He glances down at me despite the bright light hovering around my body, terror blazing within his emerald eyes. “I don't know,” he chokes out. “But I have you.”
“Grab the stone!” Florian shouts out. I can hear the panic breaking in his words. “I need to get her to the Vitaei waters.”
Through Koen’s heaving panting, he mutters out, “she could burn, scorching her body until there is nothing left but bones!”
“You still don’t believe me!” Florian bellows, making me flinch in Koen’s arms. “How can you not see that she isher?”
“You are going to get her killed!” Koen grunts, his biceps flexing as rage shoots through him. “You didn’t find anything in the archives that leads to her being the last Deskyiara. The Prophecy Queen. It’s a myth. A tale that our families would tell us for us to believe our Realms would one day be at peace. It's a lie!”
“You are going to get her killed,brother,” Florian hisses, mocking Koen. I groan with pain from the volume of theirscreams. “Look at her! She survived traveling through the Light Stone, without even a scratch!”
With every breath I inhale, a sharp dagger of pain shoots through me. I should stop breathing. It hurts to feel alive at this very moment.They need to stop fighting.I’m too weak to say anything.
“I was blind, as the elder said, I couldn’t believe it until now!” he barks, pointing with a trembling hand. "No one has ever traveled through the stones except a Royal! Now, the first stone pulses within her, its power coursing through her veins! This is destiny unfolding, the written ways of what our Gods told us would happen are happening right before us! This is what has been written, what must happen, and you are blind to see it! A war is coming, and we must be prepared!"
“Florian…” Koen's voice shakes, dropping into a hoarse whisper filled with dread. He clears his throat, almost holding in a faint cry that is on the edge of release. “If this is truly her, she won’t live long. There is darkness that is coming. I can take the pain away from her so she won’t have to face the brutal death that awaits her. You won’t understand…” Koen's voice shatters like glass, a raw sound that makes my heart seize. He clears his throat before a choked, tearful whisper escapes his lips. “It can’t be her.”
Darkness claws at my vision. I am fading fast. But I fear, I heard Koen correctly.Is he saying, kill me?My lips part to speak, but I am too weak to say anything. My tongue glides over my dried lips, my body shivering despite the heat that still pulses inside me.
“You’ve gone mad!” I hear Florian holler as my muscles begin to loosen and I let my arms fall, a high pitch ringing sound beginning to pierce my eardrums. “What are you even saying? How could you dare speak like this?”
“Keep her far away from me, promise me this!” Koen commands, his muscles shifting beneath my body. I feel Florian's gentle hands encircle me. “She must never be near me again,or she will die. I cannot protect her. Trust me, brother, do this for me. I beg of you.”
MY TOES TOUCH THE WATER first, sending a chill up my spine, followed by a slow immersion of my body as Florian still holds me close, guiding me into the shimmering waters of Vitaei. The light from the turquoise water dances across the darkness of the cave, radiating brightly against the shimmering crystals that have formed from the gradual erosion of the walls. Through my blurred vision, the crystals dance like tiny stars flickering against the dark sky. This place is beautiful. Now I understand why the Royals are only allowed into the Vitaei.
This place is kissed by their Gods. Perfectly created for the Royals.
It's quiet. Only a soft melody prances around the walls. A soft humming reminds me of the caves in Alaska. I should be nervous that once my body sinks into the water, I will be burned alive. But I don’t fear this, I embrace it.
The chilled water rushes over my body, sizzling as my arm becomes fully immersed into it.
I ache.When will this pain vanish from my body?
But through all of this,hehas yet to put me down. Yet to leave me. He has held me close through the traveling of the realms through the Light Stone. Has held me close through him sprinting across the Kingdom, ignoring the guards who yelledat him, ordering him to put me back into the dormitory. They followed us, I heard their boots as the Queen screamed at him.
As Skie screamed at him.
But he ignored them.
And took me straight here.
If I don’t burn from the waters of Vitaei, I fear the Queen might just have my head for this.
The surface glistens like a field of diamonds dancing in the breeze. I silently plead to myself,don’t burn, the thought echoing in my mind.
Don’t burn.
Don’t burn.
I feel too weak, too exhausted, to utter out a plea for Florian to stop, to spare me from the scorching water that awaits me, but it’s too late. He strides, the water rising to my chin and his footsteps creating ripples in the water that slushes around us. My hair floats gently on the surface, swaying with the rhythm of the small waves. My suit clings heavily to my skin, and I’m unsure if it will ever dry after this.
The liquid around me seems to simmer, tiny bubbles rising as if the water itself is coming to a boil.
“Am I burning?” My voice trembles, and a painful sound slips from my mouth. “Is this what happens to those who aren't royal?”
“No, Serene.” He takes his hand, gliding it across my forehead and pushing my strands out of my face. “You are not burning. You are not dying. You are safe.”
I look into his eyes, his amber tones lighting like a fire as he softly smiles. His golden hair still perfectly sways around his sharp jawline and down to his shoulders. The scar in his cornea is more defiant in the dark cave, and as I get lost in his melting eyes, I finally suck in a breath, feeling alive once more.
