Page 138 (1/2)

"Did you think you could leash its poithout a cost?"

My heart stuttered "I need to--to die for it to be stopped?"

"So dramatic, human-heart But yes--yes, that spell would have drained the life from you"

"Is there--is there another spell to use instead? To nullify its powers"

"If there were such a thing, you would still have to get close enough to the Cauldron to do it Hybern will not make that mistake twice"

I sed "Even if we nullify the Cauldron … will it be enough to stop Hybern?"

"It depends on your allies If they survive long enough to battle afterward"

"Would the Bone Carver make a difference?" And Bryaxis

The Suriel had no eyelids But its milky eyes flared with surprise "I cannot see--not him He is not … born of this earth His thread has not been woven in" Its twisted htened "You wish to save Prythian sohim"

"Yes" The moment I located that army, I’d unleash Bryaxis upon it But as for the Carver … "He wanted a--gift In exchange The Ouroboros"

The Suriel let out a sound that ht or horror, I did not know "The Mirror of Beginnings and Endings"

"Yes--but … I cannot retrieve it"

"You are afraid to look To see what is within"

"Will it drive me--mad? Break me?"

It was an effort not to flinch at that monstrous face, at the milky eyes and lipless mouth All focused upon me "Only you can decide what breaks you, Cursebreaker Only you" Not an answer--not really Certainly not enough to risk retrieving the ain listened to that phantoer that the answer lies on the second and penultiether they hold the key"

"The key to what?"

The Suriel clicked its bony fingers together, like the ainst each other "The answer to what you need to stop Hy--"

It took ister what happened

To identify the wooden thing that burst through the Suriel’s throat as an ash arrow To realize that what sprayed inlike soil, was black blood

To realize that the thudding before the Suriel could even screa sound coa that day in the woods Had known it could be killed

I surged toward it, pal up

Another arrow fired, and I ducked behind a gnarled tree

The Suriel let out a screa--