The climb was brutal. The Northern Peak wasn't just a mountain; it was a vertical wall of ice and death.
Even with his supernatural strength, Killian was struggling. The wind howled like a dying god, whipping snow into our faces, freezing my eyelashes shut.
"We're close," Killian yelled over the gale, shielding me with his body. He had carried me for the last mile, refusing to let me walk in the deep snow. "I can smell the ozone."
We reached a narrow fissure in the cliff face. Inside, the wind died down, replaced by a suffocating, unnatural silence.
The cave was vast, its walls glittering with blue crystals. And there, in the center, on a pedestal of pure, unblemished ice, grew a single flower.
It was white, but its veins pulsed with a faint, rhythmic blue light. It looked like a beating heart.
The Heart of the Frozen Mountain.
"There it is," I whispered, sliding down from Killian's back. My legs were numb, but the sight of the cure gave me a surge of adrenaline.
Killian didn't move toward the flower. He stood frozen, his head cocked, listening.
"Wait," he commanded, his hand drifting to the knife at his belt.
"What is it?"
"The Witch said it was guarded," Killian murmured. "But I don't smell anything. No wolf. No bear. Nothing alive."
Crack.
The sound echoed through the cavern like a gunshot.
The ice wall behind the flower shifted. Massive chunks of glacier broke off, crashing to the floor. But instead of settling, they began to... assemble.
A giant hand made of jagged ice slammed onto the ground. Then a torso. Then a head, faceless and smooth, save for two glowing blue cracks for eyes.
It stood twelve feet tall. A Golem of pure permafrost.
The Beast that does not bleed.
"Get back!" Killian roared, shoving me behind a pillar of rock.
The Golem turned its massive head toward us. It opened its mouth—a cavern of sharp icicles—and let out a sound that wasn't a roar, but the screech of grinding glaciers.
It lunged.
Killian met it head-on. He shifted partially, his claws extending, his eyes glowing gold. He launched himself at the beast, aiming for the neck.
CLANG.
His claws, which could shred steel, skidded harmlessly off the creature's ice skin. He left only white scratches.
The Golem didn't even flinch. It swung a massive arm.
BAM.
Killian was swatted out of the air like a fly. He smashed into the cave wall, cracking the stone. He fell to the ground, groaning, blood trickling from his forehead.
"Killian!" I screamed, starting to run toward him.
"Stay back!" he coughed, struggling to his feet. "It doesn't feel pain! My attacks are useless!"
The Golem raised its foot to crush him. Killian rolled away just in time, the ice shattering where his head had been a second ago.
He was fast, but the Golem was tireless. It didn't breathe. It didn't bleed. It just kept coming.
Killian tried again. He tackled the creature's leg, trying to shatter it with brute force. The ice cracked, but instantly reformed, freezing over his hands.
"No..." I whispered, horror dawning on me.
The Witch had tricked us. You can't kill ice with violence.
The Golem grabbed Killian by the throat. It lifted him into the air, squeezing. Frost began to spread rapidly across Killian's skin, turning his face blue.
"Let him go!" I shrieked.
I grabbed a sharp rock from the ground and ran toward the flower.
The Golem froze. Its head snapped toward me.
It wasn't protecting the cave. It was protecting the flower.
"You want this?" I yelled, holding the rock over the delicate petals. "Put him down, or I'll crush it!"
The Golem dropped Killian. He hit the ground, gasping for air, clutching his frozen throat.
The monster turned fully toward me. It took a thundering step closer. It wasn't scared of my threat. It knew I wouldn't destroy the only thing that could save my babies.
It raised its fist to strike me.
I closed my eyes, shielding my stomach with my body.
Please. Protect us.
I felt a sharp pain in my palm. In my panic, I had gripped the sharp rock too tight. It sliced my skin.
A single drop of warm, red blood fell from my hand.
It landed on the ice floor.
Hiss.
The moment the blood touched the ice, a pulse of golden light exploded from the drop. The energy rippled through the floor, hitting the Golem.
The monster stopped mid-swing.
It stared at the blood. Then it looked at me. Its glowing blue eyes flickered... and turned a soft, reverent gold.
The "Royal Lycan Strain" in my blood.
The Golem wasn't just a monster. It was an ancient guardian created by the first Kings. And it recognized the blood of its masters.
Slowly, painfully, the massive ice giant lowered its arm. It bent its knees. The ground shook as twelve feet of ice knelt before me.
It bowed its head until its forehead touched the floor, submitting to the mother of the Heirs.
The silence returned to the cave.
Killian staggered to my side, one arm hanging uselessly, his skin still pale from the cold. He looked at the kneeling monster, then at me.
"How..." he rasped.
"I don't know," I whispered, dropping the rock. My hand was still bleeding. "It... it recognized them."
The Golem didn't move. It stayed bowed, becoming a statue once more. But this time, it wasn't blocking the flower. It was offering it.
I walked past the giant hand and gently plucked the Heart of the Frozen Mountain.
It was cold as death, but it pulsed with life.
"We got it," I said, turning to Killian, tears of relief freezing on my cheeks.
Killian didn't look at the flower. He grabbed my bleeding hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss the wound, his eyes burning with a mix of pride and terror.
"You saved us," he murmured against my skin. "My brave, foolish Queen."
"Let's go home," I said, leaning against him, my strength finally failing. "Before it changes its mind."