Anara comes running up to my side. “You didn’t …”
I nod my head, confused by her words.
“What the whore just figured out is an answer to a question I’m sure her people have wondered about forever. Why does the Kingdom of Shaston never get a more agreeable ruler? Well, you see, it’s because before the end of this day — you won’t be completely you anymore. You’ll inherit the traits of your forefathers and we will let all that rage you’ve always had unleash in a forceful conflagration. Those born with fire have always been a little hotheaded. At first, it will be difficult. The virtue still left in your heart will fight him, but you were born for this. The darkness inside of you will take over. Italways does. Fun little ritual Khaysus gave me to make sure I could cause as much destruction as possible. It only works on blood heirs though, as long as the heart still beats.” He shrugs. “Glad I found one who agreed so willingly.”
“Oh, don’t look so sad,” Atlas continues as he walks to his throne. He takes off the crown and places it on the table beside him. “You’ll have everything you ever dreamed of.”
My fingertips tremble before they ignite; I feel so foolish. I stand on shaky legs. My heart beats stronger as something swirls inside of me. But it’s my anger that I lean into. It simmers like molten lava, begging to be unleashed.Let it go.And I do.
sixty-one
Carnaxa
“Upon the day the moon turns bright, the loyal heir’s death awakens eternal night. The waters will rise and the fires will blaze, then only the sacrificed can save.”
The prophecy loops endlessly in my head as I reach for the boundless power of the sea. I let its power flow through me in torrents, surrounding me until the world is a hazy blur.
Sadness and rage churn inside of me like the stormy waters I now command. Among the chaos, the golden ripple that I hold so dear. Fragile and luminous inside my grief. I won’t let him go, andif this is the only part of his soul that I have, all that remains of what we are, then I’ll carry it with me forever. I stand on the balcony listening to the screams of my people, the ones I love so much. Those who have shown me kindness and love. While my mother’s people turned against her, mine never have. I can hear the clash of swords as they fight against the ShastonPrel. They fight without knowing I’m even on their shores.
“It won’t be the end, but a beginning.”
A new beginning. My mother created a new cycle with her sacrifice and her power. She created something different, a new chance, a way to make things better. “The sacrificed can save” was foretold, and if that’s the case, I’ll sacrifice everything.
Magic courses through me, wild and powerful in my veins. A smile curls my lips as thew?ngeskrises in the distance. Its dark form cuts through the cresting waves, drawn to my call and untamed power surging within me. It’s ready and willing to do whatever I request.
Past thew?ngesk, the sea stirs to life with the creatures my mother blessed, gathering along the edge of the shoreline. Shaston may think they have taken over my kingdom because they’ve seized our soldiers, but they failed to realize that something far older has always been here. The ones who dwell beneath and soar above, and now they heed the call of my magic.
The squid use their tentacles to drag Shastonian soldiers into the watery depths; the birds confused with the commotion race through the sky, their cries piercing the cacophony as they dive for a meal with talons as sharp as blades. The waters stir with purpose,my magic weaving into every ripple, every wave, and every creature. A symphony of destruction.
I glance back, knowing more soldiers will flood this room soon. I pray that Rhenor and Siphonie are safe, I know he will protect her no matter what happens. Ereon’s blood stains my hands. I stretch my trembling fingers outward, letting the power I’ve summoned flow into me in shimmering ribbons of silver and gold intertwined with deep cerulean.
The sea beckons me — like a song I’ve always known — calling me home.
“The waters will rise,”I murmur, the words a prayer as much as a promise. I hope my voice carries to my mother, perhaps even to those who created her. “Please let me protect my people. Let this be what is needed to echo throughout history to finish what was started all those lunar years ago.”
With one final breath, I will the water to rise.
In an explosion of bright light and fury, my magic releases from me. The land quakes beneath me, a low thunder rumbles in the distance. The sound heightens around me as the sea begins its surge inward.
“The tide is rising!”
I hear shouts from below me, carried on salt-laden air.
“The Goddess has come back to save us!”
The words of loyal followers who are at risk of losing everything, and yet they pray. I can hear their haunting songs as they watch the waves rise up the most outer ring’s coast. The dark waters brush against the land and with each pulse, it devours everything beneathits relentless tide. This is the only thing I can do as I turn to see a piece of my heart still lying on the floor.
sixty-two
Queen Natala
Istand outside the castle, watching as the moon eclipses the sun. The loyal heir has fallen. If it is the one of blood or the one bound by duty, I don’t know. That verse could refer to either. But it doesn’t matter. Eternal night is upon us.
Around us we hear thekhindroar, my people barely holding on. We’ve fared better than I expected, magic helping us keep thekhindat bay. Thankfully, the AntalianShayiarrived before Shaston infiltrated their kingdom. The men and women of theShayigave us a chance that our people, not accustomed tofighting, wouldn’t have had. We value peace, prosperity, and keeping the records of old. Now … our kingdom knows only fear and we’ve had to learn the strength required to continue on.
“Did Shahri make it?” Elino asks from beside me, his large arms wrapping around my waist.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say harsher than I mean to. “The prophecy is coming to pass anyway.”
