Henry cradled Rebecca's head in his lap, nestling her curly locks in his hands. The mage was breathing, but her eyes were closed; her strength was utterly spent.

  Above them, the soft afternoon sun shone down warmly; the final spell had done its job, clearing the snow, rocks, and other mountain debris from their heads. Arthur and Lyla were already climbing out, the latter dropping down a rope to aid the others in climbing out.

  Diana approached Henry, her face weary and exhausted. Still, in spite of her fatigue, she still exuded that same warmth and comfort that Henry had always known.

  "I'm impressed," she said, casting her gaze down to Rebecca. "She's strong. Far stronger than I thought."

  "Not as strong as you, though," Henry replied. "I'm amazed you're still standing."

  The cleric knelt down and placed a hand on Rebecca's forehead. "This was all her. I was barely able to contribute much at all before her energy overwhelmed mine."

  Henry looked at Rebecca, stunned. She seemed small and frail now, but the gaping hole above his head, as well as her rapidly evolving magical skills during their time together, betrayed her appearance. He remembered Praetorus' words to him about her.

  She has potential, but she needs guidance. She needs you.

  A sudden pang of sorrow pulled at his heart. Praetorus.

  He hadn't seen the young archer at all since the cave, and with the entire mountain gone it was unlikely he had escaped either.

  Poor fellow. Even with his "betrayal" - if it truly was one in the end - Henry felt only pity for him. I hope he finds peace, if not for his brother.

  Rebecca stirred and moved, startling him. The mage's eyes fluttered open and looked up at him.

  "Henry?"

  "I'm here." The squire helped her sit up. "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

  "Tired as a corpse, but I'll live." She turned to Diana, who smiled at her. "Diana! I take it we succeeded?"

  "Indeed." The cleric withdrew her hand, and Henry caught sight of the glow in her palm winking out. Her healing spell must have aided in Rebecca's miraculously fast recovery this time. "Thanks in large part to you."

  "You lot alright down there?" Arthur poked his head back over the edge. "Can you move Rebecca?"

  "I'm up!" the mage called back. She struggled to her feet, gently pushing Henry's helping hand away. "It's alright, Henry."

  Together, the remaining three clambered out of the hole, first Rebecca, then Diana, and finally Henry, as Arthur and Lyla helped each of them over the edge. As they pulled Henry up, the squire was greeted by an astonishing sight.

  The mountain was indeed gone now. A faint hill existed where it used to stand, craggy outcroppings of rock and stone that showed where the great peaks and mountainsides had collapsed into rubble within itself. Traces of manmade objects here and there were the only signs that the mountain used to be a great catacomb, but from afar it only looked like an eruption of jagged rocks in the otherwise pristine terrain. On either side, the smaller mountain ranges still stood, but the marked absence of this one great peak was more than noticeable; it was painfully obvious.

  Behind them, the town stood relatively unscathed; the bulk of the avalanche had stopped well before the settlement, with only a small amount of the debris even making it to the town limits. The townspeople were gaping at the new gap in the mountain peaks as well, but already the exuberance of reuniting with abducted loved ones had begun to bleed out into song and dance.

  "I've got to hand it to us," Arthur whistled. "It's not everyday we take down a mountain." He looked over to Lyla. "I'm sorry about your master and the others, though."

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Lyla said nothing for a moment, remaining silent as she stared at the mountain. She visibly blinked back tears, before she exhaled deeply. "It's alright. The mountain may have claimed his body, we've avenged him and the others, and they are at rest. That's all that matters. But I've also been thinking about what you've said before, Henry." She turned her head to the squire. "I already carry the best parts of him with me. And nobody can take that from me."

  Henry nodded. "I'm glad I could help you."

  "And I, you." She offered a gauntleted hand to him, which he shook.

  Arthur sighed dramatically. "Glad to see everything's sorted."

  Lyla cracked a smile. "Not everything." She leaned over to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you as well, Arthur. If it weren't for you, I'd probably would've never made it out in the first place."

  The knight-apprentice's face turned as red as his gambeson. "Oh. Well. It was nothing. Nothing at all."

  Henry and Rebecca laughed at the sight of Arthur finally at a loss for words. As they all finally allowed themselves relief, Henry noticed that Diana wasn't with the group or at the town. Whirling about, he noticed a trail of footprints leading back in the direction of where the mountain had stood.

  "There you are." Henry finally came upon Diana, who stood atop one of the rocky outcroppings. She seemed to be talking with someone, who immediately turned and disappeared from view as Henry drew closer.

  The squire approached, confused. "What are you doing back here? Who was that?"

  Diana only smiled faintly. "Someone of great help." She beckoned him to follow. "Come. I'll need your assistance."

  She led him a little further into the outcroppings, before kneeling down and digging with her hands through the rubble. Henry followed suit, confused, but trusting her instincts.

  It wasn't long before their digging revealed something that shocked him: Praetorus.

  The archer was bleeding heavily, and his breathing was ragged; without help, he wasn't long for the world. Henry made to help him, but Praetorus weakly grabbed his hand.

  "No." His voice was weak, barely audible. "I... I have earned this. I have failed."

  "Don't say that," Henry said, trying to pull his hand back, but the archer's hold was firm.

  "I... I betrayed you. I wanted to trade you for my brother." He gasped sharply. "Now his soul is lost. I have nothing to live for."

  Diana knelt beside him, gently running her fingers through his hair. "Not quite. When the mountain collapsed, all the souls that were hoarded here were released." She smiled at him. "And I didn't find you by chance, or even through the Lady. I had help."

  Praetorus looked at her weakly. "What do you mean?"

  "Gaius led me to you. His soul is free now, thanks to you." The cleric grasped his hand. "And he also says..."

  She bent down close to Praetorus' ear and whispered something to him, something Henry couldn't hear. Whatever it was, Praetorus visibly relaxed, releasing both Henry's and Diana's hands as he laid back.

  "Thank you, Diana." He looked at Henry, his eyes beginning to glaze over. "I... Please, forgive me, Henry. I cannot ever repay my betrayals. Not in this life or the next."

  "Don't worry about it, my friend." Henry felt tears stinging at his eyes. "You did what you thought was right. I won't hold it against you."

  Praetorus' bloody face smiled faintly. "Thank you..."

  As the archer slipped into unconsciousness, Henry wept freely. He stayed at the archer's side, a comforting hand on his shoulder to ease his passing; he almost didn't see Diana stand up beside him.

  "No." Henry could barely hear her speak. "No more. No more death."

  She produced the Chalice from her belt, and it began to glow brightly as she whispered some incantations to it. The trinket glowed brighter and brighter, forcing Henry to shield his eyes; in the blinding light, he could see a line of energy trace from the Chalice to Praetorus.

  The archer stirred from his death-stupor, looking at Diana. "No... what are you doing?"

  "Giving you another chance," the cleric replied, focused intently on her work.

  Praetorus shook his head. "Diana, please. I choose this. Do not deny me this."

  "And I choose this." Diana continued her chanting, and the Chalice glowed ever brighter. Henry was forced to turn away entirely now, as the light was too painfully bright to even look at indirectly.

  "I won't lose you again, Marcus!" Diana's voice was shrill and harsh, far from anything Henry had ever heard from her. "I can't! Not again!"

  The light climaxed in a brilliant explosion of light and deafening thunder, and Henry was momentarily blinded, even though he had been turned away completely. When his senses returned after a minute, he could see Diana kneeling over Praetorus, who was completely healed and devoid of any injuries.

  Both Henry and Praetorus looked at the latter's newly restored body in bewilderment; Diana set the Chalice aside, which was now burnt and charred from its original lustrous appearance.

  "Diana." Praetorus looked at the cleric, confusion abound in his eyes. "Why did you-"

  The cleric cut him off with a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck. Praetorus could do nothing but stare ahead in steady shock, as Diana's shoulders heaved.

  "A second chance." Diana maintained her hold on him. "I'm giving you that second chance Marcus never got."

  The archer was stunned for a moment, before he slowly put his arms around her as well.

  "Then... I will not waste it."