Alec kept silent: the pain in the wizard’s voice verged on the emotion he’d shown after reading the arm ring. And there the wizard stood, beside Khazireen as it were, the man who’d done exactly what Thero most dreaded: sealed away the great love of his life. If it came to that, Alec had no doubt that Thero would take his own life, just as Khazireen had.

“I’ll try again, as often as it takes,” he said softly.

Pocketing the seal, Thero crossed the chamber and went into the tunnel, leaving the light for them.

“Bilairy’s Balls,” murmured Seregil.

“He won’t survive sealing her in.”

“In his place, I wouldn’t, either,” Seregil said softly.

“Me, neither.” Alec put an arm around Seregil’s waist, but it was the skull he was looking at. “Khazireen and Nhandi—they did their duty, and Klia will, too. She told me she’ll never break the seal on that side.”

“Honorable to the end,” murmured Seregil, returning the embrace and pulling Alec closer.

“She’s made herself a knife out of her gorget and wanted me to tell Thero that she won’t suffer. I couldn’t do that. Not yet.”

“Plenty of time for that.”

They stood there in silence, side by side with the dead lover, and Alec listened to the now familiar sound of dripping water.

Plink plink

Plink plink

“The crack that lets the water in. That probably happened when they set the seals, right? Thero talked about the earth shaking and Kordira told you about the huge black wave that struck the island. So the arm ring, the skull, and probably the seal were covered with dripstone over the years after that.”

“Probably.”

“When the seal broke away on this side, Rhazat’s influence started to leak back into our world, too. She can send out dra’gorgos anytime she wants, possess people, drag them into her plane.”

“Restoring the seal on this side will stop that, Alec. What’s your point?”

“Until something happens to the new seal. Obviously they’re not invulnerable. And when that happens, Rhazat will still be there, and maybe she’ll find someone to break the seal on her side. Then what? She’s loosed on the world again and no one is prepared to deal with her.”

“Prepared.” Seregil raised an eyebrow. “So you’re suggesting that we—”

“Let her out, yes, and be ready to deal with her. We’ve killed one dyrmagnos. I’m game for another. The only thing is, what do you think would happen if Klia did break the seal on the other side? Another cataclysm?”

Seregil shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”