Quinn, Edward, Charlotte, Louis, Harvey, and Aaron all turned to face us. Imogen had brought them to see me.
Halting my steps, I turned to face him and Asher.
“A true Devenish Wizard, Kingston,” I reminded low enough for the others not to hear. “Not a guy whokind ofhas powers. Not someone who juststartedto discover his magic. Only a true Devenish Wizard can defeat Raithian.There is only one way the men in my family became as powerful as theSky Godsmeant them to be. Each king trained their successor… I only have him.”
“You can’t do this, Braxton,” Asher protested.
A heavy sigh sank my chest. “It’s the only way I can, Brother.”
“What in the Celestials’ holy name is going on here?” Imogen hissed, reaching us. “The entire floor can hear you arguing!”
“Can you talk some sense into the prince?!” the chief snapped. “He has lost all reason.”
“What is it you did?” she asked, her eyes dangerously narrowing on me.
“He wants to let Raithian train him,” Asher whispered, his gaze travelling over her shoulder to the others, who turned away, pretending not to see us.
A calculative look captured her expression, and she watched me, remaining silent for several seconds.
“I need a moment alone with the prince,” she finally declared, and I nodded, walking past the chief and my commander straight to my room.
“Stay here,” my mentor ordered the others when she walked by them, following me into Evie’s and my quarters.
“What did the Truth Teller tell you?” she asked the instant we were inside.
Taking a settling breath, I moved towards the mirror next to the dresser and began removing the arm shield.
“Spilling my blood is the only way to save this world. I will die destroying Raithian.” My gaze connected with hers through the mirror to find pain instantly spreading over her features. “I didn’t tell the others, only you, Imogen. I can only trust you with this.”
A million emotions battled each other on her face, and she swallowed, taking a few steps closer. Finally, her pain succumbed to the acceptance of a warrior. The acceptance of someone who had seen death far too often in her life and learned not to fight it. Defeated, she slowly nodded. “I understand.”
Turning away from the mirror, I dropped the arm shield on the chair by the corner and stopped before her. Before I could speak, her arms wrapped around me and hugged me so tightly that emotion burned my throat.
“Fighting beside you just like I did with your father will be the greatest honor of my life,” she vowed in my ear, and pulled away to look into my eyes. “I will gladly die beside you to fulfill your father’s dream and free our people. My spear and heart are with you, my prince.”
The strength her loyalty offered swept through me, giving me strength to face this head on, and I straightened to my full height. “Thank you, Imogen… Evanna can’t know about this. No one can.”
A sliver of pain returned to her gaze, but she nodded. “It’s not my secret to tell. I understand, more than you know.” Taking a steeling breath, she straightened too. “What else did the Truth Teller say?”
“I need to become a true Devenish Wizard to fight him, which means—”
“You need full control over your magic… and only Raithian can train you like he was trained,” she deduced, fully understanding my reasons like neither Kingston and Asher could.
Brief relief travelled through me, knowing she saw things the way I did. “I still have a chance to find the crown,” I added, because even if I knew how this would end, that didn’t mean I was just going to give up.
If life had taught me anything after everything that I went through in the Mirror World, it was that, whatever happened, I needed a plan B, C, D and whatever else I could form. It was the only way to feel like I was still in control of my life, and that wasn’t going to change now.
If I was going to give my life to save this world, I was going to do it my way.
“Of course,” she added without hesitation, and for a moment, I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. “We will start searching this afternoon.”
“Based on what Mom said, channeling all the pieces of theAnima Crystallummight give me instant control of this power—if my ancestors accept me as the holder, that is. Still, I can’t put all my eggs in one basket. If we can’t find it—”
“You need another way,” my mentor finished for me. “The Harbinger was a man of action. He always prepared for what could go wrong because something always did.” Her hand squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. “We learned not to question him, no matter how outrageous his plans were. Khayden knew to follow his gut, and he never steered us wrong. It is the reason we followed him blindly, just like we will follow you.”
“Thank you, Imogen,” I offered sincerely. She had been my father’s right hand, fighting by his side until the end. My now mentor had no idea how much her support meant to me.
A longing-filled smile curved her lips. “You are your father’s son, darling. If your gut tells you to let the Warlock train you, then that is what we’ll do. But we’ll prepare you for it.”
