I look out at the sea of kneeling figures and know he's right. Nothing could have prepared me for this.
That's when one figure stands.
The first thing I notice is how she moves—confident without being threatening, like she's used to being looked at but doesn't need the attention. Dark skin, hair that shines in the morning light. There's something familiar about her, though I know we've never met.
She walks forward alone, and I tense slightly—but then she makes herself smaller somehow. Not like she's afraid, just... careful. Like she knows everyone's watching and doesn't want to spook me.
When she's close enough to speak quietly, she says, "Looks like someone forgot your throne, sweetheart."
I blink, startled. "Do I know you?"
She smiles, and some of the tension in my shoulders eases. "Not yet. But I have a feeling we're going to be good friends. I'm Zira, by the way."
"I'm Bree," I manage, though something tells me she already knows that.
Behind me, I hear Theo make a small sound of agreement. When I glance back, he's nodding slightly, that knowing look in his eyes.
I don't know why, but that doesn't worry me the way it probably should. There's something about her—the way she's looking at me like I'm a person instead of whatever these other people think I am.
I feel that pull again—the same one I get around Thane and Stellan and... Wes. But where the others make me feel uncertain or overwhelmed, this feels... steadying. Like recognition without the weight.
"We've come from all over," she continues, gesturing back toward the crowd without taking her eyes off me. "Different paths, same call. The Ether, it... pulled. And we followed."
"I don't understand," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
"You don't have to understand it yet. You just have to feel where it's leading." Her smile softens. "They want to hear from you, you know."
The thought sends ice through my veins. "I don't have anything to say."
She tilts her head, and for a second, I think she might laugh. But her expression stays gentle. "Say that, then. Say anything. You don't have to command the room. Just let them know you see them."
I look back at the others. Rhett nods once, firm and steady. Jace gives me an encouraging smile even though I can see the worry in his eyes. Gray's expression is unreadable, but he's not moving away. Theo's still smiling that knowing smile.
Wes looks scared, but when our eyes meet, he nods too.
"You got this," Jace whispers.
Do I?
I don't feel like I've got anything. I feel like a girl who was eating breakfast twenty minutes ago and now has a hundred strangers staring at her like she's supposed to save them from something.
But they're all looking at me. Waiting.
And maybe... maybe that's enough.
I take a step forward.
The crowd shifts slightly, attention sharpening, but no one stands. No one speaks.
Another step. The mist follows, curling gently around my feet like it's trying to give me courage.
By the time I reach the edge of the stone terrace that overlooks the lawn, my heart is pounding so hard I'm sure everyone can hear it.
Behind me, Zira's voice is quiet but clear. "That's it, babe. Just let them see your eyes."
I open my mouth to speak.
Chapter 30
