Io stared at him.
Something passed through her eyes.
Fear.
Anger.
And beneath both—
Resignation.
Finally, she sighed.
“I hate you.”
Lexander smiled.
“You’ve said that in at least two lives.”
Io’s eyes widened.
Lysandra slowly turned toward her brother.
Lexander froze.
He hadn’t meant to say that.
Io stared at him.
“What?”
He looked away.
“I…”
The memory came suddenly.
A workshop.
Fire.
A horse.
A young woman shouting at him.
I hate you.
Then his own voice.
No, you don’t.
Lexander stumbled backward.
Io caught him.
The room vanished.
Fire.
Smoke.
A young man laughed as flames crawled across the walls of a workshop.
He was—
Lexander.
Not exactly.
His hair was longer.
His hands were covered in soot.
Across from him stood a furious woman.
Io.
Again.
Younger.
Different.
“You burned down the workshop!”
“It was an accident!”
“You tried to forge a sword!”
“I did forge a sword!”
The woman picked it up.
The blade bent.
She stared at him.
He stared back.
“That is unfortunate.”
The woman screamed.
Then she laughed.
He pulled her toward him.
She kissed him.
And suddenly—
The memory changed.
The same woman stood in the snow.
Her face was covered in blood.
Lexander lay at her feet.
The workshop was gone.
The laughter was gone.
Only grief remained.
She was screaming his name.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Lexander returned to the room.
Io was holding him.
He pushed himself upright.
Lysandra looked terrified.
“What did you see?”
Lexander looked at Io.
Her eyes were already wet.
“The fourth.”
Io whispered.
Lexander nodded.
“I was a terrible blacksmith.”
Despite everything—
Io laughed.
A broken little laugh.
“Yes.”
Lisbeth looked between them.
Her expression was growing increasingly concerned.
“What is happening?”
Lexander took a breath.
Then he looked at Io.
“We go at dawn.”
Io studied him.
Finally—
She nodded.
Lisbeth immediately spoke.
“No.”
Lysandra raised her hand.
“I agree.”
Everyone turned.
Lexander blinked.
“What?”
Lysandra pointed at the map.
“We leave at dawn.”
Lisbeth stared at her daughter.
“No.”
Lysandra smiled sweetly.
“Mother.”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
“Pretty please?”
“Lysandra.”
“Mother, I am asking respectfully.”
“No.”
Lysandra’s smile vanished.
“I learned everything I know from you.”
Lisbeth’s eyes narrowed.
“Then you should know I can have you locked in your room.”
Lysandra gasped.
“Cruel.”
Lexander stepped between them.
“Enough.”
Both women looked at him.
He sighed.
“We don’t have time for this.”
Io nodded.
“General Atreyu will lead twenty soldiers.”
Lysandra looked at her.
“Twenty?”
Io smiled.
“Thirty. Along with a contingent of your Black Sheep Knights”
Lexander stared.
“Why did that work?”
“Because I’m charming.”
“You’re fourteen.”
“And?”
Lexander sighed.
Io turned toward Lisbeth.
“You will remain here.”
Lisbeth folded her arms.
“And why should I?”
Io paused.
The Queen slowly smiled.
Lisbeth narrowed her eyes.
“No.”
Io’s smile widened.
“Absolutely not.”
Lysandra looked between them.
“What?”
Lisbeth pointed at Io.
“She is planning something.”
Io looked innocent.
“I would never.”
“You laid siege to my city.”
“And I did it very respectfully. Someone must remain in case the worst occurs.”
“Atreyu!”
Lisbeth shouted.
The General entered.
He looked around.
“Should I return?”
“No.”
Io said.
“Yes.”
Lisbeth said.
Atreyu looked at Lexander.
Lexander shrugged.
The General sighed.
“What do you need?”
Io smiled.
“Convince my cousin to stay here.”
Atreyu looked at Lisbeth.
Then back at Io.
“No.”
Io blinked.
“No?”
“I have known her since we were children.”
Lisbeth smiled.
Io stared at him.
Atreyu continued.
“I will not be responsible for preventing her from accompanying her children into a cursed mountain.”
Lisbeth’s smile became victorious.
Io looked betrayed.
“General.”
“You asked.”
“You are supposed to support me.”
“I supported you during a siege.”
“Fair.”
Lysandra looked delighted.
Lexander leaned toward his sister.
“I think we’re all going to die.”
She leaned back.
“Probably.”
They left before sunrise.
The royal party moved quietly through the northern gate.
Thirty soldiers.
General Atreyu.
Queen Io.
Queen Lisbeth.
Lexander.
Lysandra.
And five members of the Black Sheep.
Lexander had insisted.
Io had objected.
The Black Sheep had solved the argument by arriving anyway.
Their commander, a massive woman named Mara, Lexander’s most trusted shieldmaiden, rode beside him.
She looked at the future king.
“You look terrible.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve lost weight.”
“I was imprisoned.”
“Still.”
Lexander stared at her.
Mara smiled.
“It’s good to have you back.”
The humor disappeared from him.
Lexander looked forward.
“It’s good to be back.”
Mara was silent for several seconds.
Then—
“We were going to get you out.”
Lexander glanced at her.
“I know.”
“No.”
Her voice hardened.
“We had a plan.”
Lexander smiled.
“That worries me.”
“We were going to poison the guards.”
“That sounds inefficient.”
“We were going to poison all of them.”
“That sounds more efficient.”
Lysandra rode up beside them.
“I want to hear the plan.”
Mara looked at her.
“No.”
Lysandra gasped.
“Why?”
“Your brother is a bad influence.”
Lexander looked offended.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“She’s been like this since birth.”
“Exactly.”
Lysandra pointed at him.
“Traitor.”
For the first hour, they traveled in relative peace.
Then the mountains appeared.
The laughter disappeared.
They rose along the horizon like black teeth.
Snow covered their peaks.
Dark forests stretched across their lower slopes.
Io stared at them.
Her hands tightened around the reins.
Lexander noticed.
“You remember this place.”
Io nodded.
“The First Grave is somewhere inside.”
“Somewhere?”
Io looked at him.
“You think ancient, forbidden burial grounds have signs?”
Lexander considered this.
“Fair.”
Lysandra leaned forward in her saddle.
“Can we name it?”
Everyone looked at her.
“What?”
She continued.
“Once we find it.”
“No.”
Lexander said.
“Why?”
“Because it’s a grave.”
“That makes it more important to name.”
Io looked toward Atreyu.
“Why did we bring her?”
Atreyu sighed.
“Because everyone was afraid to leave her behind.”
Lysandra smiled.
“I win again.”
They entered the mountains shortly afterward.
And immediately, the horses became restless.
The soldiers noticed.
Mara’s hand moved toward her sword.
“Something’s wrong.”
Lexander looked around.
The forest was silent.
Too silent.
No birds.
No insects.
No wind.
Even the horses seemed unwilling to breathe.
Io raised her hand.
Everyone stopped.
“What is it?”
Atreyu asked.
Io stared ahead.
“I remember this.”
Lexander’s stomach tightened.
“From which life?”
Io slowly dismounted.
“The first.”
No one spoke.
She walked toward a narrow path between the trees.
Lexander followed.
“Wait.”
Io stopped.
He approached her.
“What happened here?”
Io looked at the path.
“I died.”
Lexander stared.
Lysandra’s expression changed.
“This is where you died?”
Io nodded.
“No.”
She whispered.
“This is where I was buried.”
The wind suddenly returned.
Every horse screamed.
The soldiers drew their weapons.
Something moved beneath the ground.
Once.
The earth trembled.
Lysandra grabbed Lexander’s arm.
“Brother.”
“I noticed.”
A second tremor shook the forest.
Then—
A hand erupted from the earth.
One of the soldiers screamed.
Another hand appeared.
Then another.
The ground split open.
Bones clawed their way from the frozen soil.
Ancient skeletons rose around them.
Thirty soldiers formed a defensive circle.
Atreyu drew his sword.
“FORM UP!”
Lexander’s blood turned cold.
The skeletons wore armor.
Old armor.
Not Dinarian.
Not from any kingdom he recognized.
Io stared at them.
“No.”
One of the corpses lifted its head.
Its empty eyes burned with pale light.
Then it spoke.
Its voice was dry.
Ancient.
And directed at Lexander.
“YOU HAVE RETURNED.”
The forest became silent.
Lexander slowly reached toward his empty hip.
He had forgotten his sword.
Mara looked at him.
“You forgot your sword?”
“I was busy having an existential crisis.”
The skeleton raised its hand.
Every corpse moved.
“Kill them.”
And the dead charged.
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