C333 A WALK THROUGH THE GATE

"Don't let go of me," Aria whispered, her voice barely a thread in the heavy air of the hall. Her hand was steady as she held the blade, but her skin was already losing its glow.

The Young Prince gripped her other hand, his knuckles white. "I am right here. I am holding you. I will never let the world take you."

He watched, his heart breaking, as the first bead of her blood met the dry