Ereon coughs and blood drips from the corner of his mouth. “It’s okay, my queen.”
It’s not okay, it’ll never be okay. I can’t lose him. The room becomes darker, except for the fire in the hearth that casts shadows, and I hear Siphonie gasp from across the room. I turn my head to look at what has caught her attention as the moon completely swallows the sun.
“Eternal night,” Siphonie says, but I look back down at Ereon.
“You will not die like this, do you hear? Get up!” I scream at him, pressing down harder on the wound as his blood flows through my fingers. “I command you, as your queen, get up!”
“I love you,” he gasps. “Just let me hold you once more.”
I look to Siphonie, wanting her to tell me how to fix this, a way to heal his wound, but she shakes her head and so I lay my head against his chest. I listen as his heart beats in sync with mine, the ripple ebbing and flowing between us. His heartbeat slows and his breaths become more shallow. Running my hands through his beard, I conjure his magic within my hands and let it create snowflakes around us. Inside Shaston, a feeling of pure joy washed over me as I watched the snow fall, wrapped in his warm embrace, and I want him to feel that way now.
The sounds of men echo both outside and inside my castle, their hurried footsteps filling the rooms. A glance at Rhenor confirms that more are on their way.
My eyes flit towards the flames in the corner, and understanding overcomes me. His golden ripple swirls inside of me. I won’t let this be how our story ends, not when we’ve only just begun.
“Leave us. Go find somewhere to keep her safe,” I order Rhenor.
“But Naxa ...” Siphonie begins.
“No. Go. I can’t lose anyone else,” I plead. She bows her head and without another word, they leave.
Screams from my city below sweep through my room. The darkness surrounds me like a cocoon, and it’s okay because I always felt more comfortable underneath the watchful gaze of the moon anyway. Searching deep within myself, I grab onto the golden ripple inside, its glow flickering, and I clutch it with all my might. His heart is slowing, but I refuse to let him go. I know what to do. The thought of leaving him is unbearable. His slow heartbeat continues to echo in my chest, a reminder I’m not alone and we are not broken.
Then the beating falters.
Once.
Twice.
Then it stops.
A thrumming builds in my ears.
The screaming outside is snuffed out.
The thunder of boots ceases.
The world itself seems to hold its breath.
And then …
I shatter.
sixty
Thylas
Atlas stands with a toying smirk on his face, as if what he revealed shouldn’t cause everything I’ve known to change. But it does. I’m the only heir.
“I didn’t know Ereon wasn’t your son ... not officially anyway.” Anara’s words cross the room in a hushed tone. “So your only heir isn’t loyal to you.” She looks up at me with a guarded expression before turning back to Atlas. “How long have you known aboutEreon?”
“I had my suspicions. Ereon looked nothing like me at birth, and still doesn’t. His heart is too soft, he’s never had the temper I expected. Ereon always remained in control of his emotions, the ones I hoped would incinerate him. However, having Antalis’ ambassador as my heir, that’s interesting. When you arrived I felt it though, that fire — the anger. The one who was so in love with his charge he watched her marry another, I could feel the flames begging to be released. And yet you left her ...” He grabs a bronze cup from his side table, swirling the liquid inside of it before taking a sip. “We will come back to that little snafu because that’s a different problem soon to be solved. However, we need to complete your succession into my line.” He leans down, grabbing a vial of red liquid uncorking it.
“Just like that? I’ll be what? Prince of Shaston?” I ask, glancing toward Anara who subtly shakes her head no.
“Yes. It’s that simple ... drink this, we will say a few words, and then I’ll renounce Ereon.” He smirks at me, dumping the contents into the cup. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have everything your heart ever desired? You were denied so much when your mother hid you from me.”
“You told Reph to kill me. My mother hid me to protect me.” The rage inside of me blazes at the thought of the life I could have had, the life my mother could have had. The one where I would have been a prince. It would have been to Shaston’s cruel kingdom, but I would have wanted for nothing. My mother would have never needed to beg for scraps, my skin would have never been burnt by the sun. I would have had everything. While Ereon mightcomplain, he doesn’t know what it was like to grow up without any of the luxuries he had.
