‘No,’ agreed the Bringer. ‘You will need this.’ She pointed to a large chunk of stone that had been wrapped several times in chain. There was a loop of links that formed a handle on the top.

‘Why?’

‘For its weight. You will be flying down, the currents will be pushing up. Let yourself be dragged deep. Lord Arkav’s presence will draw out the demons. When you have retrieved the lost piece of his soul, release the weight, and come back to us. We will light the way for you.’

Pari put on her best sarcasm. ‘Sounds simple enough.’

‘How do we find my … the … piece of me?’ asked Arkav.

‘It will find you but the demons will come with it. Separate them and we believe the rest will take care of itself.’

‘Believe?’ asked Pari.

‘It has been a thousand years since the last attempt.’

Attempt. They failed last time. ‘Do you mean demons like those in the Wild?’

The Bringer shook her head in a way Pari did not find encouraging.

‘Can you elaborate?’

The Bringer looked at her but said nothing.

‘Then I suppose we should get on with it.’

As she went to take the chain, Arkav took her arm. ‘You don’t have to do this. I could go alone.’

‘What and miss the chance to see what’s down there? I think not. Besides, you won’t last ten minutes without me.’

There was more she could say but she didn’t need to. Arkav could see it in her eyes. He nodded, and they picked up the chain. Between them it presented little challenge, though Pari wondered how the Bringers managed to drag it here. Maybe they too were stronger than they looked.

‘Watch for our lights,’ said the lead Bringer. ‘There will be seven, no more, no less. Only they will guide you home.’

In her last lifecycle, when Pari had leapt from Lord Rochant’s castle, she had done everything she could to avoid falling down this chasm. And now look at me.

They hefted the great chunk of stone out over the edge. It was unmoved by the essence currents and hung straight down. Their wings were another matter, and Pari had to fight to stop from being blown backwards.

‘Ready?’ she called to Arkav.

‘On three,’ he called back. They bent their legs in preparation, their Sky-legs coiling, building power. ‘One … Two …’

‘Three!’ she shouted, determined to get the last word.

And together, they jumped.

Acknowledgements

It feels strange to be writing this now. There’s a big gap between drafting a book and writing the acknowledgements, and in that gap for The Ruthless my life has changed radically. If you’ll forgive the pretension, I feel a little like a Deathless who wrote a book in one lifecycle and is reflecting on it from another.