Catherine stared down at the massive iron gates of the Frost-Spire. She could not breathe. She watched the endless army of Blood Thralls march into her beautiful home. She watched her father, the Duke of the North, shake hands with the monster possessing Kael. "My father," Catherine whispered. Her voice broke into a quiet sob. "He sold us to the Master. He betrayed the whole kingdom."Adam Cook did not show any emotion. His hollow mind calculated the new, terrible math. They could not use the front gate. They could not pretend to be guests. The entire city was now an enemy fortress. "We cannot go down there," Adam said flatly. He pulled Catherine away from the edge of the snowy cliff. "If we walk into the valley, the Thralls will capture us. We must find another way inside the castle."Catherine wiped her eyes. "There is only one other way. The High Wastes. It is a deadly path over the very top of the mountain. It leads to a secret door near the castle roof. But Adam... no one survi

Elias floated in the dark red portal high above the dying forest. The Prince smiled his polite, evil smile. "Welcome to the North, Sovereign," Elias laughed. "Are you ready to power the end of the world?"The thick, glowing blue crystal roots squeezed Adam’s body. They acted like giant leeches. They tried to suck the dark Void magic straight out of his soul to feed the Frost-Spire Kingdom. But Elias had made a terrible mistake. He forgot the true nature of Adam's power. Inside Adam’s chest, the "Grave of Kings" protocol reacted. The freezing cold air of the mountain acted like a powerful catalyst. The extreme cold triggered a massive, violent reaction in his hollow core. Adam’s dark brown eyes vanished, turning completely pitch-black. Golden stars burned fiercely inside them. Adam did not fight the roots. He simply opened his Gate of Hunger. "You want my magic?" Adam whispered, his voice vibrating like a collapsing star. "Then choke on it."Adam reversed the flow. He did not let

The Duke of the North smiled a cold, evil smile. He stood in the open doorway, surrounded by twenty armored soldiers with glowing yellow eyes. "Thank you, Adam Cook," the Duke said smoothly. "You safely delivered my sacrifice directly to my door."Catherine froze in pure terror. She looked at her father. He was going to kill her to save his rich city. Adam did not speak. His hollow mind calculated the terrible odds in a single millisecond. He could not fight twenty Blood Thralls and the Duke in a narrow hallway without using his dark magic. If he used his magic, his hungry core would eat everything, including Catherine. Adam had to run. Adam grabbed Catherine tightly by her waist. He did not punch the Duke. He raised his heavy boot and stomped straight down on the cracked ice floor with all his massive, physical strength. The fragile ice floor completely shattered. The Duke shouted in surprise. Adam and Catherine fell through the broken floor. They dropped into a steep, dark, sl

Valerius laughed a cruel, grinding laugh through Kael’s mouth. The fifty Blood Thralls raised their red weapons and charged into the tiny ice cave. Adam Cook did not have time to think. He could not use his dark magic to kill them. If he did, he would hurt his best friend. Adam grabbed the sharp, heavy piece of ice from the floor. He did not throw it at Kael. He threw it straight up. He used all of his massive, dense physical strength. The heavy ice block hit the cave ceiling like a cannonball. The ceiling shattered. Tons of heavy gray stone and thick white ice collapsed downward. The falling rocks created a massive wall, completely blocking the cave entrance. Kael and the fifty Blood Thralls were trapped on the other side of the rocks. "Go!" Adam shouted to Catherine. He grabbed her hand. They ran to the back of the small cave. There was a narrow, dark crack in the ice. They squeezed through the tight tunnel, pushing their way deep into the mountain. They ran in the dark for a

The fifty massive Tundra Spirits kept their heavy heads bowed in the deep snow. Catherine stood before them. The blinding, pure white light slowly faded from her blue eyes. She did not look like a scared, ruined girl anymore. She looked like a true queen of the ice. She pointed a pale finger at the unconscious elite trackers lying on the ground. "Hide them," Catherine commanded softly. Her voice carried the freezing power of the mountain. "Do not kill them. Just keep them buried in the snow until the war is over."The giant ice elementals stood up silently. They picked up the sleeping Frost-Hounds with their massive, jagged hands. The spirits walked away, melting seamlessly into the howling white blizzard. Catherine turned around and ran back to Adam. Adam was on his knees. He tried to stand up, but his heavy boots slipped on the ice. He fell forward, catching himself with his hands. He was breathing heavily. Every breath sounded like a dry, broken cough. "Adam!" Catherine cried