I nodded. “You foretold that I would make a choice, to save the world or end it, and that Charlie would make a choice to stop me or let me do it. Those choices have been made, and I picked the wrong one.”
“It wasn’t the wrong choice, Ava. It was only a choice that didn’t work out. Life is inherently meaningless, after all.” Maddie shrugged, as if that terrible statement was philosophical and not absolutely gut-wrenching to speak aloud.
“I don’t know if I believe that.” I put my arms on the balcony beside her. “My prophecy is fulfilled. What happens now?”
“Hm.” Maddie tapped her chin thoughtfully, before she smiled. “Well… I suppose now you get to write the ending.”
“What do you mean? You must have some idea of what’s coming, of what the Warden will do.”
“I don’t know what happens next, Ava. No prophet does. I’ve done my research, and there are no prophecies currently standing about this point in time. I truly thought the universe would end once you cast your spell, but Charlie stopped you, so it didn’t. I’m not sure if that was supposed to happen, so what’s next is up to you. There are no prophecies, no predestinations or determinations of your life anymore. Whatever fate you find yourself in will now be completely in your hands.”
Maddie left me on the balcony, to stare down at Ilamanthe and all its people. The weight of an entire empire was lying in limbo, with no one to catch it once it inevitably fell.
My fate was in my hands? That was scarier than not knowing the destination, because whatever happened next, good or bad, was all on me. I’d been following the words of my prophecy for years, doing what it took to avoid the consequences, fulfill what was foretold, and become the hero when all I’d turned into was the villain.
Now there were no more guidelines left to follow, no impulses or instincts, no hints on what to do or where to go. It was as incredibly freeing as it was wholly terrifying. No gods or prophets would dictate to me what to do next, and without that guidance, I worried I would fail in whatever I attempted next.
Still… the shackles were off me. I no longer had any obligations. Whatever happened next, I would choose, and there I would be.
What an adventure.
I returned to the Ladies’ Court. Kallie was sitting by the pool, staring into the water. She immediately rose when I entered, her eyes locked on mine.
We hadn’t really talked. Not since the day I’d lost everything.
I put the box aside and wheeled up to her. The Ladies’ Court was practically deserted this time of morning except for us, which was probably for the best. I didn’t want anybody else around. Nobody but her.
“Hey,” I started cautiously. “You… all right?”
Dumb question. None of us were.
She shrugged. “Just thinking about my brother. It’s been a lot harder to get in contact with him since your shield was put up.”
“How are things back home?”
Kallie sighed, already sounding miserable. “Malovia’s about the worst it’s ever been. I don’t think it was this bad during the Malovian Revolution. We’ve lost so much territory, and we don’t have enough resources to keep everyone sheltered and fed during the winter.”
“Your brother is going to handle that,” I reassured her. “You have enough on your mind.”
What the Dollmaker had done to her, the camps… all this. Kallie hadn’t gotten any time to recover from one crisis before she’d been shoved into another. She didn’t need the survival of her people to be on her shoulders on top of it.
Her lip quivered. “I backstabbed you, Ava. I betrayed you, and I can’t forgive myself for it.”
“Kallie, there’s no need to forgive yourself for anything. I was the one who threw that fireball and hurt Marcus. You wouldn’t have changed sides if I hadn’t done that. It was a misjudgment on my part.”
“It wasn’t just that. We made the wrong choice, Ava,” Kallie said heavily. “I was really messed up after Valen tortured me. I wasn’t in my right mind to be making critical choices like that?—”
“I shouldn’t have put you through that. It was wrong of me to ask you to help, to even take sides, and I’m so sorry.”
“We both did some stupid shit, but that doesn’t mean the boys are off the hook, either. Particularly your ex-husband.” Kallie scowled. “He didn’t give us much of a choice, did he?”
Why did it hurt so much when she called him that? It shouldn’t. But it cut me through to the bone, so I was pouring agony inside.
“We’re not divorced yet,” I rushed to say. “We haven’t… signed the papers.”
Kallie raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”
She reached down to hug me. “I don’t know how to fix this, Ava. Maybe it doesn’t need to be fixed, but what I do know is that I need you.”
