One last sacrifice for the good of Serentyn.
As I opened all my channels and prepared to funnel all the power I could through them, I drew myself up tall, as Violet did, and announced to the world, “My name is Lexa Andrever. I will not break!”
And if it took my life in the process, so be it.
A sound like thunder, like the earth cracking open, resounded as the air itself seemed to tear apart. Forces of light and dark both staggered as they were thrown sideways. I clapped my hands to my ears, but the sound came from everywhere—the castle, the earth, inside my own bones. It continued on and on and on, as the earth beneath my feet shuddered and I was thrown to my knees. There, in front of me, was a ball of pulsing light, shining red, blue, silver, and green.
The ball of light flashed, brighter than any I had ever seen,blinding me before disappearing. As I blinked spots from my eyes, wavering in front of me was an image—Griff and I were sitting on thrones made of gold, delicate flowers decorating mine, ivy and vines on his. Golden crowns sat atop our heads, their wavering streaks of blue, red, green, and silver appearing to be alive. And at my feet was the massive white wolf I had first seen in the vision at Ignistar. It lay there, head resting on its paws, protective and loyal, as if it had always belonged there.
I was in the middle of a fucking battle and I was getting visions.
As the vision disappeared, a warm weight settled on my brow. I knew what I’d see there if I looked in a mirror—a golden crown, but not just any gold. A warm, living gold that pulsed with its own inner flames. Veins of power flowing through it, converging and separating. Blue that rippled like living water. Silver that danced like captured moonlight. Green that pulsed with the heartbeat of the earth. And red that flickered with eternal flames. Moving in perfect harmony, a balance in all things.
The weight of it hit me all at once.
The crown had chosen me.
Me.
The lost princess who had grown up in mud was now the Queen of Serentyn.
And as my first and only act as queen, I was going to sacrifice myself.
The irony was not lost on me.
I had but one regret, which was abandoning my forever with Griff. But that was a small price to pay for the safety of my home. And somehow, I knew he would agree.
Anamlae flashed brighter than the sun, bringing light to a place of utter darkness, as if she too understood what I was about to attempt and approved. I found myself standing on the very spot where my parents stood. I hesitated only for a heartbeat before I steeled myself and threw my hands into the air, my powers streaming out of my fingertips. The echo of Violet’s position thuddedthrough me as the light shot into the sky like reverse lightning. It pushed back the darkness, but not far enough. Not strong enough. The light flickered, straining against the overwhelming shadow pressing down on us before the darkness swallowed it whole.
Around me, I could feel more people falling. Each new hufen raised added to the weight of darkness crushing my light. I poured more power upward, feeling my channels starting to scorch my chest.
But it wasn’t enough. The light wavered, dimmed. I was burning out and it still wasn’t enough.
The crown on my brow warmed, a distant tingling that resonated through my body, nudging me to another power source—the crown itself. Drawing on the crown’s power, I pulled from the earth beneath my feet, from the air surrounding us, from the water rushing through Avoneitha below, from the fire lighting our fight. Clarity dawned on me as lightning flashed through the sky. Tied to the realm as I now was through the crown, the elements rose with my call. Joining together in power, pure power, they combined into light—the one thing that had a hope of fighting this.
I froze in the middle of the battle, hands still raised. Light streamed upward out of my outstretched fingertips. And still I drew more power, thunder clapping through the sky. The light, my light, doubled in its intensity, momentarily blinding them all. It scorched my veins, and still I hung on, liquid, white fire coursing through. It searched out those tainted with darkness and eradicated them, leaving dusty ash in their stead.
I drew and drew, my channels no longer tied to my well, but to the bottomless power source of the elements itself. But while there was no limit to the power I could command, there was a limit to how much of it could run through my body. I finally started to understand the concept of burnout, but refused to give in, even as my body started to burn from within.
“Do not sacrifice yourself.”Griff’s voice was thunderous as he fought his way to my side. He was covered with ash and dark blood,his blades never ceasing their movement as he cut down hufen who blocked his path to me. “No, Lexa! Hold on!”he demanded, as if he could feel my body failing and was trying to prevent it with his love alone.
“Love you.”
With that final message, I cast my mind endlessly into the ether. I could feel it, more power just out of reach, as if it was holding itself back. I closed my eyes, tunneling down—and below my channels, deeper than I’ve ever gone before, there it was. Pure, undiluted, white power. It swarmed up over me, questioning. And to every question, I replied yes. It went inside me, and Ibecamethe light. I could feel my very essence, whatever made meme, start to fray.
It burst forth from me, outwardly blinding everything.Thiswas Starfire. It had to be.
And then I was drifting, everything around me becoming muted, an echo of its former sound. The golden light swirled, beckoning me onward. I saw a hazy figure in that light, smiling. She was joined by two other figures, and then four behind them. All of them smiled that encouraging smile, hands outstretched to welcome me home. I flowed toward them, into that soft gold light.
And then I came crashing back to earth as a hand clamped down on my left shoulder. Griff. There was nothing else that could anchor me like this—my mate. The other half of my soul.
“We are bound together, Princess. I told you I would not be parted from you. If this is your end, then I will follow you into the darkness to be at your side in the next life. I cannot live in a world without you.”
His hand moved from my shoulder, down my arm to grip my hand as his power flowed into mine, not just magic but something deeper. The golden warmth of our bond, hard and possessive, flared, snapping me in place. I grabbed it and hung on. It tethered me so that I was able to find my bearings and let loose again.
Lights streamed from my fingertips to the sky as if they had a mind of their own. Red, green, blue, silver, purple, burgundy. And gold. Weaving through all the other colors was that golden light.Because that’s what the crown did—it gave you access to the soul of Serentyn. But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly.
It neededme.Mypower.
