Page 281 of The Cradle of Ice

Shiya moaned a single word of warning. “Now.”

The blaze exploded outward with a nimbus of wild energies. The force blasted away the braces—except for one.

Vikas, with her ax still above her head, got hit by the same glowing nimbus as it blasted beyond the cradle. She flew far, losing her ax as she hit the floor. The weapon skittered to Jace’s toes. Vikas slid farther.

Graylin inhaled to yell at Jace.

But the young man was already moving. He grabbed his ax and followed behind the path of the collapsing nimbus. Ahead, the brace and cradle danced with sparking frazzles of power, but the way was clear. Jace swung his ax two-handed and struck the brace’s housing. The Guld’guhlian steel proved its forging and cleaved the bridge free.

At the same time, Jace was blown back, wrapped in that residual energy. His body convulsed through the air and slammed down hard. His skull rang off the copper.

Vikas was already on her feet and rushed to his side.

Graylin turned toward the greater concern.

Did Jace strike too late?

Graylin held out one hope. The turubya sphere still hung over the open mouth of the pit, suspended by that fiery nimbus. Maybe the timing of the braces’ release was not as critical as they had believed. Maybe the bridges just had to drop, allowing the nimbus to take over.

He stared, unblinking. The fiery shine stung his eyes until he could stand it no longer. He blinked. In that fraction of a moment, the orb shot up into the dome and hung suspended in the middle. It hovered like a new sun, blinding and stunning to behold—then with the next breath, it slammed down into the hole.

Graylin’s eyes still burned with the afterimage of the sphere.

Rhaif shifted toward the pit. “Did we do it? Did we actually do it?”

The answer came with a thunderous slam of steel. A vault door sealed over the hole. Others could be heard closing in succession down its length, until the sound faded away.

Behind them, the crystalline cocoon opened, and Shiya stepped out.

Graylin turned to her, but Shiya addressed Rhaif, touching his elbow tenderly. “It is done.”

Vikas waved frantically over by Jace, a reminder that not all had come through unscathed.

* * *

NYX HOBBLED ACROSS the dome floor toward Jace and Vikas. She had been in motion as soon as she saw her friend blasted by that ball of destructive energy.

Once close enough, she winced and dropped to a knee next to him. No broken leg was going to keep her from him.

Jace was her only connection to her past. She had lost her dah and brothers, given up her whole life. Nothing of her past remained. Except for Jace. He had been the only true constant throughout all of this.

I can’t lose you.

Vikas looked at her with concern. The tall woman gestured rapidly in Gynish, fluttering a hand at her throat, then over her chest. “Jace is still breathing. His heart is still beating.” Still, Vikas covered her eyes with a shake of her head. “I can’t wake him.”

Nyx prayed he was just knocked out, but even that could be dangerous.

The others joined them, hovering around.

“Do not move him,” Krysh warned. “Not until I examine him.”

Shiya spoke up. “We must go. With the turubya now seated, this complex will destroy itself to protect against any future tampering.”

As if reinforcing her words, the floor jolted hard under them and continued trembling. The dome shook crystal off its wall. All around, the huge cables in the tunnels hummed menacingly.

Nyx shifted closer to Jace. “Let me try to wake him.”

“Hurry,” Shiya commanded, and turned away. She strode quickly toward one of the tunnels.