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Back Copper Chain Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. MAP
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

His heart reached out to her. Despite this magic that had cursed her, she’d left Athos behind to help her sister, and then she’d somehow made it all the way to Malakai to rescue him. She’d saved him from himself, for he knew that even if he’d managed to seize Palemon’s dagger, he would surely have been killed. She’d pushed herself beyond endurance, and now she was paying the price.

‘I know,’ he said. ‘You kept saying something about the wind.’

Chloe’s brow creased as she turned away. She was so beautiful, it hurt him to look at her. He wanted to take her in his arms, but instead he simply held her hand.

‘I’ve come to tell you something,’ Dion said. ‘Eiric is here. He’s brought with him some of the most powerful warriors of Sindara. And Kargan is on his way to Malakai with a fleet.’

Chloe glanced up sharply. ‘You’re leaving?’

‘I have to help.’

‘I’m going with you.’

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I want you and Liana to take care of each other, and for you both to look after Cob and Finn.’

‘If this is about vengeance—’

‘It’s about more than that. It’s about the things they uncovered from the sunken city. It’s about magic we don’t understand. We have to stop them before they become unstoppable.’

She was silent for a time. ‘When will I see you again?’

‘I’ll find you,’ he said. ‘I promise.’

‘Dion . . . Be careful.’

He nodded. ‘I will.’

52

52

Zara was in the central shaft of the Sky Tower in Malakai. Standing near the middle of the blood-stained floor, she watched as the slaves carefully tilted the metal arch until it was standing tall on its disc-shaped feet.

She then approached the strange artifact built by Nisos the Archmagus.

The rays of the midday sun shone down from above, glinting off the braided metal. Small symbols of magic decorated its surface, so many that she couldn’t hazard a guess as to their purpose. Whatever the arch was, it was powerful, fashioned from all the four materia: gold, silver, copper, and iron.

‘But what does it do?’ she murmured to herself.

Walking around it, examining it as she pondered, she bit her lip, brow furrowed in concentration. Why an arch? The shape must be related to its purpose. What can be done with an arch?

She glanced at the magus beside her, a rangy man with a neat beard. He shrugged. ‘I defer to your wisdom, sorceress.’

Zara scowled.

She’d read the ancient tome that she’d recovered from the vault, but her poor knowledge of Old Aleuthean made the reading difficult, and the book covered many topics. She desperately wished now that she’d taken the second volume, which she suspected covered the arch in more detail, but what was done was done. Anything she learned would have to be through experimentation.