Each breath Claire took felt like a knife to her lungs. She paused a moment to catch her breath. She shielded her eyes, but the jagged peak didn’t seem any closer than it had before. How much longer did they have until the wraiths reached Stonehaven? She fumbled for her cloak pocket and pulled out the spyglass and directed it at Starscrape Mountain. From here, the Citadel looked like an upside-down teacup, one of the porcelain ones she’d once helped Dad pack away. Something precious and beautiful and easily shattered.

She pulled the spyglass back a bit, then stopped. There was no need to refocus it.

The wraiths were already there—at the base of Starscrape Mountain! Which meant— Claire bit back a scream as she swept the spyglass over the rest of Arden.

Wherever she looked, there was evidence of wraith-burn. Entire towns and villages were full of shivering, gray-skinned people. And still it wasn’t enough for the wraiths, who continued their march on Starscrape Mountain, to finish what they believed to be their queen’s last wish: destroy the last unicorn.

Destroy Sophie.

But Stonehaven—and all of Claire’s dearest friends—would be destroyed first.

“We can make it,” Claire said, collapsing the spyglass with a snap so that the instrument seemed to agree with her. “Come on!”

She began to run, but almost immediately, she slipped. The path, which had only been wet before, was now icy as the wraiths drew nearer. Only then did Claire realize she didn’t hear the crunch of gravel behind her. “Sophie?”

Her sister hadn’t moved. Her back to Claire, she was still looking down onto the frosting swoop of the Citadel’s topmost turret. Though Claire couldn’t see Sophie’s face, she could see the taut lines of her body as she held perfectly still, her entire being focused on their friends below. She was so quiet, Claire wondered for a second if her sister had forgotten how to breathe. Only her ponytail, dark with its Milky Way streak, held any movement.

“Sophie!’ Claire said, the word coming out with a puff of white. “We need to move, now!”

“We’re not going to make it,” Sophie said softly, back still turned. “Not unless …”

And at last, Sophie looked up and back at Claire. Her dark eyes seemed too large for her narrow face, and the silver ringing them seemed to catch Claire like a hook. Now Claire was the one who could hardly breathe.

“Claire?” Sophie asked, her entire body a question.