Though evil will free and be bound no more,
Fate still awaits one final war.
The rain soaked through my clothes, plastering my hair across my face as the storm continued to crescendo until it hit a deafening peak. I stepped up to my sister, grabbing her. The moment we embraced, a surge of power passed between us, claiming our bodies for itself.
This was where we were supposed to be.
Nature demanded it.
The Fates commanded it.
All at once the wind stopped, the rain ceased, and an eerie long-awaited finality settled over me.
With gazes locked, Vivienne and I spoke in unison the words flowing in my mind. Revealing together the final piece of the puzzle to rid the dark magic plaguing our lands all these years by my own hand.
Banish all ties to darkness with light,
If any remains, so will this plight.
In the end, a willing sacrifice of life
Will trigger events to cease this strife.
For the loss of love will heal what’s torn
And allow this world to be reborn.
Chapter 1
Lana
My grip on Onyx’s reins tensed as I doubled over, fighting back the nausea and pain that had become a near constant companion on this hellish escape.
Sweat beaded against my forehead as the ache pulsed somewhere deeper than any physical wound could travel.
Images flashed in my mind. Kade.My Kade.Crawling across the stone floor to get to me instead of paying attention to Thames materializing into this world.
“I love you, Illiana.”
I whimpered, not from my own pain, but from imagining what Kade was going through.
A strong hand wrapped around my own.
But it wasn’t the hand I wanted.
Still, a now familiar heat flickered across my tight grip, urging it to loosen.
I inhaled through my nose, sharp, staccato sounds as I fought the torrent of emotions flooding me. Ones of pain. Of frustration. Of anger.
My name is Illiana Dresden, the rightful Queen of Brookmere, and I am stronger than the darkness threatening to overtake our world.
I managed to inhale one steady breath. Then another.
The warmth traveled upward from my hand, dulling the pain enough to allow me to sit straighter. I glanced at the man beside me, who wore the same haunted emotion distorting all of our features.
At first Storm reassured me Kade would be all right, but after a day and a half of lending his strength, even his began to wane.
I closed my eyes before pressing my knees into Kade's horse to urge him onward.
