“Probably. But the trials are ending, and soon, we won’t be able to do this anymore.”
“Sure, we will,” I say with a laugh, getting into stance. “Okay, let’s go. But try not to drop your sword this time.”
We clash again, steel flashing, breath mingling, until he blurts between strikes, “So…tell me about the Divine Ceremony.”
“What about it?”
“Does Phynnera really bless the winner?” he asks in a neutral tone as if asking about the weather.
Something in his voice, in the way he asks, makes me hesitate for a second. “Um…yes. My father was the last champion. She granted him immortality, as she did all before him.”
“And Koen will be the lucky one. Meeting Phynnera. Receiving her blessing…” He smirks. “Marrying you.”
My blade slams harder. His sword goes flying again.
“Damn, Princess. Go easy on me. I’m only human.”
I laugh, something I’ve been doing more often. It feels good.
We spar until the moon is high. He walks me back to my balcony, teasing as I climb. I quickly wash again, and for the first time in weeks, I fall asleep smiling.
Chapter 41
?---- Koen ? ----?
The dream comes heavier than the rest. Like iron shackles wrapped around my lungs. I know I’m dreaming, yet I can’t tear myself out of it.
Light flickers. I’m in a hall again, but…different. Wider. Taller. The ceiling arches into forever, constellations glittering above. Beneath me stretches a floor of water instead of stone, glowing faintly as if lit from beneath. My steps ripple across it, soundless.
Ahead, two figures stand before me. One tall, broad-shouldered, familiar in ways that shouldn’t be possible. The other is smaller, withwhite and black hair, violet eyes glinting even from this distance. Serenya.
I can’t move. I can only watch as Kallan places a hand on her shoulder. My stomach knots. His touch is protective and gentle. She leans toward him, trusting.
The sight claws something primal in me, a surge of anger and pain all at once. Before I can take a step, Kallan turns his head.
Our eyes lock.
This is the first time I’m able to see him clearly. I see those gray eyes, the scar on his jaw, the quiet weight he carries. He’s not threatening, but he is studying me.
The hall shudders, and Serenya flickers like a candle about to gutter out. My chest constricts. I try to shout, to call her name, but my voice is swallowed by the silence. She flickers again, her outline fading like smoke.
“No!” I try to lunge forward, but I don’t move at all. My legs refuse me, pinned like I’m part of the water itself.
Kallan’s voice rumbles through the air, low and certain. “If you are too weak, she will fall.”
The words slice into me. Weak? I’ve fought, bled, clawed my way through every step of these trials. I can’t…No,Iwon’tlet her fall.
Serenya looks straight at me. There’s sorrow in her violet gaze. Sorrow, and something like a farewell.
The rippling floor shatters into shards of glass. Serenya and Kallan dissolve, and in their place stands Phynnera.
Radiant. Ageless. Terrifying in her beauty.
“You will break before the end,” she says softly, her voice everywhere at once. “But remember, breaking is not the same as failing.”
I can barely breathe. My knees buckle, the weight of her presence crushing me down. “What does that mean?” I manage to rasp.
Her expression softens, though her gaze never wavers. “You will understand soon.”
