The vision overlapped with his memory of Suriel’s vision of the future. Something incomprehensibly gigantic tramping Sacred Valley.

He turned to the side of the bed, and Eithan pulled Ruby out of the way.

Lindon vomited all over the floor.

When he could speak again, Eithan handed him a handkerchief and a mint leaf. He took them both.

“Gratitude.” Given that he owed them some kind of explanation, he spoke. “The Dreadgod is heading home…for my home. The valley where I was born.”

“As expected!” Eithan said brightly. “Still, it’s good to have confirmation.”

Lindon couldn’t put his feelings into words. It was one thing to slowly, intellectually realize that Sacred Valley had a connection to the Dreadgods, and that his vision of the future was one of them devastating his home one day in the distant future.

It was entirely something else to feel it happen. To know that it could be only days away.

He wiped his mouth clean, popped in the leaf, and slid out of his bed. Little Blue climbed to his shoulder, and Ruby moved as though to support him.

“Apologies, but I have to go. If I warn them in time, they can still leave.”

Mercy put her hands out to stop him. “We’ll help you. We won’t leave anyone in the Dreadgod’s path if we can help it. But…you know you can’t leave.”

On some level, he did. The Archlords and Heralds might not interfere with one Underlord running around while he was still in their grip, but they would stop anyone trying to escape. There was no point encircling the Akura encampment if anyone could just slip away whenever they wanted.

“There has to be a way out,” Lindon said firmly. “I can sneak away.”

“You won’t need to!” Mercy assured him. “We’re evacuating everyone in the Dreadgod’s path.”

That was some relief, but in the future Suriel had shown him, Sacred Valley hadn’t been evacuated.

Dross waved a tendril. [Ah, about that. Actually, Lindon’s home is designated a special danger zone, so in fact it is illegal to enter that area for evacuation purposes. Interesting how the law works, isn’t it?]

Lindon straightened and readied himself to leave. Ruby turned as though to follow him.

Eithan raised a finger. “Ah, but there is a way! Once the tournament is over.”

“My mother did give us a way out,” Mercy said hurriedly. “Uncle Fury told us. We’re just staying here to keep the enemy Heralds here. Once the tournament ends, no matter how it…turns out…we have a way to evacuate anyone who needs to leave.”

Lindon made himself breathe, concentrating on his cycling.

“If I stay here, can you guarantee me that we will make it to Sacred Valley before the Dreadgod does?”

“Lindon…” Mercy began, but stopped herself.

[I don’t think anybody can tell you that,] Dross said. [Except maybe the Dreadgod. You didn’t ask him, did you?]

Eithan met his eyes, and with complete confidence, answered “Yes.”

Lindon watched him for a long moment before deciding to trust Eithan.

“All right. I still need to advance.” And he’d have to cash in his points with Fury. Assuming they were still split among his team, he’d have to find out exactly how many points they had.

Ruby looked to her feet. “I’ve got to run back. The Bridge is up again, and my three days is almost burned up.”

Lindon looked into Ruby’s red eyes, and he remembered his worry for Yerin. At some point in the next few hours, she was going into battle against Sophara.

Saying good-bye to her felt too much like saying good-bye to Yerin.

“Don’t worry about us,” he assured Ruby. “You two will bury her.”

Ruby gave him a familiar smile. “I look worried to you?”

Then she leaned in close, and Lindon had an uncomfortable premonition.

Sure enough, she went on tiptoes to kiss him.

With a hand on her shoulder, he held her back, conscious of all the eyes on them both. “Ah…apologies, but…”

She looked hurt and confused, but he had to go on.

“You’re…not Yerin.”

Ruby dropped back down. For a second, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and then she nodded. “No, I’m not…I’m not. I’m me.”

She forced a smile that was painfully different from the last. “Bye, Lindon.”

Then, in a flash of moonlight, she vanished.

Leaving Lindon standing in a circle of onlookers.

[Oh, that was cruel. Just shattering a spirit’s heart right before the biggest fight of her life. You’re not going to do that to me, are you?]

“Don’t try to kiss me,” Lindon muttered.

Little Blue chimed in her encouragement. He was right to turn her away.

“You did the right thing,” Mercy agreed. “But poor Ruby! But you had to let her down. But that must have hurt so much!”

That didn’t help Lindon feel any better.

Eithan waved a hand vaguely in the air. “It makes me wonder about the ethics of the whole situation. Is a copy of Yerin still Yerin? From a certain point of view, the heart you broke may have been Yerin’s. Do you think she feels a sense of absolute, crushing rejection right now without even knowing where it came from?”

Lindon walked away.

Calan Archer had seen Reigan Shen before, but he’d never met the Monarch in person.

The Monarch transported him to an opulent, gold-paneled display hall where weapons and constructs of every description were sealed in transparent cases or hanging from the wall.

Under other circumstances, he would have enjoyed looking at each one, but it seemed he was last to arrive.

Aekin stood nearby, still totally covered with one eye of his stone mask glowing yellow. Shoumei was next to him, and she glanced up at Calan through her long black hair. The Blood Sage crouched on his heels at the feet of the Monarch.

Reigan Shen looked over them all, his hands clasped behind his back. He nodded his white-maned head to Calan, so Calan immediately bowed and saluted.

“Now that you’ve all arrived, I’ll get right to it. You have each done me and your masters proud. No matter who ultimately wins, the world will know that three of the eight Uncrowned belonged to me.”

Calan didn’t feel like he’d been given any support from Reigan Shen at all, but he knew that even the thought was dangerous.

There was no contradicting a Monarch. If he claimed responsibility for Calan’s success, then he was responsible.

“I have one final assignment for you. I will provide you with a gatekey that I created long ago. When the tournament concludes, you will travel through it.” He held up the key. “And you will kill Malice’s youngest children.”

Calan’s mind immediately flashed to Mercy’s fight against Sophara.

There was no way he could keep up with that.

If Shen had some way to prevent Mercy from getting any backup, then the three of them combined could probably kill her. Maybe.

He had to speak up.

“I apologize, Monarch, but I’m not sure we’re capable.”

Shen turned to him, and to Calan’s relief the Monarch didn’t seem angry. “I have agents in place. One of them will summon you when Mercy and Pride are as isolated as possible, and you will be accompanied by Overlords who will deal with any interference. The Sage of Red Faith will lead your expedition, and he will prevent higher-level intrusion while I hold Malice here.”