“It will. I am certain.”Koen places his hand on the door, and it opens with the sounds of metal scraping against metal.
“I warned her not to go near you again,”my father snaps at him, allowing my mother to walk through the doorway first.“Foolish girl.”
A blue-flamed wall circles around a sword, with five stones resembling the ones that fell from the sky with the horses. But this is before the horses fell. This is before the war. The oracles, three of them, stand firm with long canes in hand, pointed with a red stone hovering in the middle. The one with blonde curls, her eyes hidden by a golden crown that arches around each side, walks forward.
“We warned you, King Deskyiara. We told you she would die on the day of a battle.”The oracle speaks gently.
“There is no war!”the King screams, laying my body on a raven-black bed, surrounded by molting lava.“Save her.”
“Does he know the cost to have her live?”She glances towards Koen. The sobbing sounds of my mother and Tilly make my insides tug apart, my heart breaking into pieces. I died. I see my lifeless body. My soul… gone.
“I do.”Koen strides forward fearlessly.“My heart shall be hers. Forever. I shall forever wait for her on the other side.”
No. No, this can’t be.
The oracles begin to form a circle, their hands cuffing a blue flame, crafting a heart with their magic. One lifts the lava, forging it into blood to run through the heart. My heart.
“She shall have the magic of fire coursing through her.”The one oracle with midnight-black braided hair speaks.“The fire will consume her if she doesn’t fulfill what is to come.”
“What does that mean?”My mother’s voice cracks as she wipes away her tears.
“You will never see her live.”The oracle slams the cane against the ground while the other oracle takes the sword with the stones to Koen’s heart. His eyes, my favorite part of him, close. He falls lifelessly to the ground as she holds the light from his heart. It’s bright, sparkling a bright, golden hue as she lets it hover across the air, colliding with the heart they crafted for me.
The heart hovers over my chest before falling inside me. Then, I rise, gasping for air. Darklings rush out in every direction, taking Koen’s lifeless body as I try everything in my power to reach him. Tears run rapidly down my cheeks as I scream out for him.
The darklings take their thin, lengthy hands, ripping the King’s and Queen’s heart out of their chests as I hear a heart-wrenching cry so powerful, it creates ripples of air, knocking me out as everything goes dark.
MY CLENCHED EYES OPEN, GASPING for air as I claw at my neck. I vomit. My throat burns as I cough, trying to catch my breath and steady my heart. My back is hunched over as tears soak my cheeks, and I slam my hand against the ground.
“You knew all along!” My face turns a cherry red as I yell, feeling the blood boil inside me. The dragon,Koen, rips a bellowing roar that shakes the rocks beneath me. “Why didn’t you try killing me when we were hiding in Seattle?”
“Because I needed you to find the stones.” Her eyes fall to my arm. “They would have never shown for me, but they would for you. If I killed you… the stones would have never been found. The power of the blood moon would have never been captured.”
“You are worse than the Queen that rules now.”
“That’s a compliment.” She flicks her hand, and the blue wall of fire disappears. “I have always been the stronger sister. I should have beenchosen.”
“Yet, the Gods chose me. Father chose me,” I snarl. “Not you.”
Her thin brows lift as her lips pull into a pleased grin. “There you are, Sister. There is the Serene that Koen once loved, the way he loved thatsparkinside of you. Too bad loving you killed him.”
“You're disgusting. And Father blamed Koen for killing me.” My lip rises, fire beginning to flicker against my palms as I rise before her. Rise before my sister who betrayed me. “Whenyouwere the one who killed me.”
Chapter 32
“Wielding from the Gods can only happen when the rage inside of a Fallen Ember is at its peak. Their insides scorch like a fire that once blazed the Realm of the Darklands. If a descendant of the Gods wields from the Gods too much, they can lose the light inside their heart.” - Book of Azure
“YOU WERE TOO WEAK TO take the throne! It was supposed to be mine!” she bellows, the blue fire flickering in her palms as she hovers her other hand over it. “All I had to do was control Father’s, Mother’s, and Koen’s minds into thinking he was the one that took the dagger to your heart.”
“I always knew you would betray me.” My lip curls in disgust. “Why the Gods gave you, out of all the Deskyiaras, the ability to wield minds, I will never know. They should destroy you for what you have done. You created this war! Not Koen.”
“No.” She takes a violent step towards me, her heels tapping against the rock. “Your love for Koen created the war. Mother’s heartbreak of losing you, not being able to see you live, cursed the Realms. Everything is because ofyou.”
My head violently shakes. “You are wrong!”
“There you go, never wanting to believe the truth!” She cracks her neck. “You were going to betray the Realms and run away with Koen. You were going to leave Florian weak and alone. You were going to leave your family! You know the Realms consider that treason!”
“I could have never been Queen without Koen!” My eyes burn as the fire flickers in my palms, the wind picking up speed around us. “You always knew, and you took all the secrets I told you for your own good!”
