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The moment Dreth’s foot touched the portal to the Soul Cairn, the mercenary cried out, staggering back and falling to her knees.“Mina!” Serana immediately leapt forward, taking the stairs two at a time as she rushed to her side. “Are you all right?” There was no reply, but her head quickly bobbed once, and Serana took that to mean there was no serious damage. “That looked painful.”As she drew closer, she took note of Dreth’s contorted expression and the beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead—and of the fact that in the midst of her worry, she’d addressed her by her first name. That was something she’d never done before.“It was,” Dreth gasped out, her voice ragged. “What was that?” The wheels had been turning in Serana’s head since the instant she’d heard Dreth’s cry of pain, and now, she winced as the entirely obvious explanation occurred to her too late.“I…should have expected that,” she admitted. “Sorry.”“Expected what?” Dreth demanded. Planting a hand on the ground, she hauled herself to her feet, swaying heavily as she did so, and Serana fought the urge to reach out and steady her.“It’s…well, it’s hard to describe,” she began, adjusting the pin of her cloak instead. “The Soul Cairn is…hungry, for lack of a better word. It’s trying to take your life essence as payment.”Dreth heaved a long sigh. “So what are you saying, then? There’s seriously no way in?”“There might be,” Serana said, her mind racing. “Vampires aren’t counted among the living. I could probably go through there without a problem.”“Guess that rules me out, then,” Dreth muttered with a snort. “Any other way?”“Well, it wants a soul, so we always could just give it yours,” she chuckled dryly—only to cringe at Dreth’s unamused expression. “My mother taught me a trick or two,” she rushed to clarify. “I could partially soul trap you, and then offer that gem to the Ideal Masters. It may be enough to satisfy them—but it would make you weaker when we travel through the Soul Cairn.” She sighed, dragging a hand across her face. “I don’t know. There’s got to be something. Let’s search the lab further, maybe there will be some sort of clue—”She was already stepping back in the direction of the main chamber, but she was cut off as an armored hand closed over her arm. Startled, she turned to meet Dreth’s steady red gaze.“Forget it,” the mercenary demanded. “Just do it.”For a moment, Serana thought she was joking—but Dreth never joked. She blinked, confused.“I…” Suddenly, she found herself speechless. “Are you sure? I’m willing to do it, but…you need to think it through. You’ll remain mortal, but you’ll find yourself weakened within the Soul Cairn. We might be able to fix that once we’re inside, though—maybe.”“I’m sure.” Dreth’s gaze was unwavering. “Soul trap me.”Serana took a deep breath as she began to nod. “All right. I…know this is difficult for you. I promise to make it as painless as possible.” It may have been her imagination, but she thought she saw the mercenary’s face soften just a little. “I’d never do anything that could hurt you.”Dreth sighed, her eyes briefly flickering shut, and her grip on Serana’s arm tightened ever so slightly before falling away.“I’m ready,” she said stiffly. “Just get it over with.”Serana exhaled. “Hold still,” she instructed. Flexing her fingers, she readied the spell, but as she prepared to cast it, she hesitated. Dreth stood calmly before her, hands hanging by her sides, and although her brow was furrowed, her face was otherwise serene. Biting back the words on the tip of her tongue, Serana steadied herself and released the spell.Dreth gave a sharp gasp, and her face seemed to fade to a paler shade of ash. “Are you all right?” Serana couldn’t resist asking, and Dreth frowned as she nodded.“Fine. Can I get through now?”“You shouldn’t have any problem.” Serana gestured toward the portal. “Shall we? My mother must be waiting on the other side of that thing.”Dreth turned without another word and stalked forward into the portal, disappearing without a hint of resistance. Serana followed close on her heels, suddenly unburdened by the apprehension she’d been feeling since Dreth had joined her on this quest. Her companion was hard to read: blunt, aloof, and at times downright rude. But her ears were still ringing with the unspoken words that had accompanied Dreth’s suggestion of going through with the soul trap: I trust you.