Kael’s eyes went wide. His struggles, his feelings of being alone and sad, suddenly felt very small. "He is a prisoner?" Kael asked. "He saved us, but he put himself in a cage?""Yes," Su Yan said. "That is what a true protector does. He carries the heavy weight so we can be light. He lives in the dark so we can play in the sun."Kael looked at the wall again. He touched it. The slow clink... hmm... clink... beat against his fingers. He felt a huge wave of awe. "Does it hurt him?" Kael asked."I do not know," Su Yan said honestly. "I go down to the deep door sometimes. I sing to him. I tell him about the flowers we planted. I tell him about the children who are safe. I hope it brings him joy. But... he is changing, Kael. The stone is becoming part of him. I am afraid.""Afraid of what?" Kael asked."I am afraid he will forget how to be human," Su Yan whispered, looking down at her lantern. "When you hold the weight of the world for too long, you can forget what a smile looks like. You

The floating mountain of the Azure Cloud Sect rushed through the sky. It moved like a giant stone ship riding on the cold wind. For the past six months, the sky above the mountain had been a beautiful, peaceful blue. But now, as the mountain flew further north, the colors began to change.The blue sky died. It was swallowed by thick, heavy black clouds. And then, the black clouds began to glow.They did not glow with the soft yellow light of the sun. They glowed with a sick, angry red light. It was the color of old blood and hot iron. The red light painted the white stones of the mountain. It made the green grass of the new garden look dark and dead.On the surface of the mountain, panic broke out. Hundreds of disciples ran across the stone paths. They were trying to follow the deep voice of the Guardian. “GET TO THE DEEP CAVES,” Han Feng’s voice had echoed from the ground. “PREPARE FOR WAR.”Kael, the young boy with the broom, ran as fast as his small legs could carry him. He foll

Grim let out a breathless grunt. He threw himself backward, diving away from the pillar.The massive stone beam crashed down exactly where Grim had been standing. The impact shook the entire library. A huge cloud of burning dust and red sparks flew into the air, blinding them all.Grim scrambled across the floor on his hands and knees. He coughed and spit out a mouthful of blood. He crawled over to Su Yan and the two boys. They were huddled against the back wall."Are we alive?" Grim gasped, leaning against the hot wall."For now," Su Yan said. She looked around. Her heart sank into her stomach.The fallen beam had completely blocked the only door. The walls on the left and right were made of thick, unbroken stone. The roof above them was open, but the red fireballs were still falling from the Exordium ships in the sky.They were trapped in a square box of rock, and the box was on fire."Well," Grim said. He let out a harsh, dry laugh. He reached out and patted his heavy iron war hamm

"You must try, Grim," Su Yan said. She looked at the big man with serious eyes. "Or we will all die here."Han Feng moved first. He watched the water dripping from the ceiling. Plop... plop... plop. He lifted his heavy, jagged rock leg. He waited. He watched the drop of water form on the cracked pipe. It swelled. It fell. Exactly as the water hit the floor with a tiny splash, Han Feng put his foot down. The noise of his footstep blended perfectly with the splash of the water. The vibration was hidden. He took another step exactly when the stone ceiling groaned. Creaaaak. His movement was perfectly timed. It was a terrifying, slow dance of survival. Su Yan followed him. She was light and fast. She timed her steps with the natural noises of the dark tunnel. She moved like a grey ghost, barely making a sound. Then, it was Grim’s turn. Grim was sweating. He hated moving slowly. He was a fighter. He liked to charge and smash things. He lifted his heavy iron boot. He stared at the wa

“I am nothing without the mountain,” Han Feng thought. The struggle tore at his mind. “I was a slave in the pit. The mountain made me a god. Now the mountain is dead, so I am a slave again. I cannot save them.”The invisible hunter holding Grim raised a weapon. It was a long, curved blade that glowed with a sick red energy. The hunter prepared to drive the blade into Grim’s chest. Grim looked at Han Feng. His scarred face was red from choking, but his eyes were not angry. They were accepting. "Run, Watchman," Grim choked out. "Save yourself."Su Yan struggled against the invisible arm around her neck. "No!" she cried. "Han Feng!" Han Feng looked at Su Yan. He saw the tears in her eyes. He saw Grim, ready to die for him. He looked down at his own chest. The dark obsidian skin was scarred. In the center, the Golden Anchor Key was broken and dull. But behind the broken key, inside his chest, his metallic heart was still beating. Clink... clink... clink. It was slow. It was weak. But