Contents
Chapter 28
Overview
Aris and Raker escape the tunnels into a blighted land, stumble into a skelmire bog, and survive by targeting the creatures’ gemstone hearts. A merging horde nearly kills them until Raker cleaves it and Aris saves him. Poisoned by the bog, Aris summons a star-crowned woman who forges a silver path, guiding them to forest gates before they collapse.
Summary
Aris and Harlan Raker emerge from underground into a scorched landscape and, dehydrated and exhausted, push on in tense silence. Forced into a bog, Aris is dragged under by a skelmire; recalling a book, she warns Raker to remove the gemstone in its chest, allowing him to kill it.
Dozens of skelmires rise and attack. Aris and Raker fight back-to-back, Aris carving out gemstones while Raker shatters ribcages. The creatures merge into a massive, many-armed horde, forcing Aris to flee and then to cut herself free from searing ribbons of skin as the horde seizes her.
At the brink, Raker erupts beneath the amalgamated skelmire and cleaves it in two, scattering gemstones. When a hidden skelmire moves to behead Raker, Aris throws her blade and destroys its gem, saving him. She walks away with a defiant, “Not nothing.”
Leaving the bog, both succumb to creeping poison. As they stagger through a ruined forest, Aris clings to memories of her family. Collapsing, she raises a stolen emerald and begs for aid. A star-crowned woman in silver appears, touches Aris’s finger, and a silver-rooted road unfurls through the woods.
Revived by hope, Aris rises and orders Raker to get up; he follows as she traces the gleaming path. Guided by the silver road, they reach living, twisted gates formed by the forest. At the threshold, Raker falls, and Aris collapses reaching for the lock.
Who Appears
- ArisNarrator; dehydrated yet deadly. Identifies skelmire gemstone weakness, saves Raker, suffers bog poison, summons a star-crowned woman who forms a silver road.
- Harlan RakerRelentless knight; rips gems from skelmires, cleaves the merged horde, nearly decapitated before Aris saves him; later poisoned and follows Aris.
- SkelmiresBog guardians with gemstone hearts; peel flesh as restraints, merge into a multi-armed horde; slain by gem extraction.
- Star-crowned womanMysterious silver-robed figure who answers Aris’s plea, touches her, and creates a silver-root road guiding them to forest gates.