27. Amber

"I was abidingby the rules of the trial," the Abbot says, as stubborn as ever.

"A trial we completed," I say. "The portal's open. It looks like we passed to me."

"We also don't know how long it's going to stay open," Damien says to me. "Their injuries aren't fatal. You were right when you said we have to go."

You were right.

Three of my favorite words.

But, as I look around at the injured monks, the guilt swirling in my chest is impossible to ignore. They're not evil, like the shadow souls. They were given rules for this trial, and they were doing what they felt was necessary to uphold those rules.

"He's right. You should go," the Abbot says, taking me—and many of the other monks—by surprise with his change of heart. "You completed the trial. It was, admittedly, not how I expected the trial to be completed, but you did complete it. I can take care of my men from here."

Still unsure, I remove my phone from my pack to see if I can call 911 or… whatever the Himalayan version of 911 is.

No service.

Not surprising.

"We're trained fighters," the Abbot continues. "Your bindings are strong, but not impossible to escape, given enough time. Plus, it would be a shame for my men and I to be injured for nothing. That portal won't stay open forever. Leave. Now."

"Sorry again," I say, offering a sincere nod to the Abbot and his men.

Then, Damien's by my side, and he's reaching for my hand, squeezing it.

My heart leaps at his touch.

"Come on," he murmurs, pulling me toward the portal. "Let's go."

For a moment, the world narrows to just the two of us. The tension, the fear, the uncertainty—all of it fades away. It's just Damien and me, standing on the edge of the unknown, together.

Maybe there's hope for our future, after all.

But I can think about it later. Right now, the portal's open, and we have no idea how much longer we have before it'll close.

We give each other a final look, move toward the portal, and step through.

The light envelops us in a shimmering embrace. I'm weightless, warm, and suspended in a world of pure magic.

Damien's hand remains in mine. It's the only thing to hold onto as I float through this strange, bright void of time and space.

My mind's still wrapping itself around the feeling when the light converges around us and shoots us out into the cold. The snow catches our fall, but it's so packed that it's still a tough landing.

Damien's hand is yanked away from mine as I tumble forward to a stop.

I look up and see Morgan and Blaze, arms wrapped around each other, kissing as if they're the only sources of oxygen in this strange, mystical world.

They jump apart, their faces flushed with surprise… or from the aftermath of that kiss.

Morgan's hand is on the hilt of her dagger.

She looks guilty.

What was going on here?

Before I can ask, a roar sounds from the trees, so loudly that it rattles my bones.

I whirl around and see a massive, snow-covered monster charging at us. It's at least ten feet tall, its eyes gleaming with intelligence, its white fur blending with the snow.

"Yeti!" Blaze shouts, and then, before I can process what's happening, the creature's lunging toward us.

The air's suddenly colder, as if it's turning to ice in the monster's presence. Inhaling it is like shards of glass exploding in my lungs.

The others are frozen as well.

It's getting close. Too close.

And I have the power to fry this thing.

So, I summon my sun magic, channeling it into a blinding flash of light that bursts out of my palms.

The Yeti staggers back and claws at his eyes, roaring so loudly that the ground shakes again.

But he's not fried, like I wanted. His fur isn't even charred.

He's just startled.

Blaze uses the moment to his advantage, shooting two fireballs at the Yeti's chest.

They don't get far.

Because with a huff, the Yeti breathes out a gust of icy wind, extinguishing the fireballs before they can reach him.

Blaze's eyes widen in shock.

Morgan flings out fireballs of her own, joining two more of Blaze's. But the Yeti blows them out, too.

Ice against fire. In an environment overrun by winter.

The Yeti's home turf.

This isn't good.

Just as I'm gathering more magic, the Yeti roars again, louder this time, and charges.

Damien steps forward, his eyes narrowing as he holds out one hand to channel his air magic. The wind howls around him, swirling snow and ice, and slams into the monster, sending it staggering back.

Each of its steps is heavier than the last as it struggles against the wind.

"Amber, another light burst!" Damien calls out.

I don't know if my light can get past Damien's wind, but it's worth a try. So, summoning my magic again, I direct a concentrated beam of it at what I hope is the Yeti's face.

It's hard to see where I'm aiming, thanks to all the snow swirling around, but it doesn't stop me from trying.

The Yeti howls, but doesn't fall.

Morgan hurls a fireball at monster's feet, turning the snow beneath it to slush.

The Yeti falters.

"Keep it up!" Damien shouts. "We're wearing it down!"

Suddenly, Blaze dashes toward the Yeti… but to the side of it, like he's trying to escape into the forest. He pushes against Damien's wind, toward one of the trees, where his dagger is buried in the trunk.

So, Damien pulls back—just long enough for the Yeti to swipe Blaze aside and send him flying onto the hard, packed snow.

Then, the Yeti does the last thing I expected.

It reaches for the dagger.

No.

If the Yeti gets Blaze's enspelled weapon, all might be lost.

Damien—apparently having the same thought—blasts another gust of wind at the Yeti. But the Yeti is ready this time, using its breath to stop Damien's wind, giving itself another opportunity to reach for the dagger.

Summoning all my strength, I channel my magic and push it outward, superheating the area around the Yeti.

Morgan joins in with her fire.

Blaze jumps back up to his feet, hurling fire of his own.

The Yeti roars, doing its best to freeze out our heat. But we're focused now, working together. We can do this. We didn't get through the portal just to be frozen to death by a monster waiting on the other side.

I widen my stance, using every muscle in my body to pour more magic into my attack.

The air around the Yeti ripples with heat, distorting the trees and melting more of the snow beneath its feet.

It roars—louder than before—its icy magic countering our heat.

I push harder.

So does the Yeti. It's like its drawing magic from the snow, bringing it into itself and using it against us.

"Amber, give it all you've got and keep pushing," Damien calls out to me.

"Planning on it," I say, gritting my teeth and doing just that.

"Morgan!" Damien says to her, a vortex of air swirling around him. "When I say go, throw as much fire at it as you've got. Blaze—when the time's right, go get that dagger."

"How will I know when the time's right?" he asks, hurling another fireball at the Yeti.

"Trust me." Damien's eyes glint with the predatory gaze I've gotten to know well lately. "You'll know."

I keep my magic flowing,

Morgan raises her hands, summoning a wave of fire. The flames swirl around her, growing hotter and brighter, like a thousand snakes ready to strike.

"Ready when you are!" she says to Damien.

"Go!" he says, and when Morgan throws out a blast of fire, his air is right behind it, fueling her flames and turning them into a raging inferno that rushes toward the Yeti and consumes it in a giant, explosive bonfire.