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“Millennia ago, I spoke a warning of a pivotal time when world order would come under threat. It seems many have forgotten or obfuscated this prophecy, and I am most displeased. I am merely the creator of life, and I have no control over your actions. And yet I urge you to heed my warnings. The Fates are fickle, weaving many futures into the fabric of possibility. You must choose quickly and wisely, for too many are filled with horror.”
Oh shit, had the Goddess heard my thoughts and appeared to us through the High Priestess?
She cocked her head at me, her neck craned in an unnatural position, pure white orbs trained on me as she opened her mouth to speak once more.
“The ones that are part of all will be born under a full moon
Her white light will fill the land
But her mates darkness will rise
Kings will fall
Rivers will run with blood
There is a choice
Follow the light
Descend into the dark
The harrowing pass decides it all”
The High Priestess seized, folding violently over the altar in front of her, arms splayed wide. No one breathed as her limbs stilled. Then, she picked up her head, righted herself, and strode to the waiting torch as if nothing had happened. Blinking, I watched her pull it from its holster, then walk directly to me with the flaming torch outstretched and ready for me to take. Her eyes had returned to their normal color, and there was no sign of possession left in her.
Dipping my head to her, I accepted the torch, then strode with my chest proud toward the stairs that led off the platform. Pushing aside all the anguish and despair that wanted nothing more than to drag me into their den, I reminded myself of who I needed to be to lead the Night Fae through the war, to their queen, and to the light as the prophecy indicated.
Sucking in a deep breath, I began my impassioned speech.
“Five nights ago, we were attacked by the Iron Realm.”
A hushed murmur rose from the crowd, and I let it ride as I descended the wood stairs, my boots clacking with each step across the courtyard toward the pyre where King Zalan’s bejeweled form lay.
“Little did we know, King Zalan had invited our attackers into his home, because he made a deadly promise regarding his daughter, Queen Izidora. Their leader, who claimed to be the bastard son of King Azim, kidnapped your queen because King Zalan promised her hand in marriage once she came of age.”
A collective intake of breath swept through the audience, and I advanced past the pyre holding the servants who had died at the feast.
“The Iron Fae killed dozens of your brethren, my fatherincluded, while they stole your monarch. Three of my closest friends lie in this pyre.”
I gestured to the pyre beside me, where Kriztof, Zekari, and Kirigin’s lifeless forms lay alongside three other knights. I bowed my head, honoring my friends one last time, and the priestesses surrounding me followed my example. When I straightened, I saw many others in the crowd had done the same.
“I grieve with you today, for I lost many important people to me only a few nights ago. The most important of whom was my mate, your queen, Izidora.”
A wave of gasps turned into a crescendo of cheers as the crowd, both angry and excited, swelled with emotion.
“I am leading the charge to return your queen and my mate to her rightful place, here at Este Castle. We will wage war on the Iron Realm, and put them in their place once and for all!”
At last, I reached the standalone stack of wood that held King Zalan, pausing dramatically as I held the torch inches from the kindling that would set it alight.
“Who wants to fight for their queen alongside me?”
I dropped the fiery torch to the pyre, and the dried wood flared in time with the crowd’s answering roar. The cries did not die down as I continued lighting the wood, sending our loved ones into the sky where they would fly forevermore. Once I climbed the stairs and reached the altar, I faced the sea of Night Fae, eager in their grief.
“We leave tomorrow for the Iron Realm. Every able-bodied male willing and ready to fight, gather in the courtyard after the rites are complete.”
Dropping into a deep bow before the crowd, I blew out the tense breath I’d been holding, then handed the blazing torch back to the High Priestess. Tibor shot me a wide grin from the seat next to mine, and Endre and Viktor both clapped my shoulders from behind me as I settled into my seat. The air thrummedwith exhilaration, the promise of vengeance and bloodshed calling to a primal part of us.
The haunting chant of the priestesses rose with the flames that burned hotter and hotter, arcing so high into the sky I was sure they would reach the stars. Sweat broke out across my face from the scorching temperature, and I was certain my stubble would be singed. The crowd opposite the pyres backed a few paces to escape the boiling heat that broke the chill of the otherwise cold day. But the intensity of the pyres’ light was nothing compared to the depths of darkness currently filling my heart as I steeped in the hate I held toward Ruslan and the Iron Fae.
