When we entered, Everett was strapped to a table with a cloth in his mouth, unable to speak. Sienna was hunched over a book, chanting. As her chanting grew more intense, Everett began to thrash and scream. Demir tried to step in front of me to rush to Everett’s side, but I pulled a dagger faster than he could move and pressed it into his side.
‘Patience, princeling. She’s not hurting him; she’s unbinding his magic. It’s uncomfortable and a touch painful, but he will be better off once those magical constraints he has used to keep his powers suppressed are unlocked.’
‘How do you know that’s what she’s doing? You didn’t even know Nomadie existed a day ago.’
‘The spell remains the same—no matter who orwhatthe subject is.’
Everett’s groans subsided as Sienna approached me, explaining, ‘He’s powerful, but not powerful enough to make a dent in what is to come.’
‘What did you uncover?’ I asked as I moved towards Everett and took the cloth from his mouth so he could catch his breath. Demir took that as a sign and unbound the straps on the table.
‘Healing and elemental magic, mainly. Nothing that stretches to what we know Nomadie can do. It makes sense, given that we assumed there weren’t any left. His blood must be incredibly diluted.’
‘Understood. He’ll be staying with you for the remainder of his time here. I’ll have guards posted out front. Let me know if you two can come up with a way to stop this darkness from infecting our lands.’
Everett shot up at that order. ‘No, I refuse.’
‘Would you rather sleep in the dungeons or in this office? Do you think I would really allow you and your princeling to be together within my walls? I still don’t trust you. Princeling, you’re with me.’ Demir stifled a laugh at his friend’s incredulous face.
As we made our way to the library, Demir walked in silence. Some part of me itched to know what he was thinking, but I dared not speak first. Instead, I lightly brushed my fingers against the back of his hand. That instant, calm washed over me; it was the soul bond satisfied by his proximity.
What an interesting creature…
Part of me wanted to probe deeper into those words, but we made our way to the back of the library before I could properly process his thoughts.
‘I don’t trust you to be left alone within my walls, so you will come with me. What you are about to see is never to leave your lips. No one other than the royal line has ever set eyes on what I am about to show you.’ Without waiting for a reply, I broughthim down the deep, dark, hidden corridor until we reached the familiar ornate wooden door. Demir was enraptured by the dragon figures that guarded it.
TheOraclesat there waiting for me; there was a comfort I found in that. It was the one constant since my rule began.
Demir was visibly perplexed by the book that sat before him and the blue flames that covered the walls.
‘A lot nicer than your book, isn’t it? And bigger, too,’ I mocked.
‘What is this place?’ he asked, stepping closer to touch theOracle. I slapped his hand out of the way just as a single thought of his flitted into my mind.
Old friend.
‘What do you mean by “old friend”?’
Demir’s eyes shot back up to me in shock for a moment before he remembered my newfound talent. ‘The book. Its energy feels almost familiar; it feels like it’s calling to me. May I?’
‘It’s the bond; your soul echoes mine, and so it sees a piece of me in you.’
‘How did you come across this book?’ Demir asked, looking from it to me, his curious eyes making my insides clench. Those eyes were dangerous.
‘When I ascended and first entered this chamber, there was a note left beside it with the history of this book. The gift of the Skin Seepers led us to become a deceptive bunch, and when one of my ancestors came across a great and powerful being, she used her ability to appear as if she were a distant but uncanny relative of her deceased lover. She tricked this being into sharing her gift of foresight with her because she didn’t want to die. So the being created theOracleso that the person who shared the same eyes as her lost lover could outrun death, wanting just a piece of him to remain in this world.’
‘That’s horrible—to use someone’s emotions like that,’ he breathed, shaking his head.
‘It is not unlike how I sought to use you in this war,’ Ipointed out, struggling to maintain eye contact as a shred of shame threatened to lick up my spine.
‘I’m sure there are more creative ways you could use me, Princess.’ Demir smirked before turning away and opening the book. Nothing happened, but he was not wholly me; it was never going to react the same. No black smoke and no images appeared. It was blank. He seemed confused by its lack of contents. As I stepped forward, the black smoke began to leach from its pages. Demir stepped back, his eyes darting around as he tried to comprehend what he saw.
‘Show me the way forward. Show me what to do. How do I end this before it begins with minimal bloodshed?’
Slowly, the smoke cleared, revealing a single scene before me: Demir and I in the Ancient Forest, surrounded by darkness, hand in hand. Tears rolled down his face as a smile spread across my own. I felt it; for the first time, I truly felt the emotion in those pages—it was love. In this moment, surrounded by death, I adored this man. A man I was now struggling to loath.
‘I don’t see anything. Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost, Princess? What do you see?’ he asked, rounding on me and grabbing me by the arm to pull me from this trance. As hard as he shook me, I could not tear my eyes away from the pages. Demir went to slam the book shut to break the spell I had fallen under, but the book let out a shrill screech that filled every bit of space in that small underground room. Demir went to pull his arm back, but I forced it down, holding it as I watched the images clear and words take their place.
