“Then why am I doing it?”
“Only you can answer that.” Her smile is understanding. “But I suspect it’s because you know you have to. Not because someone’s forcing you, but because it’s who you are.”
I think about the chamber waiting for me, about Riley’s face in the mirrors, about the choice that’s been building since the moment I first touched the crown.
Mairen’s gaze drifts across the small homes I built with Ether, families asleep inside—Feeders who found sanctuary here after centuries of injustice. Her voice softens. “And for them. To give them a fighting chance.”
The weight of that responsibility settles on my shoulders, heavier than the choice itself. All these people who look to me, who believe I can somehow make things better. Maybe I can. Maybe that’s what the Oath is really about.
“The guys will be furious that I went alone.”
“Probably.” Mairen’s smile turns slightly mischievous. “But they’ll understand eventually. Some things have to be faced alone first, before they can be shared.”
She stands, brushing off her shawl. “My grandmother had one more thing to say about that story.”
“What?”
“The boy who was consumed—he went in believing he knew exactly what he wanted. But he never asked her what she wanted.” Mairen’s eyes meet mine. “Maybe that was the real mistake.”
The words hit something deep in my chest, a truth I hadn’t considered. The mist around my feet stirs, responding to the shift in my understanding.
Riley is not a thing to be taken. She is someone to be asked.
“Don’t make yourself smaller for anyone,” Mairen says, echoing her earlier advice. “But don’t forget that power shared is often stronger than power hoarded.”
I stand, feeling steadier than I have in days but also more uncertain. “Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. Just remember—whatever you choose in that chamber, make sure it’s truly your choice. Not what others want from you, not what you think you should want. Yours.”
I nod, then turn toward the path that leads away from the sanctuary. Away from Rhett sleeping in my bed, away from the others who would try to protect me from this.
Toward the chamber. Toward Riley. And whatever I’m meant to become.
“Bree,” Mairen calls softly.
I turn back.
“Trust yourself. You’re stronger and wiser than you know.”
The words wrap around me like a blessing as I walk into the pre-dawn darkness, following the pull I can’t ignore any longer.
The chamber has been waiting. So have I.
A cold breeze stirs the air around me, carrying something that feels like whispered promises. For just a moment, I swear I hear a voice—low, intimate, familiar.
“Trust yourself, Little Queen. Take what’s yours.”
Ethos’s voice sends a shiver through me. But now, it feels like permission.
Like someone finally understands what I deserve.
Chapter 37
Bree
My heartbeat echoes in the silence, too loud as I stare at my reflection in the ornate mirror.
The frame is tarnished silver that flows in twisted curves and spirals, rising to sharp points like horns. It’s almost identical to the hand mirror I found in the Sanctuary garden—the one that showed me eyes glowing red, then black as endless night. This one is larger, more elaborate, but unmistakably from the same source. The metal should be dirty after ages in this ancient chamber, but it’s pristine, like someone just polished it moments ago.
