Prologue
CASSANDRA, PRESENT DAY
Athousand years of running from fate should have prepared me for this moment.
A thousand years of waiting, of only hearing part of a prophecy that I knew would determine whether Atheria will rise again or fall forever.
A thousand years without the sister I had sacrificed everything for.
Yet at the beginning of the end of the Fates’ plans, I couldn’t run fast enough.
Fleeing the halls of this palace—this prison—became my singular focus as the earth trembled beneath my feet.I knew.One did not need to be a seer or a sorceress to know the gates of hell had been opened and evil now poured into our world.
Thames.
Every bone in my body rejected his presence as the tendrils of his power, ofourpower, permeated the cracks within the walls. Whispers of promises once sung, an unrequited love, searched desperately for me, attempting to trap me in his grasp. A thousand years of pain enduring the bond I wish could be severed.
The crimes I’d committed in the name of unconditional love for my mate were unfathomable. The years I spent tormented at the agony and evil in this world, the very evil I helped make far too powerful, haunted me. Some nights, it dragged me into a place deeper than the lowest bowels of the earth. Into void lands and utter darkness.
But I had righted my wrongs. I turned to something far more powerful than the dark magic on which Thames thrived: true love and sacrifice. Together, the two provided me with enough power to create a prison, trapping Thames in the void. I would not fall into his hands again.
The dark palace, nestled among the mountains of rock, lurked behind me as I mounted the chestnut stallion, already saddled in the stables. A calling pulled me forward as we made our way through the rocky terrain of Mount Legion. While it had been hundreds of years since I’d left the palace grounds, it did not matter.
The Fates’ unrelenting insistence lured me away from my home. It waged a war against the inexplicable urge to return to my mate. The strength it took to deny my bond threatened to knock me off my horse. I growled, holding in the scream building inside of me at the tension. I’d resistedhiscallings for a thousand years. The summons of a seer, though,mustbe obeyed. Ignoring the Fates was impossible, and even if I managed to, it could lead to dire consequences. A burden those chosen must bear.
“Faster, Phoenix.” Urging my stallion to move quicker, we navigated the dusty terrain, through forests of leafless trees. Intertwined branches lay bare in the eerie tunnels the landscape created, carving our path forward.
Beads of sweat dripped down my back as the setting sun shone the last of its rays on our perilous journey.
Where exactly the Fates wanted me to be remained unclear, but I knew we traveled toward destiny, a thread pulling me to my eventual end.
The winds warmed my cheeks the longer we traveled, lulling me into a false sense of security, begging me to rest along with the rhythm of my horse, despite the frantic speed. When my eyes pleaded to close, I forced them open. I would not let my body betray me now.
Hours passed. The sun moved across the sky, creating shadows of my figure on the dry paths. How much farther would it take to answer the Fates’ call?
Phoenix faltered more than once, until eventually, neither of us could travel any farther. My beautiful stallion collapsed upon the dirt, panting for air as I fell sideways off his back.
“We are safe. You did well.” I whispered reassurances to the steed, even if I knew we would never truly be safe while Thames roamed this plane. But for now, we had to rest. Just long enough for me to be able to heal the aching hooves of my companion.
The powers I shouldn’t have, ones that have been lost to the history books of old, allowed me to conjure the water deep within the ground to pool atop, granting my steed much relief.
Whispering the words of my long-forgotten ancestors, I opened my hands before me, summoning water for me to drink as well. I pushed past the exhaustion engulfing me, making my hands shake. Gulping down the cool liquid soothed the fire burning my lungs. My strength returned slowly, with every sip, and with every bite of the chewy fruit I found hidden in the saddle bags.
I closed my eyes, just for a moment to rest my weary soul, though I didn’t deserve it. The first time I ever slept peacefully occurred when that little prince healed in my quarters overnight after his father whipped him bloody. He didn’t know I lingered next to the bed in the late hours of night, soaking in hisinnocence as he recovered. He reminded me my power could be used for good. He reminded me, even with my evil past, there might still be hope if I could get him to his future.
His destiny had been determined by the Fates themselves.
When my eyes peeled open, the last rays of light were disappearing on the horizon. A caw echoed in the distance and reminded me we weren’t alone in this world. We had to press forward. I jerked my body up and dug down deep to find the will to continue.
Rubbing the neck of the horse, light emitted from the tips of my fingers, healing the unimaginable aching muscles of my friend.
“Just a little bit more,” I whispered, gently rubbing his mane. “We must keep going.”
He nuzzled my palm and huffed a breath in agreement.
“Let’s ride.”
The tendril of Fates calling grew louder and threatened to explode as we reached a jagged, rocky line in the ground. The mist, which once lay impenetrable over the void holding Thames in its grasp, had disappeared. In its place lay a colorless river of debris, soil, and deadened ground. The land completely and utterly drained of life. Thames had infested his prison exactly as he planned to infest the world—with death and destruction.
