She holds,I hold, his hand tightly and I can almost feel the same touch the girl felt in this moment.
“There you two are!”A young voice teases, chestnut curls bouncing and swaying in the wind as he pounces on Florian.
Their laughs are full of life and joy. But once my eyes lock onto the boy, I gasp for air.Koen.
“You might be older, but you know I will always be the stronger brother.”Florian yanks Koen to the ground, and they tussle in the dirt.
“Knock it off!”I throw dirt at them, laughing in a way I haven’t heard me laugh. Or the girl laugh, before.
What is happening to me?This can’t be me.
“Ah, there you are, Spark.” Koen grins. His eyes glisten in the sun, and no scar is present on his lip.
He called me…Spark.
Is this my memory?
I rip my palm away, yanking my arm out of the fire as tears soak my cheeks. They cascade down my face, slipping off my chin and trickling along my neck. My eyes grow wide as I collapse to the ground, my knees trembling as I settle onto the steps.
My bottom lip shivers, staring at the blood that still puddles in my other palm, while my other hand is still bandaged. I heave, feeling my chest rise and fall. My heart races at a deadly speed, and I feel the room around me spin.
Through my blurred vision, I catch the Queen walking in, her eyes widening as she sees me on the ground, blood dripping on her pearly-white cobblestone floor.
“What did you do!” She fixes her crown before her hand catches herself against the couch, slowly walking up to me with hesitation. “Serene, what did you do?”
Her voice drops to a soft whisper, her eyes flickering to mine and the wound on my palm.
“What the hell are these stones?” I growl, raising my chin up to meet her dark forest eyes. “What are in these stones!”
“We don’t know.” She crouches, her hand resting against the ledges of the staircase. The language of the flames almost covers up her fair skin from her fingertips to her ear on her left side. More have been added since the last time I saw her.
These oracles are controlling her. The markings have scorched more of her body, leaving almost no room for more on her left side.
Whatholddo they have over her?
“What happened?” She leans closer.
“I touched them.” I choke on the words, the flashbacks of the memories I saw of the young girl are too much for me to bear.
This can’t be real.
“No one can touch them.” Her eyes soften. Her thin brows pull together. “The fire would have killed you the second your flesh made contact with it.”
“Untrue.” My jaw clenches as my knee shakes, snapping my gaze towards my palm. “I touched the stone and saw… memories.”
“Memories?” Her voice drips into a confused tone.
“Where is Florian? I must speak with him.” I push my body off, stepping down the steps past her and catch sight of Octavian at the door with the guards.
“You are not going anywhere yet.” The heels of her shoes echo behind me, and I can feel the hair on my neck rise.
“What the hell are you going to do to stop me?” My hair whips at my cheek while I snap my gaze over my shoulder towards her. I hear the guards’ metal clink against their spears, and without even looking, I know they are pointing them directly towards me.
“You sure do like to hide behind your guards.” My throat burns with a deep, violent rage.
She scuffs, raising her eyes to the ceiling. “I am the Queen, Serene. I feel as if sometimes you forget this.”
“You’re not my damn Queen.”
