runched against
ny needles. She walked up the steep, icy stone steps
o massive gargoyle statues, their stone faces twisted into permanent snar
et and pulled out the blood
the gate, a harsh grinding noise
ked and peeled away, revealing a scrawny
ts stone shell. A massive man with a thick nec
out of Alina's hand. He unrolle
ugh. "A Prismatic Dud? Silver
ounced off the black stone walls. "We take the crazy ones, litt
n't cross her arms. She jus
it b
parchment high above his head. "This piece of
hadow fell over Alina. "Turn around before you
r hand. She looked dire
voice cutting clearly through the howling wind. "Any bearer of a l
ed. Their mockin
w about the old laws?" Pip m
k at Alina. A nasty, cruel sm
nt your trial? You can ta
ip, his eyes wide. The Gauntlet was a death se
pure, unstable arcane energy. It will peel the skin from your bo
her Primordial Core in h
inch. She just jerked her chin
en
tead, he reached into his robes and pulled out a long, black
iron gates groaned,
ight and violent wi
ide the gates was a long, dark corridor. Swirling vortexes of pu
ock yelled over the noise, ge
as bag. She stepped forward, crossin
ac
echoed over th
usted iron lantern suddenly flared to life.
way. That's a soul-forged lantern. It
traight. The violent winds whipped her black ha
Crack
he blue light pushed back the
ifted. Instead of attacking her, the purple stre
ing her to explode i
nished. It sank into her body
t behind her with a deafening bo
alone in
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