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I dangled my own friends in front of him. And then I let them betray him.

“Calysian. I’m sorry. I don’t know if I would change what I did—we needsomeway to stop you if you become a true threat—but I never wanted to hurt you.”

His eyes blaze, and he opens his mouth. I set my shoulders.

Just as the earth bucks and rolls beneath us.

Calysian

Madinia’s horse bolts, hooves skidding as they disappear into the fog of dust rising around us. Fox staggers beneath me, his ears flattened against his head, muscles bunching and trembling each time the ground shudders.

I lean low over his neck and dig my heals in, urging him on as loose rocks and clumps of dirt tumble down the hillside behind us. The sharp cracks of splitting stone echo through the air, and Fox leaps forward, hooves scattering gravel in every direction.

My gaze locks on Madinia’s receding form as her mare gallops blindly ahead. Trees uproot, and a fissure splits the ground just footspans ahead.

Her horse rears, and Madinia buries her hands in Hope’s mane.

Fox doesn’t hesitate, giving me a burst of speed, his hooves barely finding purchase as the ground beneath us continues to fracture.

Ahead, Hope stumbles. Madinia hurtles through the air, thrown violently from the horse’s back.

The world sharpens, time slowing, my pulse pounding in my ears.

Madinia hits the ground hard, a landslide of rocks pouring toward her like a wave. Her mare turns and bolts, leaping out of sight.

The slope behind Madinia groans, boulders the size of whisky barrels breaking free and tumbling toward her—as if directed by some dark force.

I launch myself from the saddle and slap Fox on the arse. “Go!” I sprint for Madinia.

She’s trying to push herself to her feet, her ankle twisted beneath her. She hits the ground once more, her face a mask of pain. I reach her as the first of the smaller rocks slam into her body, pushing her toward the edge of the chasm. For once, she doesn’t fight, allowing me to throw her over my shoulder as I strike out with my power, breaking the larger boulders into smaller pieces.

But they keep coming, and I can feel the malevolence within them.

“Faster,” Madinia demands, and despite the danger, despite my irritation with her, I almost laugh.

“Quiet, harridan. Let me save us in peace.”

She struggles, attempting to wiggle free, and I slap her arse.

A feral snarl. “I’ll kill you.”

“That will need to wait until I’ve finished saving your life.”

I’m still weakened after using so much of my power to push Fox just days ago, so I rely mostly on my physical strength, clenching my teeth as I sprint for safety.

We clear the edge of the slide, and I let out a single breath of relief. Close. That was too close.

A deafening crack splits the air, and the ground in front of us gives way. A jagged chasm yawns open, swallowing the path and everything on it.

I have no choice. I throw Madinia to the right, where the only stable ground remains.

She hits the ground and rolls. My boots skid in the loose dirt as I launch myself after her, but the earth shifts beneath me, bucking like a living thing. The chasm splits wider, chunks of rock splintering as the ledge crumbles beneath my feet.

I lunge sideways, landing hard on my shoulder, legs dangling over the hole.

Madinia crawls toward me, her face pale, streaked with dirt. Her hand finds my tunic and she pulls.

“I’m too heavy,” I grunt, my entire body straining, until I finally manage to roll myself over the edge.