The staircase wound upward, each step glowing with a different, unbearable demand.
Kaelen's breath rasped in his throat. He'd already surrendered his father's voice, the strength in his right arm, and a piece of his trust in Lyra. The candle-bearer stumbled two steps behind, their flame dim as if it, too, was being whittled away.
The fourth stair pulsed under Lyra's boot. A new voice pierced the silence, low and venomous:
"Step four. Sacrifice your name."
Lyra froze. Her knuckles whitened around her sword. "My name?" she hissed.
Kaelen felt the pull instantly, a force gnawing at the core of who he was. His name—Kaelen—echoed inside his skull, and he felt the voice try to strip it away, leaving only emptiness where his self had stood.
Lyra snarled, shaking her head. "No. That's not theirs to take."
She stepped back, refusing.
The staircase trembled violently, tiles fracturing outward. The watchers' laughter rolled like thunder, shaking the air.
"A piece that refuses," they sang. "A piece that breaks the rule. The penalty is owed."
Kaelen lunged forward, trying to drag her up, but the stair beneath her feet split open. From the gap erupted hands—not flesh, but shadows made of shattered light. They coiled around her ankles, her wrists, her throat, pulling her downward.
"Lyra!" Kaelen roared, flame bursting from his hand. He hurled fire at the hands, searing through them. They screamed but multiplied, dragging her closer to the abyss below.
Lyra's eyes blazed with fury. "I won't let them erase me, Kaelen! My name is mine!"
The watchers whispered in unison, their voices cold and endless:
"Then keep it—and pay with flesh."
The shadow-hands sank claws into her side. Lyra gasped, blood spraying from the wound. Still, she refused to speak her name aloud, refused to give it up.
Kaelen's fire surged brighter than ever, forcing the shadows back. He seized her hand and pulled her onto the stair, his grip iron. She collapsed against him, her breathing ragged, blood soaking through his arm.
The candle-bearer's flame guttered with fear. "You can't refuse them! The board always collects its price!"
Kaelen glared up at the watchers, his voice a snarl. "Then let it come for me next."
The staircase steadied, but the air was thick with warning. The watchers chuckled, their thousand eyes narrowing with interest.
"So be it, fire-bearer. Refusal is rebellion. Rebellion has its place in the game."
Kaelen tightened his grip on Lyra. She winced, but her eyes still burned with defiance. "They'll take everything before they let us win," she whispered.
Kaelen met her gaze, fire flickering in his eyes. "Then they'll learn—we burn even when there's nothing left."