Faith – Chapter 13

Sunlight fades until we're marching through close, inky night. Soil, that was bone dry, grows damp with rot. Slimy trunks replace brittle bark. The stench of carrion, compost and swamp water fills my nostrils. I hear Quinn gag several times but she waves away my concern if I so much as look.

Volibear doesn't falter. Decay must smell better than humanity.

My soul weakens but I'm able to push my body like a merchant wagon. I picture thick rope, extending from a bronze ring through my nose, wrapped around Volibear's chest. I'm yanked onwards like a slave to market, or a calf to slaughter.

Valor sails above. I can see him only when he obscures the moon. I wonder if he knows how much danger he's in.

Wraiths dance through the trees like miniature comets, or the fae spirits of my home. Volibear pauses to watch them before adjusting our course. I recall my wayward youth, navigating Freljordian ranges and ruins by similar means. I doubt I have the confidence or favour to do that anymore.

Volibear discovers a long aisle of paired silver birches. We stop, while he goes on all fours to investigate. I'm impressed with how softly he moves. Once he passes the final arch, a blast of chill wind reveals his bones. Quinn and I go for our pointless weapons, but he shakes off the jolt as if it were merely rain. He waves us forward.

As we take our final steps across the boundary, Quinn squeezes my hand. I'm unsure who reached out first. A shock of white sunders my being. For a terrifying instant, I leave my body… then return as Quinn's powerful tether pulls me back. Woozily dancing in a tight circle, I nearly stumble into her embrace but I mustn't lean on her. I have to stand alone before Kalista. Sejuani's pain is mine to heal.

For once, I will be the goddess that she deserves.

In the chasm below, tortured thralls writhe like a bed of eels. A rotten bridge, lashed with intestines, makes a bleak offer. Kalista's deal must sell itself.

An impossible crag flowers from the depths. Its narrow stem blossoms into the fossilised ashen palm of a giant. Astride thumb and little finger, marble columns, white and ebon, form a temple of monochrome beauty. My curiosity's piqued. What civilisation is that architecture from? So many secrets, so little opportunity… perhaps endless torment would allow me to discover hidden parts of Runeterra.

Volibear says, 'I feel the presence of the divine. We're not in a mere temple. This is a place of communion, a seat of power similar to the storm's peak.'

Should I feel privileged? I guess few mortals have come here. 'So Kalista's present?'

'Or some other power, but I'd wager that it's her. The design is appropriate, an unbalanced world forced into balance. Do you see how frail the wrist looks, worn to no more than a sapling's width? In our land, it would barely take the weight of its original palm, let alone a structure.'

While Volibear muses, Quinn points with her nose like a dog finding a scent. 'Something's off. You see that erm… slab… altar thing?'

Volibear squints. 'I'd say that's a tomb or reliquary. Maybe that's where Kalista sleeps?'

I'm sceptical. 'Do you think vengeance ever sleeps?'

'It is an urge like all others. It ebbs and flows with time and energy. But as an ideal, you have a point.'

As we debate philosophy, stretching out our lives before the end, Quinn says, 'No, something's above it, or on it. I can't see much, only a bend of the light through the mist.'

I ask, 'What about Valor?'

He trills in response to his name. Quinn translates. 'A… thing of enormous power is contemplating us. Valor can't explain further. He doesn't see the world like we do.'

'I wonder if my hawk spirit sees anything.' The familiar vertigo launches my sight across the bridge.

A vile face, twisted in scorn, appears close to mine. Terror causes my spell to burst. A glittering shower exposes the cerulean figure perched above the tomb. Kalista hunches over a boil of broken limbs, one leg raised and folded like a mantis claw. Her slimy-looking feet are huge. She could reach us with a single jump.

Long arms dangle below, clutching a black spear, the tool of Sejuani's capture.

Hatred courses through my veins. I have steady hands, yet I feel them shaking. I despise this creature for taking advantage of Sejuani. For once, I share Volibear's eagerness to fight and fall.

Kalista bellows from every direction. 'Ashe, you presumptuous little whore. Nothing sacred is beyond your prying eyes and filthy grasp.' Should I apologise for scrying? As I dither between conciliation and rage, Kalista pounds her tomb. 'Keep your excuses! You're as beholden to defilement as I am to vengeance. The Freljord was a near perfect realm until your ascension. Even Tryndamere accepted your leash. You stole a promising thrall and I do not forgive.'

I can't win her over. We'll have to bargain as enemies. 'I came for my love, not your forgiveness. Name your price.'

'You think souls are currency?' The ground rumbles. 'You think I'd repay Sejuani's oath by trading it away?'

Volibear says, 'I'll ensure her soul is returned, if you doubt Ashe's intent.'

'I doubt Ashe's intent and your wisdom but I make no predictions, only judgements.' Kalista thrusts out her claw, fingers crooked with anticipation. 'I'll offer you this pact, Sejuani for a comparable soul, taken immediately. Then if the rest of you don't restore her, I'll claim all of you plus anyone foolish enough to stay my charge.'

When you're facing death, they say your life flashes before your eyes. Instead, I see my lost future, a difficult, rewarding relationship with Sejuani. Through care and understanding, we heal each other's wounds and unite our worlds.

I cover my tears. Couldn't I have held her one last time? I've made awful mistakes and I deserve my punishment but it's all too soon.

Forgive me, Sejuani, Quinn, Volibear, Tryndamere. Forgive me. You're all strong, and you'll do better when I stand aside. Some of you may grieve, but you'll get on. You'll build an imperfect world, riven by conflict, unhappiness and regret, a world far better than any perfection I could sow.

This is goodbye.

Just as I'm stepping up, I hear Volibear ask, 'Will Anivia's egg work as intended?'

Kalista sounds bored. 'As a vessel? Yes, provided you leave the contents alone.'

'Good,' says Volibear. 'Then I'll pay the toll.'

I protest. 'Volibear!'

'My life is meaningless if I can't save my cub.'

'You're saving her now and you'll have the chance to save her, again and again. All I've done is cause her pain.'

'Without you, she'll wallow in despair. Your tribes will scatter and the Freljord will collapse.' His muzzle blasts hot air into my face. 'I won't allow it. Sejuani deserves a better legacy.'

'Where is your faith? You gave up centuries of isolation to follow her into battle. I've seen Sejuani at her most vulnerable, yet even I think she's tougher than what you're claiming.'

'All the more reason for me to step aside. I've been stifling her, while you've shown respect in opposition. She needs a challenger, not a... pretend father.'

'There's nothing fake about your relationship!' I grab his giant wrist as if I could restrain thirteen hundred pounds of Ursine. 'While she thinks I'm something I can't accept.'

'Whether you accept yourself or not, you will be. Take responsibility for what you've begun. Through violence or love, make Sejuani happy.'

'No!' My feeble arms tug and flail. Volibear shrugs them off as if they were branches raking his fur.

But our passions were for nothing. Our bridge to redemption is gone.

With a clatter, the planks rebound off the central pillar. Quinn watches, knife in hand, Anivia's egg held close to her chest. Volibear goes to his pouch and finds only straps.

With the casual ease of plucking a rabbit, Valor flies Quinn over the ravine. We race to the edge as Quinn lands on the temple with the grace of an acrobat. She looks over her shoulder. There's no hesitation. All our cries are met with the gaze of a predator, the same gaze that sent me running from our first encounter.

Never once did I think it would lead us here.

Magic amplifies her quiet resolve. 'Is my soul good enough?'

Kalista examines her tribute from all angles. 'I perceive a little girl whose only dream was obedience. No wonder you're so keen to forfeit your pathetic life… but…' She seizes Quinn's throat. 'Your nation is a boil of resentment, all that sacrifice without reward. Some of my keenest vessels are Demacian.' Kalista breathes like a shaman drawing fumes. 'Very potent. I smell a teenager's hatred of an unjust world, fed and watered with tragedy, helplessness and isolation.

'Your fate is cruel. No matter how much you fight, you will never know the simple happiness you desire, never dance with a beautiful wife in public view. Failing acceptance, you don't even possess the wealth to sin privately. Poverty forces you to suck at your liege's dry tit. Soon, you'll have to suckle his children.'

Kalista throws Quinn to the ground.

'Once, you might have accepted your misery but a chance encounter gave you a taste of bliss that you couldn't forget or repeat. You may prove yourself to her a dozen times over, praying for justice in love but only vengeance will answer true.' Kalista drives her weapon into the stone. 'Draw the spear, Quinn. Deliver the justice you deserved in life.'

'You'll free Sejuani, like you promised?'

'Yes.'

Quinn throws back her head, as if taking a final gulp of air before the plunge. 'Can I talk to my friends one last time?'

'If you must.'

Volibear and I yell at her to come back. Valor hovers like a piece of driftwood. We're below, sinking. She waits for a pause in our desperation before saying. 'Ashe, I'm sorry, but I thought about what you said and I can't do it. I can't live as someone else, not as Queen of Demacia, not as an unthinking servant, or… Lux's bitch. I'd sooner die for a cause I truly believe in.' She cuts off my objections with an imperious wave. Oh, sweet Avarosa, this woman could have ruled Valoran. 'Do you know how many people there are like us? I don't. As a girl, I thought I was alone… but imagine a story, famous enough to reach all four corners of the world… two beautiful women, ruling a frontier paradise where secret lovers can find each other.'

Volibear interrupts. 'The Freljord is no paradise. Even if Ashe and Sejuani reconcile, there's little chance of peace. I'm as big an obstacle as any. Quinn, if you're serious about your motivations, you should let me…'

'No,' says Quinn. 'If one person stands between their happiness… it's me.'

Volibear fixes me with a glare cold enough to freeze blood. I gather my courage and offer a clear strike at my throat. He says, 'Quinn?'

'I've taken advantage of Ashe's kindness long enough. Perhaps I could have stolen her but…' I feel my heart leap. If I had another life. Those words repeat endlessly. If I had another life. If I had…

I scream, 'Kalista, Take me instead! I'm the cause of all this. Take me, please!'

Kalista replies, 'I take no one. Supplicants offer themselves to me. No doubt you could persuade Quinn with the right words, but your father-in-law would feast on your entrails.'

Volibear says nothing. As I choke on fear, Quinn responds like a mother comforting a child. 'No, Kalista, nothing will deter me. This is goodbye.' She touches her face. I wonder if it's a sign of doubt until her fingers hook underneath her bandana. My vision explodes with colour.

Quinn's red hair is nature's masterpiece, lank from our travels yet brighter than sunlight upon snow. She kisses her trigger finger and touches the darkness between us. 'I love you, Ashe. Live well for me.'

'Quinn!'

She grabs the spear. Ghostly chains erupt from its length, restraining her like rotten vines choking a tree. Quinn struggles to breathe. I claw at my chest in sympathy. Can't Kalista grant a willing thrall a clean death?

A pair of blue souls, their tails entwining in a helix, whoosh towards Anivia's egg. As they connect, a familiar crest of twin axes emblazons the shell. My heart flutters in recognition. So my Sejuani's duality runs deep enough to split her soul in twain.

As Quinn squeaks under the pressure, Kalista conjures another spear, this one a simple tool of war, not ritual. A declaration tolls. 'The oath is taken.' She coils like a drawn bow then skewers Quinn's heart.

A flash of green throws me to the ground. Silence descends. I no longer hear Quinn's agony, Volibear's growl, or the churn of Kalista's moat. Nothing remains. Perhaps I'm dead. I'll be with Quinn after all.

As my senses return, I feel something unexpected, Volibear helping me stand. 'Ashe, look.'

Quinn remains upright and intact. Around her feet lie broken chains. Golden light shines from her chest wound, soaking vengeance's temple. Kalista thrashes like an impaled snake. 'LIAR! BETRAYER! DECEIVER!'

Quinn seems bewildered. 'I don't know what happened.'

'ANOTHER HAS CLAIMED YOUR SOUL AND YOU CLAIM IGNORANCE? YOU ARE TWO TONGUES IN ONE HEAD AND I WILL TEAR THEM BOTH OUT!'

I'm so giddy with joy that I can barely speak. 'She's alive! Is justice watching over her?'

Caws, like laughter, echo from above. 'No,' Volibear says, 'Not vengeance or justice… but "Valor".'

Quinn cocks her head as though she's receiving orders, then dives away from a lethal blow. She grabs the egg. Valor swoops in and the pair soar over the trees before any of us can respond.

I ask, 'What is that eagle?'

Kalista roars loud enough that we nearly fall into the chasm. She conjures two javelins and leaps into the sky. Volibear drops on all fours. 'No time! Ashe, hold on!'

I jump on his back. Waves of muscle crash together as he gallops through the forest. I'm scared. I press my cheek against his fur and whimper, 'I'm sorry.'

He doesn't respond.

Out of the corner of my vision, I see Kalista bounding from tree to tree, swinging from each thrown spear. She's catching up. An explosion of bark rains down, cutting my face. We're in striking range. I have to do something.

Rolling over, I squeeze Volibear's trunk with my calves and reach for my bow. My shoulders bounce off him, knocking the wind out of my lungs. Unlike Sejuani, I don't ride in battle. I'm staying on through sheer luck.

Volibear notices. 'Don't! You'll fall!'

A spear misses when Volibear ducks under a fallen oak. We gain a yard of pace. I have enough time to draw my bowstring and invoke Avarosa.

The shape of an arrow forms a bridge of stars between past and future, great mother and lesser daughter. The cold reaches my heart and I feel everything slow.

Kalista's an impossible target for many but I am the greatest archer in Valoran. I see the patterns of the breeze. I bring order to chaos. I can strike enemies across mountain ranges.

I'm a failure as a human but a goddess in battle, just like Sejuani said. I can get one thing right.

I begin counting down, focusing the world to a single point.

One hundred… eighty…

Kalista lands on a branch.

Sixty…

She prepares to leap.

Forty…

She takes flight, raising her spear.

Twenty…

Predictions, Kalista will dive, arcing slightly.

Ten…

She's a narrow target, widest across the shoulders. I counter by five degrees… up… left.

Zero.

My crystal arrow smashes into her torso, freezing her in place. I grab Volibear's fur to break my fall. He grunts but refuses to slow down. While the magic thaws, we pull ahead almost fifty yards.

I hope it's enough. It's all I can do. Volibear gives no praise but renewed acceleration.

Kalista gains ground slower now Volibear's warmed up. She gets within striking distance again but Valor blocks her view. Quinn launches a mocking volley from her crossbow then ascends, twisting away from Kalista's retaliation. We've earnt another moment of grace, enough to reach Sarah's hextech artillery. Volibear sees the finish line and surges…

…into a magical barrier.

Volibear and I float helplessly through spectral tar. There's no pain but I feel weak and exposed. Is this how Sejuani felt when she lay before me? Now, she may be free from what I do to her.

Consumed with fury, Kalista dives through the barrier to claim us. Her glowing shroud burns away, leaving a solid outline. I see muscles, teeth, bones and eyes. The veil has been torn.

Volibear's maw twitches.

An thunderclap hurls me to ground. I cover my head as I roll through the dirt. As the ringing recedes, I hear the sounds of battle. Volibear's tearing into Kalista like a vengeful god. Every slap sends aftershocks through the soil.

The duel is lopsided. Volibear's channelling divine power but this is Kalista's territory. Here, she's both stronger and faster. She dances away, stabbing and rending until Volibear's no more than a lump of butchered flesh, but he fights on. Lightning bridges nerves and restarts his punctured heart. Every blow he lands invigorates him and slows Kalista. She howls in frustration as Volibear simply refuses to die.

He scorches Kalista's arms, legs and face. Her spectral form bubbles like any corpse in a pyre. She's on her knees, tearing open Volibear's gut. He totters. I don't think he can lift his arms anymore. Swaying in religious ecstasy, he cranes open his mighty jaw.

The tower falls, then silence.

Volibear lies on his back, like a tomb engraving, with Kalista's head in his mouth. The remains of her body thrash then dissipate.

I crawl to Volibear through scalding gore. His chest heaves. The remnants of the storm push air through his lungs. I could weep at his nobility. How could I rule the Freljord without his blessing? Even if we both live, he'll never trust me now.

Consolation comes from an unlikely source, a lifeless, yet resonant voice. 'Your tears are hasty. That Ursine is cursed with an exceptional tether. He'll survive beyond anyone's wishes, including his own.'

I see Karthus, hovering at a respectful distance. I'm so grateful to hear Volibear might live, that I forget my suspicion. 'He's going to be all right?'

'I didn't say that. Volibear may shrug off this experience, or he may come back after months in torpor, changed and incomplete. Rebirth is mortification, after all.'

'What was that barrier?'

'What was…? Where is your tact? You'd recall my shame while the ink is wet?' I glare. This is no time for his antics. 'Fine, don't lose your temper, tribeswoman. I saw my dear neighbour chasing you, so I conjured a wall that slowed you down while stripping your magical defence. Unfortunately, poor Kalista fell into the same trap, losing all her pace and immunity before confronting one of the mightiest shamans of Runeterra. She could have easily won with a little patience but, alas, I'm blaming others when I should repent. So sorry, Kalista.'

'Wait. You helped us?'

Karthus grins. 'Of course not.'

'So why haven't you finished us off?'

'Your souls are hers, not mine.'

I guess when you've existed for so long, you have an answer for everything. 'Well, you have my gratitude, either way.'

'You're welcome.'

A stampede approaches. Twigs and soil crack beneath a drumroll of boots. A squad of terrified sailors burst into view, Sarah at their helm. She gasps. 'Is that…?'

'Volibear,' I say. 'He's alive. The storm's keeping him together. He won, Sarah.'

'That's what victory looks like? Your land's even worse than Bilgewater.'

'Perhaps. Where's Quinn? Did she make it?'

'She's goggle-eyed and senseless, but unscathed. All she kept saying was "I'm alive" like it was a death sentence.' Kneeling beside me, Sarah whispers, 'Did she come out with anything?'

'You shouldn't have interfered.'

'She deserved you knowing.'

'We'd slept together long before this journey began!' I say through clenched teeth. Sarah's taken aback. 'You thought I needed an intervention to be honest with myself? I have a woman back in the Freljord, one I'm here to save!'

'Are you talking about Sejuani?' I nod. 'So you're trying to unite your country by sleeping with the enemy? Don't know whether I respect you more or less.'

'I love her, Sarah.'

'Then why do you gawp at Quinn like she's your reason to live?'

'I'm insatiable. I look at all women.'

'You don't look at me that way.'

My nerves are completely frayed. I nearly strike her. 'Maybe some people don't find you attractive, you painted warthog.'

'Eh, there's no accounting for taste. Why Quinn's into you is a fucking mystery. She could do far better.'

'She could, which is why you shouldn't have convinced her she was a threat to my relationship. She nearly killed herself to preserve it!' I know I'm transferring my guilt and I'm awful, but Sarah might have pushed Quinn over the edge with her meddling.

'She did what?' Sarah looks wounded. 'I just thought you had a chance at happiness.'

'In another life, perhaps.' I echo my prior thoughts. 'All I can do now is be kind, like you said.'

'I fucked up then.' She sighs. 'Won't be the last time.' We turn our attention to Volibear. 'I guess we should haul him aboard while he erm… you know.' She gestures vaguely. 'I'm scared we'll move him wrong and his heart will pop out.'

I wonder if he can hear our conversation. 'We'll have to do something or this island will...' I hear distant wails. The wind grows stronger. 'What's happening?'

Sarah's already pointing her guns at Karthus. 'I know that sound! It's one of your harvests! What are you doing?'

He says, 'If it isn't obvious, I'm cleaning up your mess.' Angry thralls blanket the sky. 'Did you see her moat? All those poor souls bound for the sake of appearance? Well, Kalista's no longer here to leash them.' Karthus draws power from below. The soil becomes chalk.

I say, 'Is that our cue to leave?'

'It is. I hope your vessel is quicker than it looks. I need a lot of time and energy to command such an audience.'

Karthus' defiling aura brushes Volibear. There's an earthquake as Volibear's regeneration rises to the challenge. His form is cloaked with lightning.

Sarah backs away, shielding her eyes. 'We have to move! All hands, lash Volibear to the hextech thruster!'

I shout over her, 'No! He's already given so much!'

'We have no choice!' While her men scramble, she presses her gun to my temple. 'Sorry, gorgeous, but I'd rather give you cause to hate me than convince you to come willing. Put your hands up.'

I have to concede. As Kalista's legion grows turbulent, I hear Karthus above the noise. 'We'll meet again, Ashe. You needn't rush to cross over. Take your leave.'

'Whatever your intentions, you've been a great help,' I say. 'Thank you.'

'Intentions are nothing. We may pull in opposite directions but all of us come to the same end. You simply need a little more faith.'

'Perhaps I do. Farewell.'

Sarah nudges me forward. I see her crew hauling Volbear's radiant form with a crusty net, a vulgar procession for a miracle. Even plague victims get a cart. I feel sick as the glow disappears into the hold. Sarah briefly strokes my hair, forgetting her role, but she recovers, driving her barrel into the sensitive bone of my jaw.

Stepping on board, I see Quinn, pale and sweaty, like a thief awaiting sentence. I can almost taste her. There are so many things I could express. Why does fate send such noble, yet susceptible, women to lay themselves down for me?

Sejuani, we've rescued your soul but I need you to rescue my heart. I snatch Anivia's egg away from Quinn. She surrenders her prize with an apologetic whimper. My palms roam across the vessel, desperately seeking Sejuani's warmth, but all I feel is cold eggshell.

Sarah claps me. 'Get a grip!' She pulls the nearest crewman. 'Oi! Secure this egg with the fragile goods. I don't care what, or whom, you damage to make room for it.' She addresses everyone. 'I need all hands below decks with hammers at the ready! Grab every piece of wood, smash all the furniture because this bitch is going to shake! Rafen, we've got the wheel. Hopefully, the two of us can prevent a swerve into the lich's opera. Quinn, tell your bird he's our lookout. Ask him to… I don't know, screech and flap in a direction if he sees danger.'

Valor circles the crow's nest. Quinn translates, 'He will.'

The spirits reach a crescendo. Sarah bellows, 'Everybody, move!'

Unfamiliar arms drag me to the hold. As I watch the sailor unravel the complex ropework lagging Sarah's treasure, my focus returns. I take up another corner. My hands work through the tough knots with ease. I'm good with patterns.

Once the chest is open, we dig through the padding, throwing aside ornaments and luminous artefacts. I find a burnt leather belt adorned with metal barrels. Not wishing to leave miniature cannons loose, I buckle them over my hips. I'd rather blow myself up than risk a hole in the ship. I'll stow the belt somewhere else or throw it overboard when the chance comes.

We close the lid on Sejuani's egg, a dumb container that feels as empty as before.

The ship vibrates. Rotten boards cough up nails and splinter. My organs quiver under my skin. I grab onto the nearest rope. A sound like a tun full of bees erupts into a dragon's roar. My legs fly out. I'm waving a like a flag, arms locked at full stretch.

I doubt any repairs are happening. Sarah's plan to keep us afloat was hubris. Volibear must have overloaded the thrusters. I pray to the storm that he's all right, if it listens to such as me.

The walls peel back. Water gushes in. As I turn to survey the damage, my grip rotates an inch too far. Sudden pain loosens my hand. I struggle to hold on but a lurch of the ship weakens my grasp.

I sail across the hold like I'm falling off a mountain. A splinter gouges my calf. The shock overrides the vertigo enough that I land feet first and roll into a brine-spattered Sarah. She disentangles our clutch, and rights herself by pushing off my chest. The warmth gushing over my leg overrides any discomfort. I think I'm haemorrhaging.

Sarah yells. 'We have to eject the thrusters!' Her nails dig into my skin. 'Come with me. There are two levers with two locks. We have to pull together.' She presses a hexagonal key into my palm. 'This is Rafen's copy. He's lashed himself to the wheel, the bastard. It should have been me but he's got fatter hands.' With a grunt, she rolls over the doorframe, dragging me by the wrist. We fall cheek to cheek as if we're dancing, a tradition I'd long envied in other countries. 'Oh shit, you're bleeding out. Wake up, Ashe. I need you with me.'

Her curls brush my lips. 'I'm with you.'

The Volibear-shaped thunderstorm is blinding, yet impossibly contained. Everything surrounding it is darkness. I can make out two giant levers above a metal web. The threads glow as different energies whirl together like oils in water. Sarah and I creep over the floor, knowing one false move could incinerate us. I'm growing faint as I reach my lever. The key turns with a low grind, ending with the percussive chime of iron snapping free.

Sarah notices my delay. 'What's happened, Ashe?'

'The key's broken! I can't…'

She draws her pistol and fires a volley that ricochets off the guard. Shrapnel peppers my skin, but the lock remains unbroken. Sarah's eyes bulge with terror. For the first and only time, she wordlessly begs another person to save her.

I duck my head in shame. I have nothing… except for this belt.

I've seen yordle alchemists in battle. These tubes propel the bearer forwards while spitting fire. Perhaps if I secure the belt around my waist and the lever then find a trigger…

Sarah notices what I'm doing. 'Ashe, you'll blow yourself to bits. Give me that!'

'We've no time!' I raise my chin. 'If I don't survive, tell Volibear to look after Sejuani, and Quinn to look after herself.'

'Ashe!'

I hit a pair of switches on opposite sides of the belt. Oxygen, blood and fire swirl together. My lungs empty. The belt crushes my back. As the smell of burning flesh reaches my nostrils, the lever snaps.

I land in a pile of machinery. My shoulder crunches on impact. I yowl in triumph as daylight falls across my brow. The horizon stretches out where the thrusters were mounted. Cool air sweeps through. The chill grows when I see Volibear's been ejected as well.

I crawl with one good arm, calling out his name. I half-notice a pair of hands urging stillness. I'm cold… so cold. For how long have I bled? I can hear Sarah's voice.

A valkyrie descends. Oh, she's lifting Volibear to heaven! Sweet Volibear, may you find peace at last, away from our turmoil and wickedness. I'm so sorry that I failed you.

His devotion is an anchor. The valkyrie strains to move him. Take me instead, if he can't let go! Commit my soul to the flames so he may live!

An eagle's cry breaks the spell. I see Valor, cawing for help while keeping Volibear's head above water. Collapsing into Sarah's arms, I mouth words, over and over, until I fall sleep.

According to Sarah, I'd been reciting "polar bears float" like it was a profound insight. She laughs about it now but without any real humour.