"I've counted at least thirty. There could be more inside the ziggurat." Diana looked at Alex. "The Eclipse Hand planned all of this. The ruin that my family discovered wasn't an accident. They seeded the information. They wanted us to find it. They wanted to lure young warriors here, to use them as sacrifices."Alex's eyes narrowed. "The carvings on the canyon walls. The warnings about the sealed being. They weren't warnings, they were bait.""Yes." Diana's voice was bitter. "Every young warrior who saw them felt the call. The promise of power, of blood, of immortality. We thought we were seeking treasure. We were walking into a trap."Cedric swore under his breath. "How long have they been planning this?""Years. Decades. Maybe longer." Diana looked at the ziggurat, at the crimson light pulsing at its summit. "The Eclipse Hand doesn't act quickly. They plant seeds and wait for them to grow. This ruin was discovered six months ago, but the information was planted long before that. My

Alex and Diana moved as one fire and wind, two elements that should have clashed but instead wove together in a deadly dance. The Divine Son stood at the center of the maelstrom, his dark robes billowing, his pupil-less eyes gleaming with amusement. His grey skin seemed to absorb the crimson light, making him look like a statue carved from ash and malice."Impressive coordination," he said, deflecting Diana's blade with a flick of his wrist. His voice was smooth, almost lazy, as if he were commenting on the weather rather than fighting for his life. "But you are fighting a battle you cannot win."Diana's sword whistled past his ear, close enough to cut a strand of his dark hair. He didn't flinch.Alex struck from the left, his sword blazing with fire law. The flames roared, hungry and bright, wrapping around the blade like a living thing. The Divine Son caught the blade with his bare hand again the flames sputtering against his grey skin as if they were nothing more than candlelight.

"I don't know how." Alex looked at his hands. They were steady now, but he could feel the power humming beneath his skin, ancient, hungry, waiting. "It's part of me now. Part of my strength."Diana was silent for a long moment. The wind howled across the summit, carrying the scent of blood and ash."You're still you?"Alex looked at her. Really looked at her at the worry in her eyes, the tension in her shoulders, the way her hand still gripped her sword as if she expected him to attack."I'm still me."She sheathed her sword."Then that's all that matters."She pulled him into a brief, fierce embrace. Her arms were warm around him, and for a moment, Alex let himself lean into her.Then she stepped back, her expression hardening."The blood," she said, gesturing to the pool. "The blood of the Immortal King. It's still there."Alex looked at the pool. The black liquid had calmed, no longer churning. It glowed with a faint crimson light, and he could feel its power calling to him whisper

The waystation was a welcome sight, a fortified outpost nestled between two towering rock formations, its walls lit with soft lanterns. The journey from the portal had been long, but the waystation's commander had prepared quarters for the returning warriors.Alex and Diana shared a simple meal in the common hall: bread, cheese, dried meat, and a sour wine that Jack insisted was "good for the blood." Cedric and Kaela sat at a nearby table, their heads close together, speaking in low voices. Viktor and Marcus were helping the prisoners settle in, distributing blankets and water.After the meal, Alex walked outside.The waystation's courtyard was empty, the guards patrolling the walls above. He found a stone bench near the edge and sat down, looking up.The sky here was different from the small world's blood-red ceiling. It was deep, dark, and scattered with stars thousands of them, millions, each one a distant sun. The Stargate's artificial atmosphere allowed them to shine clearly, un

Alex stood alone in the corridor for a long moment then walked toward the palace where his father was staying.The corridors were quiet at this hour most of the court was still asleep, recovering from the excitement of the returning warriors. Alex's boots echoed off the walls, and he found himself thinking about the small world, about the sealed being's words, about the bloodlines awakening.“I'm supposed to be ready in five years. Where to begin ?”He shook his head and pushed open the door to the family's private dining room.The room was already occupied.His father, the Roshar king, sat at the head of the table, a cup of tea cooling in his hands. His grandfather, the former king, stood by the window, looking out at the garden. His great-grandfather, James, was seated in a high-backed chair near the fireplace, his ancient eyes half-closed.And Alena was there, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger."Finally!" she exclaimed when she saw Alex. "I thought she'd never leave.""Alena