The beam of golden light lost its target when the space pocket shattered.
It swayed. The golden color of the sky receded—no, they didn't recede. As Hex observed the changes, he noticed the gold of the sky enter the beam of light. The beam strengthened further and, with a snap, locked onto something else.
With a start, Hex realized the beam's eagerness to fuse with the threads around Althea. As soon as the beam moved away, he also sensed a collapse of Strings near the Queen. She aged at a rapid speed. The Queen lay in the snow, her life force diminishing. The King struggled to get on his side, grappling her hand. He wept. At that moment, he seemed nothing more than an ordinary old man in despair to Hex.