The peaceful feeling of the salt cave vanished instantly. As the ice-raven shattered, the temperature inside the cave dropped so fast I could see my own breath. The white salt on the walls began to crack, turning into blue frost.
"He's here," Silas hissed. He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the blood soaking through his shirt. He grabbed his twin daggers, the dark metal humming with a low, defensive vibration.
Nyx was already at the cave entrance, her bone-white bow drawn. "Frost-Walkers," she spat. "The King didn't send soldiers. He sent the dead."
I stood up, my legs feeling like lead. I walked to the mouth of the cave and peered out. The mist of the Dead Forest was no longer grey; it was glowing with a ghostly blue light. Emerging from the trees were hundreds of tall, thin figures. They looked like men, but their skin was transparent like ice, and their eyes were hollow pits of blue flame. They didn't walk; they glided over the ground, leaving a trail of frozen grass behind them.
"The salt will keep them out for a few minutes," Nyx said, her voice tight. "But once the King's magic breaks the seal, they'll swarm this place. We're trapped like rats."
Silas looked at the army, then at me. His face was a mask of desperation. "I can hold them off at the entrance, but there are too many. Elara, you have to run deeper into the tunnels."
"No!" I cried. "I'm not leaving you again."
"Listen to him, Princess," Nyx said, turning to me. Her eyes were sharp and greedy. "But there's another way. A secret way. Behind that large salt pillar is a path that leads to the Under-Lake. If you reach it, you can swim to the other side of the mountain range. The Frost-Walkers can't cross running water."
"Then let's go!" I said.
"It's not that simple," Nyx blocked my path. "The door only opens for a price. I told you I wanted the first drop of the child's blood. If you give it to me now—through the stone—the path will open."
Silas growled, his shadows flaring. "You want to bleed a pregnant woman? Over my dead body!"
"Then you will be dead!" Nyx yelled, pointing to the entrance.
A massive explosion of ice rocked the cave. The salt seal shattered. The first Frost-Walker stepped inside, its long, frozen claws scraping against the stone. Silas leaped forward, his daggers cutting through the creature's neck. It didn't bleed; it simply shattered into shards of ice. But three more took its place.
I looked at Silas fighting, his movements getting slower. I looked at the dark, cold army outside. Then I looked at Nyx.
"Do it," I said.
"Elara, no!" Silas screamed, kicking a Frost-Walker back.
"I have to save us, Silas!" I turned to Nyx. "How?"
Nyx pulled out a small, jagged needle made of black glass. "Place your hand on the salt pillar. I only need a tiny drop. The stone will recognize the Royal blood and the Alpha heir. It will think it's a sacrifice and open the gate."
I pressed my palm against the cold, white pillar. Nyx took my finger and pricked the tip. A single, bright red drop of blood fell onto the salt.
The reaction was violent. The red blood didn't soak in; it turned into a golden flame that raced up the pillar. The ground began to groan. A massive crack appeared in the back of the cave, revealing a tunnel that smelled of ancient water and wet stone.
"Go!" Nyx shouted, but she didn't follow. She stayed by the pillar, her eyes fixed on the golden blood, a strange, hungry smile on her face. "I have what I need. The curse of the forest is mine to control now!"
Silas grabbed my hand, pulling me into the dark tunnel just as the Frost-Walkers flooded the main chamber. We ran through the narrow passage, the sound of hissing ice and clashing metal fading behind us.
The tunnel led to a massive underground lake. The water was black and perfectly still, reflecting the glowing blue crystals on the ceiling. A small, wooden boat was tied to a rotted dock.
"Get in," Silas panted. He was covered in frost and blood.
We pushed off into the water. As we reached the center of the lake, the cave behind us went silent. No more fighting. No more screaming.
"Nyx betrayed us," I whispered. "She used my blood to become the new Queen of the Forest."
"She's a scavenger," Silas said, his eyes fixed on the far shore. "But we're alive. And the child is safe."
Suddenly, the water beneath the boat began to bubble. A giant, pale hand—large enough to crush the entire boat—rose from the depths. It wasn't a Frost-Walker. It was something much older.
A face emerged from the water. It was beautiful and terrible, with hair made of river weeds and eyes like pearls.
"The blood has reached the deep," the water-spirit whispered, its voice sounding like a thousand drowning bells. "The Royal heir is here. But the father... the father is calling."
The spirit held up a piece of black glass—the same kind Thorne had tried to use on me. It was glowing with a golden light.
"Thorne didn't go back to his pack," Silas realized, his face turning pale. "He went to the Lake of Sorrows. He's making a deal to take you back by force."
The water-spirit lunged, its mouth opening to reveal rows of needle-teeth.
"Jump!" Silas yelled.