By the time we arrive, we are utterly drained. There are no words. We simply crawl into bed together, holding each other for comfort. Ravelle falls asleep almost immediately. The effects of the sleeping spell Elowen used can linger for days.
The events of today are too much to process. Losing Koen…losing Dimitri…it’s too much. It doesn’t feel real. He was right there. If I’d been stronger, if I’d punched the shield a little harder…maybe…
Tears slip free again, and just like that, my heart is plunged into darkness again.
I’m not just sad, though. I’m angry. Furious.
I’m angry that we spent a whole month trying to uncover Elowen’s plans, and still, we knownothing.I’m angry that Iallowed her into my kingdom—into my home—when I knew she was a threat. I’m angry that I couldn’t save the ones I love…again.
And Lioran…the betrayal stings far too deep. He was my friend. I trusted him. How could I have been so wrong? The way he looked at me. Bored. Disgusted. My stomach twists with the memory.
I slowly slip out of bed, careful not to wake Ravelle. I open the balcony doors and step outside, gripping the railing. The cold night air does nothing to cool the rage churning inside me.
What does Elowen want with Koen and Dimitri? Does she really believe she can start a war with two kingdoms and win? She took two kings today. Does she think she’s untouchable?
A small, terrified part of me wonders if she’s found another artifact. Or worse, has she gained control of all of them?
Ravelle stirs behind me, and a few moments later, she steps up beside me. We stand in silence, staring at the night sky—unfairly beautiful and peaceful, while we stand here in agony, our hearts shattered.
“I’ll get them back, Ravelle.I will.” My voice is hoarse. “I’ll tear this world apart if I have to.”
She keeps her gaze on the stars, but gently places her hand over mine on the railing. “We’ll leave nothing but silence behind for anyone who darestry to stop us.”
There’s no hesitation between us. We’re in this together.
“For Koen and Dimitri,” I whisper, barely audible, but Ravelle hears it.
She nods. “For Koen and Dimitri. We’ll show Elowen what it means to steal from us.”
My resolve hardens like iron. For them,I will burn this world to the ground.
Ravelle turns towards me then, the fear in her eyes more intense than ever before. So quietly I barely hear her, she says, “Serenya…I’m pregnant.”
Chapter 45
?---- Koen ? ----?
The stone bites my back. The chains cut deep. I welcome it. Every wound sharpens my fury.
Through the bond, I feel her rage, grief, and the way her heart shattered when they ripped me away. Her voice still claws at my chest. My name, broken on her lips once again.
Itdestroysme.
But it also remakes me.
They think steel and stone can keep me from her.Fools. I defied death to return to her. No power in existence could ever stand between us. All they’ve done is release something they will wish had stayed buried.
If they feared Kallan, the legendary loyal sword who lived and died by honor, let them tremble. Because I amnothim anymore.
And I am done playing by anyone’s rules but my own.
I will burn kingdoms. I will tear gods from their thrones. Let them call me a monster, a villain, or an abomination. I don’t care. I’ll wear it proudly. Because I will be all of those thingsand more if it means getting back to her.
The storm inside me surges, begging for release. My hands tighten until blood runs down the chains. Good. Let them make me bleed. Let them believe they can break me.
They will see the mistake they made when they dared to take me from her.
A jolt rips through the bond. I can feel her fury, raw and unrelenting. It’s a storm I recognize, a mirror of my own rage, and it sharpens every nerve, every muscle, every thought.
