The temperature plummeted as soon as the words left Soren's mouth. Asher shifted his feet, feeling goosebumps prickle across his arms as he allowed the magic to swim into his vision. It looked like dark wisps of smoke were darting about Soren, licking at the surrounding air before being pulled back to the king. They were blacker than anything Asher had ever seen, and radiated a cold so strong Asher could already feel it piercing through his skin.

The streaks of shadow twisted as Asher watched, growing thicker and dancing further outwards. He stumbled back, instinctive terror surging through him. Soren still had that warped, heavy air about him, but this was the real darkness: purer than night, without consciousness, hungrily seeking out any scrap of warmth or life. This was the Raek.

"Soren, what are you doing?" Rivas asked, his voice wound tight around each word. The Valkir rose to his feet, nudging Wade aside with one boot. Wade slumped to the floor, his eyes drifting half-shut.

"I have it under control." Soren sounded perfectly calm, but Asher didn't let his guard down. This wasn't a power that anyone—even Soren—could reign in. The Raek's ice crept further into his veins, driving away his breath as he took another step back. He could've sworn a shadow was hovering amidst the dark swirl of magic, wavering half-in and half-out of Soren's body. It seemed to be looking at him.

A flash of light caught the corner of Asher's eye, and he turned. Bloody red streaks of lightning were flickering around Rivas' hands as the assassin tensed. Despite everything that the Valkir had done, the magic surging around him was whole. Asher drifted closer to Rivas, glancing at Wade. His friend hadn't moved, his eyes glassy and confused as he caught Asher's gaze.

Soren held a hand up, twisting his fingers in a silent command. Rivas hesitated, confusion flashing across his face. Asher cursed internally; he would find no ally here.

A thread of shadow suddenly broke free, streaking toward Asher. He cried out and raised one arm; his own magic, warm and comforting, surged along with his fear. Energy flew from his fingers as gold-white sparks, fanning out before him. With some effort, Asher stretched them into flames and caught the darkness within the fire. A series of chills speared through him, snatching his breath away, but it was still weaker than the Raek in the woods had been.

Asher grit his teeth, straining to channel the heat racing through him into the awful cold. He felt it fracturing under his hold, burning from the inside out. It was as if he needed to force his desperation outwards; he curled his fingers, feeling his muscles seize up with the effort.

With a snap, the shadows fractured and fell away. Sucking in a lungful of air, Asher drove his power further into the cold, desperate to destroy it all before the Raek could lunge again. He was distantly aware of Soren stumbling, his gaze sharpening as he focused on Asher.

"Soren—" Rivas shifted toward the king, but hastily drew back as the darkness surged, knitting itself back together.

Asher cried out as a few more tendrils of shadow flew towards him. He braced his spine against the cool wall, wrenching his magic further outwards to catch them. A shudder rattled down the length of his body; Asher gritted his teeth, shoving the black, icy magic away. The heat in his chest was flickering under the weight of the chill, making it harder and harder to grasp.

Soren flicked his hand, and the shadows pulled back. Asher cowered as they formed a semicircle around him, throwing out his hands and letting his magic snap free. It was raging at the edges of his control now, trying to burst free; he fought to keep it contained, forcing his energy into the Raek. If he snapped, he'd be left spent and exhausted. He'd be vulnerable.

The darkness wavered under Asher's attack, but more shadows pooled beyond it. It felt like Asher's heart was about to burst with the effort to keep them away. He couldn't breathe. It hurt.

Then, strangely, the chill faded. Asher fell to his knees with a cry as he fractured the tendrils around him, sending them rushing back toward Soren. He gasped for air, clutching his magic to his chest as it writhed at his fingers. Breathing raggedly, he dragged his eyes up and froze.

Rivas was standing next to Soren, grasping his arm. Silvery liquid, glinting gold in the lamplight, raced from his fingers to Soren's wrist. Rivas took a step back, curling his fingers, and the last of the substance sank beneath Soren's skin. The Valkir dropped the vial he was holding in his other hand, and the glass shattered across the stone floor.

Soren's eyes widened as his magic drew inwards. Asher would have felt relieved, but a sudden spike in the cold told him the Raek was far from gone. Fire blazed to life across his arms in response, flaring in time with his heartbeat.

Finally, wild anger overtook Soren's shock. He raised his hand; Rivas sucked in a breath as he was dragged forward, his boots sliding against the ground as he tried to anchor himself. When they were face to face, Soren lowered his arm.

"Rivas," Soren hissed. The king wavered, the magic around him surging oddly. Asher let out a strangled yelp as the ice in the air intensified.

Rivas said nothing, his lips pressed together. A storm raged through his eyes, and his face was pale.

The Raek's energy twisted sharply to the side, warping around itself. Asher fell back to the ground as the darkness rushed back outwards and suddenly engulfed him, slipping through the cracks in his defenses and shredding through his veins. He tried to fight back, but it was becoming difficult to think. He'd never felt such a cold.

Soren swore and released Rivas, his eyes fixed on the Valkir even as the darkness swerved away from Asher. A scrap of heat returned to his body; Asher clung to it, realization filtering through his panic. Soren was losing control. Rivas had forced the drug into his bloodstream.

"Rivas." Soren's voice was a little gentler, though far more strained. "What are you doing?"

Rivas' eyes flicked to Asher, and the Valkir took a slow step away from Soren. Asher cried out as the chill of the Raek dug deeper, clouding everything with a haze of pain. His hold on his magic was slipping, the flames licking up his arms useless and quickly fading.

The drug didn't work on Asher.

It wasn't working on Soren.

What had Rivas done?

Soren staggered back, falling against the wall as the cold flared. The shadows around Asher rushed forward again, eager and all-consuming. He screamed as they shredded his defenses, piercing his mind.

Asher couldn't see. Frost blistered through him, tearing a jagged path through his body and finally curling around his heart. Ice flooded his veins, so bitterly frigid it burned. He could feel his thoughts cracking, shattering as they froze over and were taken by darkness.

It was cold.

He was so cold.

A distant voice, a blur of motion. Asher sensed someone at his side, saying something. He only managed a whimper, tremors clawing through him. His heart was aching, each beat a struggle as the Raek clawed past his bones and to his soul.

A faint shift in Asher's head. At first, it was just a lessening of the chill. Then it became warmer, spreading through his mind and melting some of the frost. Asher latched onto it, gathering what little remained of his strength to form a wavering spark. He gritted his teeth, shaking, and lengthened the heat down his spine. It ignited in his heart; the foreign warmth helped it spread, thawing some of the ice.

The darkness flashed in protest and tried to dig deeper, draggin icy claws through Asher's head. He cried out, his focus splintering. Then that warmth came back, wavering but holding, and drove it back. Asher screwed his eyes shut and fed the fire in his chest, pushing the cold away in a frenzied burst of energy.

An inhuman screech echoed in Asher's ears as the Raek tore from his mind. But it wasn't gone—icy fingers still ran along his spine as he jolted back into his body, gasping for air. Darkness flickered in the corners of his eyes. It wasn't trying to consume, but it was waiting. He could feel it: and no matter how hard he tried to burn it away, this cold was unmoved by the heat.

Asher choked on a scream, unable to breathe. That wrongness was still inside him. He needed to get it out. He needed to.

A warm weight shifted across Asher's forehead; he blindly lashed out, terror twisting around his throat. Rivas caught his arms and pushed them down, his cool gray gaze pulling Asher back to the present. The man's hands were trembling. He was kneeling beside Asher on the ground, his breathing jagged and rough.

"I feel it," Asher whispered, sobs rattling through the words. He sounded so desperate, like a frightened child. "I feel the Raek, I feel it, it's—"

"Shh." Rivas shook Asher a bit, tightening his grip. "Pull yourself together."

"Please," Asher insisted, feeling a tear race down his cheek. "It hurts. Get it out."

Rivas shook Asher again, harder. He looked over his shoulder. "Wake up, boy."

That warmth. Had that been Rivas? Asher shivered, following the Valkir's gaze. Soren was pressed against the wall, clutching his chest. Flecks of shadow still circled the king, but drew inwards and faded within a few more seconds. Soren slowly lifted his head. For a moment, it looked as if his eyes had turned black.

Rivas straightened, pushing away from Asher. He curled his hands into fists, and the king crumpled to his knees. Rage and hurt and weariness warred in Soren's expression as he gazed at the Valkir.

"Don't do this, Rivas," the king growled. His voice faltered, but it still held the bite of command. "You know what will happen."

Rivas took a deep breath and stood up. He lifted his chin; Soren slumped to the floor with a low curse. The king tried to get up, wobbled, fell back down. Tremors wracked his body; finally, Soren collapsed and fell still.

"Yes," Rivas said softly, looking down at the king. "I do."

"W-what... took you so... long?"

Asher twisted his head. Wade was struggling upright, his breath coming in quick pants. The boy looked at Soren, his eyes hazy but still terrified. "Is... is he dead?"

"Look, I didn't have a lot of time to figure this out. And no, Soren's fine," Rivas snapped. He walked to Wade, resting a hand on his shoulder and closing his eyes. Wade blinked, the slightest bit of color returning to his face. "There."

Wade shook his head and crawled straight to Asher. "Are you okay, Ash? What just happened? I felt... it was cold..."

"Wh..." Asher glanced at Soren, then Rivas, then Wade. His friend was obviously weak, but at least he seemed able to hold himself upright. "What...?"

"Stay quiet for a moment," Rivas ordered. Asher snapped his mouth shut and watched the Valkir as he strode to the door, bewildered. Rivas turned the knob and leaned outside, his eyes landing on something down the hallway. "Kain! Come here!"

Asher flinched, suddenly remembering the presence he'd sensed down the hallway. Why was Rivas calling him? And what was happening? Bitter cold still lanced through his thoughts, making it difficult to think. It didn't hurt nearly as much now, but icy pain still pricked through his limbs and throbbed in his chest. He was so very, very tired.

Rivas stepped away from the door, biting his lip. He pulled a dagger from his belt, forced calm flitting through his eyes before being whisked away again. Asher had never seen the Valkir this agitated: it was strange, as if he'd entered a different world.

The door pushed open again, and Kain walked in. The man froze, his gaze immediately focusing on Soren. "Rivas? What—"

His question turned into a choked cry as Rivas yanked him back, slamming Kain into the wall and pressing his knife against the other man's neck.

"One move, and I will slit your throat," Rivas hissed under his breath. Asher couldn't see the Valkir's expression, but he could hear the old, deadly calm in his words. It was starting to crack.

Kain went still, his eyes sliding to Asher and Wade. Shock, pure and simple, crossed his face. "What happened here?"

A long pause. Finally, Rivas pulled something from his pocket and shoved it into Kain's hand. "Drink it."

Kain looked down, shifting the object in his fingers—a vial. "You... want to drug me?" he asked, a nervous sort of grin twitching across his lips. It faded as he and Rivas stared at each other.

"Yes." Rivas' knuckles were white on the handle of the knife.

A dagger appeared in Kain's hand, but before he could use it the blade flew from his fingers. Rivas pulled Kain back and slammed him against the wall again. "You know you can't fight me," he snarled.

Kain clenched his jaw. Pain, better hidden than Soren's but a thousand times more raw, flickered in the depths of his eyes. "What are you thinking, Rivas? Soren will kill you."

"Worry about yourself. Drink. That's the last time I'll say it."

Kain hesitated, and then lifted the vial to his lips and downed the contents. Rivas released him; Kain staggered back, bracing himself against the wall. The man's eyes were already clouding over.

"What's going on?" Asher gasped out, fixated on Kain as the man slipped to the ground. "What are you doing?"

"Something incredibly stupid," Rivas growled. "Wade, can you stand?"

"Y-yeah." Wade leaned forward and grasped Asher's arm, trying to lift him. Asher forced his muscles into action, and with Wade's help he sat up. "Can you, Ash?"

Asher took a few moments, his head spinning. He was freezing. Exhaustion weighed heavy on him, and he was shaking so hard he could barely stay upright. "I... I think you need to hold me up."

Rivas moved to Asher and gripped his other arm, hauling him to his feet. Asher hung his head, taking a few breaths to steady himself. He didn't know why Rivas was helping him, and he didn't care. He could try to think once the cold was gone, and once that thing lurking in the back of his mind was burned to ash.

Rivas pulled Asher forward, taking most of his weight as Wade stumbled alongside them. As they passed Kain, the man lifted his head. He was barely awake, the alertness in his eyes quickly fading.

"Goodbye, Rivas," Kain said quietly, his gaze falling to the ground. Some strange, strangled emotion lurked beneath the words.

Rivas froze on the threshold, his grip around Asher wavering. "Goodbye."

"Maybe things would be different if you weren't quite so murderous," Wade interrupted, giving Kain a quick glare before pushing past Rivas. He looked up and down the hallway, pressing a hand to his head. "Ah, I feel weak... It's clear."

"I know." Rivas shook his head a little and dragged Asher forward. Asher watched silently as the Valkir turned and closed the door behind them, leaving Soren and Kain with nothing but the bitter darkness.