Chapter Sixty-Seven

Nesta and Emerie navigate the snowy Illyrian wilderness searching for Gwyn, discovering a nightgown that suggests the worst. They stumble upon Bellius and his warriors—who have been corrupted by Briallyn's Crown—but Gwyn, alive and resourceful, deliberately awakens a nightmare beast to save them. The three reunite and press onward with four days remaining in the Rite.

Nesta and Emerie trek southward through the Blood Rite, finding caves to shelter in while scanning for any sign of Gwyn. Heavy snow falls, hampering their progress and freezing them despite stolen jackets from dead warriors. Following the scent of fire and guided by Emerie's charm, they approach a ridge where male warriors are camped. Nesta spots a nightgown hanging from a tree, causing both females to fear Gwyn is dead or captured. Upon peering over the ridge, Nesta recognizes the leader as Bellius, Emerie's cousin, but sees no sign of Gwyn among the ten warriors gathered around a fire. As Nesta ducks back down to report to Emerie, she discovers her friend has been captured and dragged down the slope by two of the males. Bellius, whose eyes appear glassy and controlled (suggesting he has been influenced by Briallyn's Crown), reveals he sabotaged the Rite with weapons on Briallyn's orders. He threatens to execute both females for family honor and assaults. Before he can act, a nightmare creature—part cat, part serpent with black fur and hooked teeth—crawls over the ridge and brutally tears into his warriors. Gwyn appears on the opposite side of the ridge, alive, bloodied, and dressed in stolen Illyrian leathers. She reveals she woke early, fled, armed herself from a weapons cache, and deliberately awakened the beast to draw it toward Bellius's camp. Her charm bracelet glowed and guided her to Nesta and Emerie, immune to the Rite's magic ban due to neither being Illyrian. The three flee southeast through the snow as the screams fade behind them. Reunited at a small stream, they embrace as sisters and prepare to survive the final four days of the Rite.