“That’s what Thero said, until we convinced him that it’s the best thing to do.”

“No, I—”

Alec took Thero’s sealed letter from his tunic and handed it to her. “He said you should read this before you make up your mind.”

Klia broke the familiar wax seal and turned away to read it in the light from the mouth of the tunnel.

My beautiful, beloved Klia, I have no doubt that you have refused to do as we ask. Please reconsider. If we do not destroy Rhazat now, there will always be the chance that the Great Seals will be broken again, when there is no one there to stop her from ravaging the island and the lands beyond. I believe she is weaker than she once was, after being imprisoned and without a food source for so long. We have the magic and the means to destroy her and we must. But more than that, I cannot bear to take your life and the life of our child by leaving you there and setting the seal. If you refuse to help us, then know that I will be dead a moment after Alec brings word of your answer. I do not mean that as a threat, my love, but tell you so you will know the truth. I cannot, will not live without you, though our spirits are forever apart, just as Khazireen and Nhandi are separated. He has mourned her for a thousand years and I suppose I will join him there. There is a role in this for you, Klia. You must help us. I know you have the means to do so. Rhazat must be with you when you do break the seal. You must, if you can, snatch away the false skin—Nhandi’s, we believe—that she wears and whatever power that it lends her. And you are armed. Beyond that, you must trust us and the Four. The fate of future generations lies in your hands. I do not have the words to encompass my love for you, except to say that my heart beats with the same rhythm for you as yours does for me, and I know your love for me is boundless. Please, my love, do as I ask. With all my heart I implore you. Thero

Klia read it over twice, feeling every impassioned word strike at her heart and her resolve. She rubbed her eyes and turned back to Alec. “Do you really think we can destroy her?”

“Yes, but not without you.”

She pressed a hand to her brow, torn between hope and resolution.

“Every Mourning Night, I watch you and the rest of your family make a sacred vow to protect Skala any way you can,” Alec said softly. “That’s what’s being asked of you now. We have to end her.”

“I need time …”