Dark rock, seemingly cut with a jagged knife, stretches as far as my eyes can see. From her previous arrival, a path cuts through the middle of them. Using her magic, she shoved the rocks to the side, crumbling them to ash and gathering them in unnatural, pointy heaps. Footprints stuck in the mud from that night remain from where we stand, beyond the bridge and half a day away from the capital.

I can't yet see the tall spires and stone wall encasing the city, but it's there. Somewhere beyond the clouds and blue sky. The Void Queen has gotten us this far, baring a headache and shaking fingers. We're close enough that a breeze carries the scent of familiar, freshly turned over dirt from farms outside Exole. I can almost feel the rough stone of Theoden's cottage underneath my fingers.

Until then, we have stopped. The Void Queen, dressed in white robes, yawning sleeves nearly touching the ground and golden rope slung around her hips drooping down when she sags her shoulders, takes a shuddered breath. A golden seam stretches from her shoulders, widening around the deep collar and arching down, trailing the skirt to pool at the hem in matching lace. For such an exhausting journey, she doesn't have a speck of dirt on her.

"You mustn't exhaust yourself this way," Mutes warns, practically elbowing his way through the army of the soulless like they're statues. Not a single one moves for him. "You don't know the battle we face when we arrive."

The Void Queen hardly offers him a glance. After all the time he spent in the palace around her sister, learning operations, tactics, and the way Millicent nearly rips out her hair when she's scared, Mutes knows more than most. I trust his word more than a former queen that hasn't conversed with her sister unless they're on differing tides.

"I carry more than the lives of us all to the capital," she growls. To prove she's not completely winded, she stands straight and rolls her shoulders.

Mutes's brows draw together, his head cocking. "What do you mean?"

"My sister is not fond of dramatics, but I am." She speaks indirectly, towards the capital as if she can see Millicent preparing. Over this past week, Wyetta planted small pieces of information throughout the Void, leading to her returning to the capital to raise further hell. If all goes according to plan, the Raven Queen and her family will be waiting for us. Hopefully, with a plan that saves us all. "I never travel empty-handed."

She raises a shaking hand and snaps her fingers. Zikkora, standing at her shoulder, hardly steals a glance over his as the ground rumbles, something growing from the roots. No, revealing itself after prior invisibility. I feel my eyes widen at the sight of familiar siege weapons—only more than she brought with her last time. It evens out, I realize. To carry her entire army, she had to settle for less interference with the wall. This time, our group travels lighter.

Spare magic to carry these siege weapons. Three ballistas, four catapults, and two trebuchets. There are nearly enough weapons for every person here.

"Don't look so startled, little elf," the Void Queen reassures, her voice buzzing beyond the ringing in my ears. "No one travels without reinforcements. I won't use these unless I have to."

For the first time since our argument, I catch Mutes's confused eye. As soon as I take hold, he looks away, to the ground, and swallows hard. The only person that doesn't seem shocked by the reveal is Zikkora. His feathers ruffle in recognition.

Her exhaustion wasn't at the fault of jumping through points of space to get us here. The Void Queen had another secret up her sleeve, and I have failed to recognize the possible threat. She can't possibly have a larger plan than what she did last time—this isn't enough to take down a wall and make it into the city. Even an entire army of beasts without a will to live couldn't make it past Setsuko's bombs.

I have no doubt the Raven Queen has worked tirelessly to prepare for this moment. The day her sister comes back with a renewed vengeance and goes one step further than sending a warning by hurtling stones into a newly constructed wall. Setsuko will have more. Luminaries work in Rivian's forces now.

They'll do everything in their power to ensure Wyetta Terravale doesn't step close.

"And this is where you come in." I hear her snap her fingers again.

Another structure appears, constructed of wood like the others and reformed with metal. But it is not a weapon I recognize or something that appears effective in taking down a wall. A raised, flat platform on wheels with four towers on all ends. And one in the middle, taller and spiking to a point.

My throat dries at the sight of long chains extending from those four towers. Ending in manacles. Hanging from the tower in the middle—a metal collar. My spine tightens.

Not iron. No, magic loses all value when put up against the one metal it can't withstand. The peaked tower radiates with power, each level of its square shape shriveling smaller the higher it goes. At the top, a single spire arches towards the sky.

"What is this?" I ask drily.

The Void Queen places her hand on the wheel closest to her. "This is the Fulgur Turrim. Created in the depths of the Void, and our advantage." Her eyes flash with bemused excitement that my head can't wrap around. Nothing good will come of this. I know it, but I don't run. My feet remain planted on the solid earth, fearful of what she will ask of me next.

Mutes asks that question for me. "What do you plan to do with the Fulgur Turrim?"

I squeeze my eyes shut.

"If she appears to be in dire need of rescue, it'll elevate the seriousness of the situation," she explains.

Muttered confusion seeps from the Luminary servants that have tagged along. This is something they haven't signed up for, and judging by their confused glances around to others in the group, they didn't know about the surprise. Again, Zikkora shows no sign of shock.

"A weapon meant to instill more fear than use. Don't worry, all the work I put into this is just for show."

"This looks...worse than that," Mutes manages. He tilts his chin to the top of the tower and squints unsteadily.

"Step up, Marie." The Void Queen's voice is as sweet as the cake Fidibi sneaks into my chambers. "I want to see how you look on this grand stage."

I set my jaw and step onto the wooden platform. She pats the wood like it's a comfortable mattress instead. If only it was. I want to find some semblance of home, warmth in a bed in the capital or back at the Void Palace. I don't care. Anywhere but here would benefit me most.

Up close, the tallest tower in the middle stands at equal height to myself. I run my fingers along the bolts holding it together, the wooden boards staring back at me in contrast with the metal.

The Void Queen's smile stretches a little too wide when two soulless soldiers step forward to shackle my wrists to the two front chains. My hands shake when they raise, and I try to ease myself into remembering that semblance of trust we had at the beginning of this when I thought she would never hurt me. This is all for show. Nothing will come of this.

My mind continues to cut through every possibility. If nothing is to happen, why would she go through such lengths to build the Fulgur Turrim? None of this makes any sense.

She saves the best part for herself. The chain from the tower at my back rattles when she picks it up. "Ease yourself down," she whispers in my ear.

I stare straight ahead and drop to my knees, a little too forcefully. A moment later, something heavy and cold presses against my throat, weighing on my shoulders. For the last time, I swallow a dry clod before the collar clicks loosely around my neck, slouching forward from the chain's slack. This isn't necessary, my mind screams. Run, run while you still have your magic. Melt metal.

Without prior reason, I flinch when she comes around to kneel at my side. Everyone watches silently, contemplating the risks of standing up for my life and deciding to stand behind for theirs. "For added effect," she whispers. "Don't move."

"What are you doing?" I find the strength to ask. My voice trembles.

"This won't hurt, just sit still and allow my magic to work."

Mutes appears in my eye line but I don't look at him. Her fingers prick my skin, drawing no pain, but I know what comes from that golden glow. Bruises. Cuts. Signs of torture. When tears well in my eyes, I don't stop them. They come without warning, and the collar hanging loosely around my neck is somehow a barricade to the emotions I wish to express.

In a matter of seconds, I'm hardly recognizable. And glad I can't see what she has turned me into. We'll paint the illusion that they have tortured me in an underground dungeon for weeks, seeing the light for the first time in a month. That's what the dark circles underneath my eyes are for, the hollow stare I master all on my own without her touch.

I never tasted the blood from my split lip, yet I understand the swelling and adapt to it, granting extra room to the new wound. Nothing brings sharp pain; my entire face is numb.

As she steps off the platform, Mutes moves in her way. "Is this really necessary?" he asks.

This time, she has enough strength to acknowledge him and his endless questioning. "I do not do anything that isn't out of necessity. I will not go down as easily as my sister." Her voice is hard and brittle, like glass on the edge of shattering. To the soulless soldiers, she jerks her chin at the two dangling chains on the other side of the Fulgur Turrim. "Take these chains, and turn this device around. We have a matter of a few hours before reaching the capital, so look alive. The closer we come, the more civilization we'll come across." A crazed smile grazes her cheeks. "Let's hope my sister is already waiting for us."

We're not jumping. I come to the realization when the soulless soldiers step forward, to the back of the Fulgur Turrim, and grab the chains. I brace myself on the platform as they spin it, facing me back towards the north and leaving me with no advantage to see the capital first. Within moments, the wheels are rotating, creaking like they're waking from a long slumber.

Now I can't see Mutes, the Void Queen, or Zikkora. Everyone walking behind the Fulgur Turrimare unfamiliar faces that provide no sympathy. Most of them can't even convey that emotion. Their hearts are shriveled weeds inside their chests and forgotten with no reason to love.

An unwanted familiar face slithers to the back of the platform she built. Pride lingers in her gait. "I suggest you get some sleep, little elf," the Void Queen says. "We have a long way to go and an exhausting show ahead."

With that, she disappears. I won't fall asleep, not anytime soon. My heart beats so fast I fear it'll pound right through my ribcage, but when she disappears, I lean back on the metal tower and become acquainted with my possible doom. Every bump we pass, every rock the wheels stumble over—the uneven road rocks me back and forth until I do have something to fall asleep to.

Despite my efforts, my eyes grow heavy-lidded. Black armor blurs, the northern rocks foregoing their jagged edges for rounded, fuzzy heaps. We'll be there soon. I hope I remember what it feels like to raise my arms without the weight of shackles. Real or not.