Oro saw himself with his brother. Violet, the Wildling ruler, was right next to him. This was the moment Egan told him he wanted to abdicate.
“Ask the pool a question. See how events might have unfolded differently.”
Oro didn’t know who this woman was, or what this pool was, or if perhaps he was hallucinating due to lack of sleep, but he couldn’t help but ask the question that had haunted him his entire reign. Through every difficult decision. Through seasons of war and hopelessness.
What if Egan had never decided to abdicate as king?
In the pool, he saw a new future that very strongly resembled his past. Aurora inevitably found out about Egan and Violet’s affair. Shecast the curses out of heartbreak and betrayal. Thousands of people died, including Oro’s brother. Oro became king.
Another question, then—
What if Egan had never fallen in love with Violet?
The pool did not shift.
“In every possibility, they fall in love,” the woman said. “There was never any stopping it.”
Oro gritted his teeth and tried again.
What if Grim hadn’t found the heart of Lightlark for Aurora?
It was how she had cast the curses, using the Nightshade power trapped within the heart.
Finally, with that question, Oro saw a new series of events unfold. He watched as a furious Aurora swept through the castle, filling it with Starling energy. She killed Violet first—then Egan.
Then Oro, because he was with them.
At the death of its king, and Oro, the entire island crumbled and fractured, until it was nothing but ruin that sank into the depths of the sea. Until there was nothing left at all.
Oro tensed, blinking as the image in the pool cleared. His heart was racing.
“You see,” the woman said. “It would have led to even more bloodshed.”
It couldn’t be real. But he could feel the truth of it, in the pool. For so long, Oro had hated Grim for his role in the curses...
When his actions had actually saved the island. Savedhim.
No. There had to have been something that could have changed, to stop all of it. To have avoided the curses.
What would have happened if I never fell in love with Isla Crown?
The pool was still, Oro’s frown reflected in its waters.
“In every possibility, you fall in love with her,” the woman said. “As long as you meet her, you love her.”
Love. He closed his eyes against the memories.
Fine. He needed to ask a better question.
What would have happened if I never met her?
The pool shifted.
He saw himself exactly how he looked at the start of the Centennial. Hollow, cold. Closed off. Dying. And it only got worse through all the trials. Through the end of the Centennial. He never learned to thaw his heart.
The curses were never broken. They finally took their toll on him, and he died. The island died with him.
He ground his teeth, trying to find the right question to get the most ideal future. To finally see where they had all messed up, to bring themselves to their current circumstances.
