He leaned forward and blew a thin stream of dark flames from his lips onto the chain.

THIRTY-ONE

NYX

Zaria stiffened but didn’t move. I could feel the weight of her gaze and knew she was watching through her fingers, but I didn’t look away from my task. A hair’s width in the wrong direction, and I’d burn her. She should be immune to my fire as my ryder, but until we melded, and because of how blocked her magic was, I didn’t know if she would be.

The chain held, and I growled, drawing deeper into my magic, and channeling it into the flames. My fire burned black like the night, rippling with the power of absolute nothingness—the void, as some in the First Kingdom called it. Darkness swallowed and suffocated. It stole vision and senses. It carried secrets and shadows.

Dark fire was a rare weapon to possess, and I used it sparingly. If anything would break the chain, it would be dragon fire. Nothing in our world could stand against it forever.

The chain softened, so I redoubled my effort.

Zaria trembled. I could feel her pain where the searing hot metal was touching her neck. It couldn’t be helped, but she held strong. She was amazing.

“Hang in there, Sol,” I said through our deep connection, the effort like speaking to myself after the potion.

“I’m okay. Don’t stop.”

“Not until it’s off, I promise you.”

The metal dripped, splashing on the ground between our feet. Zaria winced but kept herself still. Another drop fell, this time splashing onto my pants and burning a hole there. I put it out of my mind. We’d both end up with burns, but it was a small price to pay to get it off her.

She whimpered, and her pain radiated in my mind. I could feel she was fighting off tears.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I can stand it. Focus.”

Strain pulled at my magic as I poured all my power into the fire.

Suddenly, the chain gave way, and I instantly cut off my fire as I stumbled back.

“It’s gone!” Zaria clutched at her throat, breathing hard. “You’ve done it.”

“Are you hurt?” I looked her over.

“I’m okay,” she breathed. I could tell she wasn’t completely, but superficial wounds would heal.

I half stumbled to a seat, pulling off my shirt to wrap it around the necklace. I didn’t trust it, and I wasn’t going to let it touch her or my skin again. I would have destroyed it if not for the forethought to have Kiera look at it and tell us what in the Twelve Kingdoms it was.

I wrapped Zaria’s burned hand in strips torn from my pants, so she could hold on. I didn’t try to dress where the chain had seared her flesh as it heated. I hoped the cool wind would soothe it some as I flew us home as fast as I could.

We didn’t speak. We were both too consumed with our own thoughts about this thing we now carried in the bag she held beside her.

We arrived back over the palace, and I dove straight for the healer’s landing. The wards would alert them of our arrival, and I hoped with everything I had that it was Kiera who attended us.