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Not one more step

Not one more step toward Orynth would she allow the way you’ve traveled, Aelin"

Aelin only angled Goldryn Met Erawan’s golden stare

His eyes flared as he took in the sword Remembered it

Aelin bared her teeth Let the flahter

Maeve turned to the Valg king "Shall we, then?"

But Erawan looked at Aelin And hesitated

She would not have long Not long at all until they realized that the power that made him hesitate was no ate to defeat thereatly to get away To run, and live to fight toh

The words echoed with her every breath Sharpened her vision, steeled her spine A crown of fla and unbreakable

She could never win against both of them

But she wouldn’t make it easy Would take one of theh for the others to enact their plan, to find a way to either halt or defeat them Even if either option seemed unlikely Hopeless

But that hy she reive the

At the end of this, if that was all she was able to do against Erawan and Maeve, she could go to the Afterworld with her chin held high She would not be ashamed to see those she had loved with her heart of wildfire

So Aelin sketched a bow to Erawan and said with every re scrap of bravado she possessed, "We’ve met a few times, but never as we truly are" She winked at him Even as her knees quaked, she winked at hiton Just a little bit"

Maeve’s nostrils flared

But Erawan’s eyes slitted in amusement "Was it fate, you think, that we encountered each other in Rifthold without recognizing the other?"

Such casual, easy words fro "Fate, or luck?" She gestured to the battlefield, her wrecked city "This is a far grander setting for our final confrontation, don’t you think? Far h of this"

Aelin arched a brow "I’ve spent the past year ofto this ive er than a rated down her bones "Oneto delay us, Aelin Galathynius"

She beckoned to the city walls behind her "Froods with them" She threw them a smile "You did know that, didn’t you?"

The amusement faded from Erawan’s face "I know" Death--such terrible death beckoned in his voice at that

Aelin shrugged again "I did you a favor, you know"

Maeve hed "One would think you were afraid, Maeve Of any sort of delay" She turned to Erawan once again "The gods had planned to drag you with theave hiht have this grand duel of ours"

"How is it that you survived?" Maeve demanded

"I learned to share," Aelin purred "After all this time"