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"You were a Prince of Adarlan long before you becaic churned to ice, colder than the night around hi to atone for years of bad behavior"

Gavin held his gaze for a , that’s what thenot only in title, but in spirit As few had been since Gavin was laid to rest beneath the foundations of the castle he’d built along the Avery

Dorian withstood the weight of Gavin’s stare Let the king see what remained of him, mark the pale band around his throat

Then Gavin blinked once, the only sign of his permission to continue

Dorian sed "Where is the third key?"

Gavin stiffened "I am forbidden to say"

"Forbidden, or won’t?" He supposed he should be kneeling, should keep his tone respectful How ends about Gavin had he read as a child? Howto be the king before him?

Dorian pulled the A it sway in the bitter wind A silent, ghostly song leaked froes that did not exist "Brannon Galathynius defied the gods by putting the key in here with a warning to Aelin The least you could do is give me a direction"

Gavin’s edges blurred, but held Not much tiant bastard I have seen what interfering with the gods’ plans brings about It will not end well"

"Your wife, not the gods, brought this about"

Gavin bared his teeth And though theto strike

"My mate," Gavin snarled, "is the cost of this My mate, should the keys be retrieved, will vanish forever Do you knohat that is like, young king? To have eternity--and then have it ripped away?"

Dorian didn’t bother to reply "You don’t wish me to find the third key because it will

Dorian let out a growl "Countless people will die if the keys aren’t put back in the gate" He shoved the Anored the otherworldly huainst his bones "You can’t be that selfish"

Gavin re his dark hair But his eyes flickered--just barely

"Tell me where," Dorian breathed He hadfor him "Tell me where the third key is"

"Your life will be forfeit, too If you retrieve the keys and forge the Lock Your soul will be claimed as well Not one scrap of you will live on in the Afterworld"

"There’s no one ould really care about that anyway" He certainly didn’t And he’d certainly deserved that sort of end, when he’d failed somoment Dorian held still beneath that fierce stare A warrior who had survived the second of Erawan’s wars

"Elena helped Aelin," Dorian pressed, his breath curling in the space between the what it meant for her fate And neither did Aelin, ill have neither a long life with her own mate, nor eternity with hi, hiswith it "And yet you would You would run from it"

Gavin’s teeth flashed "Erawan could be defeated without sealing the gate"

"Tell me how, and I will find a way to do it"

Yet Gavin fell silent again, his hands clenching at his sides

Dorian snorted softly "If you knew, it would have been done long ago" Gavin shook his head, but Dorian plunged ahead "Your friends died battling Erawan’s hordes Help ht already be too late for some of them" His stomach churned

Had Chaol made it to the southern continent? Perhaps it would be better if his friend never returned, if he stayed safe in Antica Even if Chaol would never do such a thing

Dorian glanced toward the rocky corner he’d rounded Not much time left