‘Then we leave tomorrow. Viv, I need you to stay here. Watch over our people and protect our borders. Visarous, I need thatresearch done before we get back, and Geraldine, any reports from Cain that need to be actioned are at your discretion,’ I said, dismissing them all.
As they all walked out of the room and left me to collect my thoughts, I sighed into the din. It seemed this exhaustion would never lift. The onslaught was continuous. I felt as though I was caught in the rip of an ocean.
The only thing left to do was consult theOracle. Holding the grand door at the bottom of the library's hidden chamber, I took a deep breath to collect myself. There was something deep within me that feared what the book would reveal, considering what I had just discovered. But I couldn’t run from my future, and given the damage that fleeing from my past had caused, I knew no good would come of it.
The inside of the dark and damp room, cast in blue flames of light, glimmered on the jewels of theOracle, sending reflections of multicoloured light onto the stone walls. Bracing myself, I waged a war in my mind over what I would ask it. I knew what I should ask, but there was one thing I needed to be sure of first. As I opened theOracle, black smoke seeped from its pages as I contemplated the question I needed answered—a question I had asked a million times before, but until now, nothing had ever occurred to make me think the outcome would change.
How would King Sebastian’s death come to be?
Slowly, the images came into focus before me, but the first thing I noticed was the familiar feeling that pulsed from the pages into my bones. A feeling of peace and unbridled joy. Smiling, I knew as I looked at those pages that the future had not changed, and there it was. King Sebastian lay dead at my feet, my sword coated in his blood, and I was smiling.
I could have wept in that moment. I feared that everything that had transpired introduced too many new variables into the world, and I would lose this future. One that I have been desperately working towards for what has felt like my entire life.
I pondered these new variables, and the next questions bloomed in my mind without warning. It was a question I had intended to avoid asking, but theOraclelatched on before I could change the direction of my thoughts; there was only one thing on my mind.
What does the future hold for Demir, my enemy and my soul bonded mate?
As the black smoke dispersed, I saw him sitting in front of me. I outstretched my hand to him and he reached out to clasp it. Then the images swirled, and it was just us again, facing one another, our foreheads pressed together as we breathed heavy breaths, tension filling the air. Once more, the images swirled and then he was lying in my arms, lifeless. A guttural scream escaping my body. It sent a shiver down my spine. The images swirled again as I backed away from him, fear thrumming through my body. Again, the pages morphed, showing me sitting next to him as the sun set, holding his hand. Both of us were smiling as I leaned my body into his. Again, the images began to swirl, but before they could focus on a new image, I slammed the book shut. The edges of the panic crawling its way up my spine.
TheOracleonly did this when it could not clearly see the way forward; instead, it threw out every possible variation of different points in the future that may or may not happen. It did not know because I did not, and likely Demir himself did not know what to make of all this. No single reality had truly been set in motion yet. He did not even know that I felt the connection—not as he did—but it had snapped into place the moment I could hear his thoughts. Would his knowing solidify any kind of outcome? The risk was too high to test the theory.
I shook my head, banishing all thoughts of the man to whom I was inexplicably tied, the one who made my skin ripple with disdain. I considered what Sienna and I needed to do, whether our journey to the Wiccans would be successful and safe, and then opened theOracle.
The black smoke pooled on the floor along the edges of thedais, and there I saw Sienna and me standing before the five Elders, including Sienna’s mother. I felt anger—my anger—roiling through me as I stood next to Sienna in this scene.
Closing theOracle, I was content, at least, with the fact that Sienna and I would arrive safely. What the cause of the anger was would be unravelled soon.
Nineteen
As queen, I had many people who would willingly fawn over me and ensure I never had to lift a finger, but that had never been something I was comfortable with. I filled a pack with some spare clothes and extra weapons, then stared at the empty space left in my bag as I pondered what to bring the Wiccans as a gift for their insights. The Elders did not crave coin; instead, they desired loyalty, and one demonstration of loyalty was a sacrifice of some kind. The gift would have to be something I didn’t want to part with.
I chose my sister’s necklace. Where I always wore gold, her favourite was silver. At the bottom of the long chain was a hollow sphere that was as intricate as lace. Inside sat what looked like a pearl, except that if it moved just right, it emitted a soft bell chime. I placed the dark blue velvet case in which it lay into my pack. Tightening the sheath of my sword around my side, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was ready; I looked like an assassin in dark leathers, with blades strapped to every square inch of space I could find that wouldn’t impede my movement, and a hooded cape that rested on my shoulders, helping to keep the chill from the wind at bay.
I heard a knock at the door and saw Visarous step into the room, gently closing the door behind him. He looked at me uncertainly. My veins thrummed lightly, as the flame always did in Visarous's presence. It could sense that he was hiding the truth of his feelings from me. Every conversation was a dance of how honest he could be with me. Even when it seemed he was running at me without any reservations, he was always holding part of himself back. He was protecting some part of his heart.
‘My Queen. I wanted to talk to you about the dark magic in the Ancient Forest. I think… I think we should find a way to use it against Morgad before Sebastian can use it against us.’
I looked at him, raising an eyebrow, confused by his words. ‘Visarous, you do realise you are a Spirit Caster? Your whole purpose is to separate the light from the dark, and now you want me to use it when we don’t even know what it is? Have you lost your mind?’ I asked.
He shook his head as he sucked on his lip, carefully considering what words to choose. ‘I don’t care, Skylar. I don’t care if it goes against everything I have dedicated my life to; I would abandon the cloth in an instant if it meant protecting the people I love—protecting you,’ he said as he stepped towards me, clasping my hand.
I peeled his fingers off me. ‘Visarous, we spoke of this. Enough. Now, as for the darkness that lurks in the forest, I think it unwise. Let us first see what the Wiccans have to say before we consider anything as unpredictable as using dark magic. The risk is too high. Nothing is worth unlocking unknown evils in our lands.’
‘You’re worth it. The threat is too significant to not be considering this now. Please, just tell me you’ll think about it, Sky. I don’t want anything happening to you,’ he said, biting through his lower lip.
‘Enough, Visarous. I need to get ready to leave with Sienna,’ I said, pushing past him. Visarous’s fingers grazed my hand beforehe grabbed me around my waist and pulled me back into his chest. He nuzzled himself into the crook of my neck and my hair as he inhaled deeply, savouring my scent.
‘Visarous,’ I bit out as I stood there rigid, fighting the temptation to melt into the familiar comfort of his arms and seeking a distraction from my reality while also feeling a prickle trail over my skin, telling me this wasn’t our person. This soul bonding was starting to sink its claws into me.
‘Do one thing for me on this trip, Skylar,’ he said, trailing his other hand up my forearm, making my skin shiver. ‘Think of me every night as you stare up at the stars, think of me as your eyes close and you lose yourself to dreams of me. Let me consume your mind, remember the feel of my fingers trailing your skin. Remember the heat of my breath in your ear and the sound of my voice as I call your name. I want to consume your every thought, the way you consume mine. Then come back to me. Come back home to me and tell me you were wrong. Tell me you want me in every way that I want you,’ he breathed, before stepping away and leaving the room.
I stood there for a while, unmoving trying to steady my breath. No man had ever spoken sweeter words to me, and I knew then that I would do exactly what he had asked. I would think about this moment every second I was away from these halls, but not because I wanted to; but because every word he uttered brought Demir flashing through my mind. I was truly losing it, and I needed to find some way to break this bond.
Geraldine slippedme a note from Cain before we departed. Sienna and I rode for eight hours without stopping. My girl Vixen could have kept running for another ten, but Sienna’s girl, Calliope, did not have the same stamina. We found ourselves just outside the Forest Fae territory within my lands. We had notsent word ahead, as we didn’t want anything to leak to our enemies. It meant we had to be cautious in case anyone felt threatened and decided to attack first and ask questions later. The Forest Fae were notoriously skittish. There was a reason they had lived deep in the trees for so long. They did not trust easily. That is why my mother’s alliance with them was so poorly received. It had never been done before, and Fae on both sides were apprehensive, to say the least, about whether it could truly be a success. But here we were, with the alliance holding strong to this day. That is not to say we haven’t had our fair share of challenges and moments of tension.
When I first ascended the throne a year ago, we teetered on the brink of civil unrest once more, as the Forest Fae knew me only from the stories they had heard of my ruthlessness on the battlefield. They thought of me as a bloodthirsty killer; they were not wrong. However, it took me some time to convince them that I was more than that. It took two months of visits and peace talks before it was finally decided to maintain the alliance. The deciding factor in their decision not to attack was their fear of me. After my sister was slaughtered, I went back to the now retreated Morgadian army camp in the dead of night. I burnt it all down while they slept, all one-hundred and fifty soldiers dead at my hands. Those that managed to flee I hunted down and by day break their bodies were in pieces. It eased the grief, but only slightly.
Sienna began unravelling her sleeping furs. There would be no fire so as to remain inconspicuous. She brought out a pouch of wine as we indulged in some bread and cheeses.
