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Ashleigh gave Caleb the sword, shifting into her wolf. She growled, baring her teeth at the Dark Queen while Caleb readied his blade.

The Dark Queen’s twisting vines grew in multitudes, writhing around her like snakes ready to strike.

Ashleigh jumped forward, immediately grabbing three of the vines between her teeth and tearing them with the strength of her jaw.

Caleb followed, swinging back and forth, quickly cutting through the tendrils.

As they tried to move closer to the Dark Queen, even more of her tendrils shot forward from her body.

They both moved out of the way to avoid the sharp spears.

The Dark Queen focused her attack on Caleb and his irritating sword. Large groups of spears flew toward him, and on the ground, tendrils stretched out to grab his ankles. Caleb was jumping and dashing, able to avoid her attacks but struggling to hit her himself.

‘Caleb!’ Ashleigh called out to him through their link as she tore into another root.

‘I’m okay!’ he said, ‘focus on yourself!’

Ashleigh let out a whimpered cry as one of the smaller roots stabbed into her paw. She jumped back before it could try to burrow in or grab hold of her.

Caleb heard the sound, distracted for a brief moment, a tendril wrapped at his ankle, pulling him to the ground and immediately swinging him back and forth as more of the smaller roots reached out to bind him. Finally, two successfully wrapped around his arm, holding it down, unable to use the sword to free himself.

Ashleigh caught sight of what was happening to Caleb. She charged toward him, barely avoiding a large grouping of roots that swung at her like a fist.

She got to him and shifted. Grabbing the sword from his hand, she made quick work of the roots that had caught him. Ashleigh pulled him back and away from the reach of the Dark Queen, who hissed and watched them with angry eyes.

Around them, the walls flickered, and Ashleigh felt Lily’s power waning.

“Caleb,� she whispered. “We need to free Lily.�

Caleb nodded.

“The large roots that she positioned herself to protect are how she feeds on Lily. I removed three of them, and she removed one herself. There are three left. They don’t seem to regrow like the smaller ones. I think these are what make up her true form. The little ones are weapons and armor. The big ones, that’s her,� he said.

“Okay,� Ashleigh replied, looking back at the Queen.

She watched them, swaying her body with the writhing of her tendrils. But she didn’t make any moves to come after them, which felt like confirmation that she needed to protect the larger roots behind her.

“In the mound, Myka said that larger roots were moving under the surface, digging their way toward the ley line opening,� Ashleigh whispered. “That was where he sent the frog with the explosives.�

Ashleigh thought back to the mound.

“I thought that she was stuck...� she continued. “That she was inside the tree to heal or grow or something. But what if that wasn’t it? Maybe she couldn’t move. Because her roots were already pushing down into the earth, feeding on the power.�

“You’re saying she can’t come after us because the roots are already working on draining Lily’s power?� Caleb asked. “Couldn’t she just pull them up? Like she did earlier to toss me back?�

“I’m not sure. Maybe that one wasn’t drawing power yet?� Ashleigh suggested. “I do know that we have been standing still for a while, and she hasn’t made a move. So that tells me that we are out of range of the little ones, and she can’t or won’t move away from the big ones and expose them.�

“We need a way to distract her,� Caleb said, “to keep her focus here while one of us goes around her and severs the last roots.�

Ashleigh nodded.

“Won’t be easy,� he sighed.

“Nothing ever is,� she smiled.

Caleb grinned. He looked back at the Dark Queen. He wasn’t sure how to do it, but he would keep her distracted. He wouldn’t let the monster get its filthy tendrils on Ashleigh ever again.

“I’m going to do it,� Ashleigh said softly.

Caleb looked back at her with furrowed brows.

“What?�

“I’m the distraction,� she smiled. “You are much faster with the sword than I am. So whoever goes needs to be quick and concise. The distraction is over as soon as one of those roots is gone. She won’t ignore it.�

“No,� Caleb replied, shaking his head. “I can’t let you do that.�

“You have to,� Ashleigh replied. “We both know I’m right.�

Caleb growled his irritation and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her fiercely.

Ashleigh did not fight or push him away. Instead, she kissed him back, feeling the same way he did. Neither wanted to let the other go.

Finally, Caleb pulled back, placing his forehead against hers.

“Please...� he whispered. “Stop forcing me to leave you behind.�

Ashleigh reached up and touched his cheek.

“It’s what we have to do,� she whispered. Her voice cracked just slightly. “It’s our duty.�

Caleb closed his eyes, clenching his jaw.

Ashleigh put her hand on his chest and pushed away from him.

“Go,� she whispered. “You need to be ready to move quickly.�

Caleb nodded but said nothing else, stepping back from her as the knot in the pit of his stomach grew.

Ashleigh took a deep breath, pushing it back out slowly as she looked back at the Dark Queen. She could see the way the Queen’s eyes moved back and forth between Ashleigh and Caleb, unsure of which would attack first.

Ashleigh stepped forward, barely out of range of the tendrils that stretched to reach her.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the cold place deep within herself. On the ice and snow of Winter. On the harsh winds that came off the mountain.

‘Ashleigh! No!’ Lily screamed in her mind, but Ashleigh ignored her.

A low rumbling growl began to emanate from Ashleigh’s chest. Her fingers curled into angry claws.

‘Don’t do this!’ Lily shouted.

In the snow and ice, Ashleigh sat down inside the cold place of her mind and breathed deeply as the berserker rage flowed over her body.

‘Finally!’ one of the voices cried out.

‘Foolish child, how dare you keep us locked away!’ shouted another.

‘Weak child!’ the third shouted. ‘Unworthy of our strength!’

The Dark Queen observed Ashleigh and saw her preparing to attack. She readied her tendrils, determined to tangle up the Winter Princess before she could cause any more trouble.

But she was delightfully surprised when she felt the change in the air when she heard the disquieted voices of the dead.

Tilting her wooden mask with a pleased grin, the Dark Queen eagerly awaited her new toys.