Auryn looked up at him with tears filling her blue and white eyes that were identical to Everest’s. “Father, please,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

“I cannot lose you both. Please—” his voice broke. He looked away from her and I saw the tears in his own eyes before he composed himself. “Please, Auryn. I need you to be safe. Your mother would want you safe. She’s gone now. there’s nothing you can do for her here.”

Auryn crashed into his chest and sobbed. His arms wrapped around her tight, his eyes squeezed closed. Behind her back, he wiggled his fingers, and a shadow draped over her. She gasped and pulled back—-and her face was changed. Gone was the pretty mini-Everest, in its place was a face I recognized instantly. That was Saber. The black hair was longer and there wasn’t a red ring around her hazel-gold eyes, but it looked just like her.

“Auryn must die now. From now on, you must be someone entirely new.” He tucked her black hair behind her ears. “Now run. As far as you can.”

She shook her head and gripped his silver sleeves. “I don’t want to leave you, Father⁠—”

“We have no choice. I promise I will find you. Just RUN⁠—”

“No.” She shook her head harder. “NO⁠—”

“She’s coming, Auryn⁠—”

“Father, no⁠—”

“I love you, but you have to run now.” He bent down to meet her eyes. “Cry later. Run now. Now, Auryn⁠—”

“Tomorrow. You will find me tomorrow⁠—”

“I promise, now please⁠—”

She kissed his cheek then leapt off the pyre and bolted in the opposite direction. She was up and over the hill in the blink of an eye, completely out of sight as if she’d never been here at all. Her sobs echoed in the wind and the sound would haunt me.

Everest stood facing the water with his hand pressed to his stomach and his eyes closed. He looked a breath away from crumbling. He was going to break.

A cold chill slid down my spine. I frowned and looked around until I spotted several figures marching towards him. I crouched down, waiting to see if I needed to come to his aide or hide when a pair of red eyes shimmered in the night. My stomach turned. Sweyn. That was definitely Sweyn. Her white-blonde hair was braided back but there was no hiding the identity of that face. That beautiful, evil face. Behind her, a small army of about a dozen men in silver armor stood ready with their swords drawn. They weren’t Unseelie but the way they carried themselves told me they were vampires.

“Everest,” Sweyn snapped from still twenty feet away. “Where is she?”

He cringed then took a deep breath before turning to face her, a cold mask on his face. “She is here, my lady.”