Page 151 of The Last Valkyrie

I marched to him, saying, “Give me that,” and my hand swept through his face as I grabbed at him—like a ghost or an apparition that was not fully allowed inside my mind.

My hand came away holding the black orb, and I crushed it in my hand. It crinkled like glass, vanishing in a puff of mist.

“Follow me,” I told Eirik. I tried holding his hand to lead him, but again my fingers ghosted right past his.

I ran toward the valley walls, Eirik following closely.

“Vin, where are we going?” he called out.

“To your salvation.”

The walls started to close, that telltale sign that things were ending here and Ineededto be on the other side of the valley passageway once they slammed completely shut.

“Hurry!” I yelled.

Eirik picked up his speed, sprinting now, our armor clanking in the soft snowfall.

We reached the other side of the pass with seconds to spare, Eirik onlyjustable to slip his arm through the crack of the closing crevice before it rumbled shut.

I turned to him—

And faced my half-brother in real time. The chill breeze of Tyr Meadow’s hills, the scent of burning wood and steel lit up my senses.

He blinked at me in confusion. “. . . Vini?”

His eyes were dark still, but more importantly thewhiteswere back. Only his brown irises showed me his confusion.

Relief flooded my system.

I looked over his shoulder and saw Randi on her back, yelling incoherently at the dark elf standing over her.

I gasped, shoving Eirik aside—

As the blade came down on Randi, I clenched my fist and punched the earth—

And Randi vanished in a magical sinkhole, appearing half a heartbeat later at my side on her back, in my shadow.

I had used the dark elves’ tricks against them, like Kelvar had done with Magnus.

“H-How did you know how to do that?” she gasped, staring up at me with reverence. “That it would work?”

“I . . . don’t know.”

The dark elf looked confused. His head snapped up, silver-white hair flopping left and right.

I snarled and cocked my arm back.

The dark elf charged at me, Eirik, and Randi—

As green tendrils of energy wrapped around his legs like rope. He began to pitch forward, more confused than ever, and wheeled his arms to stay standing—

Giving me a perfect target as my arm snapped forward and I threw my spear at him.

It landed true, punching into his chest and bursting out the other side.

The dark elf’s eyes bulged, he blinked, and then he died.

I spun around—

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