Mark if Destiny

by K. T. Webb

  Honor took another step toward the man she was destined to kill. In the few moments in his presence, she tried to see the man he had been when her mother fell for his lies. Both Honor and Legacy had his eye shape and the same high cheek bones. His hair had gone white with age, so it was impossible to see what color it had once been. Honor finally stopped directly in front of him, careful not to fool herself that his decrepit state would keep him from attacking her in the blink of an eye. He looked lost in his memories. Considering he had been alive for a few hundred years, it seemed likely he would have quite a few to sort through. He finally seemed to land on the right one because a slow smile spread across his face.

  “I remember Laurel. She was beautiful. When she disappeared, it was the worst day of my life. I had grown quite fond of her. But when I began to notice wrinkles and gray hair, I knew she was hiding a secret. This whole time, I thought her child was the one I was seeking.”

  “Do not speak of my mother. You destroyed her. She loved you, but you were incapable of love. She knew what you would do if you found out about the baby she was carrying. She and Renata took care to hide me from you, even after she died.”

  Junius looked bewildered. Honor realized there was no reason for her to continue talking to him. She had revealed her secret, now it was time to complete her mission so she could fulfill her destiny. She stepped closer to the throne, holding her blade at the ready. In a flash, King Junius reached up and gripped her wrist.

  “It is not too late, you know; all this can still be yours. I can see in your eyes that you could be great, like me. All you have to do is kill me, do away with Legacy, and the throne is yours. The Shadow Mages will need the power I can feel coursing through your veins.”

  Rancid breath washed over her face causing vomit to rise unbidden in her throat. Without another moment of hesitation, Honor wrenched her hand free. She drew back, then plunged the knife deep into his chest. At first, he looked surprised. Then, laughter erupted from him with a gurgle of blood that ran down his chin and dripped onto his disheveled beard. His laughter was short-lived. Blood poured from the wound as Honor withdrew her dagger. Junius seemed confused.

  “But, what will become of my son?” he sputtered before his eyes grew wide and unfocused.

  Even in his dying moments he still held onto the notion that a son would follow him to the throne. Honor stared at the body for a few agonizing seconds. Her eyes filled with unwelcome tears, one escaping when she tried to blink them away. She raised a hand to wipe it from her cheek only to find her hands covered in the blood of her father. Honor felt the emptiness of taking a life more profoundly than she had when she killed Ash. She wondered if it was her relation to the man who was now dead by her hand or if it was the simple fact that everything in her life had led to this moment. She reached forward and carefully lifted the silver crown from his head. The last of her visions was about to come true.

  Honor felt the weight of the crown in her hands. It was not fancy or ornate, a smooth surface with six points that ended in small spheres. The object in her hands was nothing more than a hunk of metal with flaws that came along with age. Now, the crown was covered in the blood of the most recent wearer.

  Panic set in as she thought about presenting her sister with a blood covered crown. Honor tried desperately to wipe the blood away. It was pointless. She only managed to smear the crimson fluid over the silvery surface. It would have to do until they could clean it and remove the body.

  Taking a deep breath, Honor turned her back on the man she had killed. She approached the door, surprised to find the knot in her stomach was finally relaxing. It seemed like forever since she felt at ease. It had been so long in fact, that she had forgotten what it was like to feel normal. They were not yet finished with what needed to be accomplished, but Honor was so close to completing her destiny she could taste it. Legacy still had to face the Shadow Mages; there was no way she would allow her sister to do that on her own. She made it to the door, pulling it open with one hand while gripping the crown in the other.

  Honor felt the collective anticipation release from the main hall. To her surprise, it appeared as though the rest of their rag-tag army had joined those who accompanied her into the castle. Among their number were very confused looking people in Makt uniforms. Honor realized they must have been the civilians who survived the battle; to her relief there appeared to be quite a few. Familiar faces were gathered at the center of the crowd. Legacy stood out among them. Honor approached her sister with the bloody crown resting on her stained hands.

  “Legacy, rightful Queen of Alderwood, I present you with the crown worn by our father.”

  Her sister accepted the crown with a brief glance at the blood smeared across it. She knew what it meant without Honor having to making the announcement, but it seemed necessary that they share with all those in attendance that the reign of King Junius was finally over. Honor turned in a slow circle. She took care to make eye contact with as many citizens of Pallisaide as she could.

  “For those who do not know, I am Honor, daughter of King Junius and leader of the newly restored Gildi. As the oldest of King Junius’ children, my sister Legacy is prepared to wear the crown and sit upon the throne as the leader of the Kingdom of Man.”

  Murmurs rippled through the crowd when Honor paused to let them process the information.

  Legacy stepped forward and linked her arm with Honors. “Together, we will face the Shadow Mages, restore the three kingdoms, and free the wild magic. Together, we will save Alderwood!”

  Cheers erupted from those who had followed the sisters from Kilgore. The Pallisaidians were slow to join the celebration. They were confused. Honor could only imagine how it must have been to live so close to King Junius and his Makt. It was uncertain if these people had been mistreated or if they had been spared knowledge of the horrors that went on outside the walls of their city. Many of them were still trying to shake the fog of whatever magical control they had been under. Only time would tell if they were to be friends or foes.

  Members of the Gildi and Resistance began to help usher people back to their homes. It was the dead of night. Clean-up would have to wait for the morning. Then they could assess the damages and count the dead. As the crowd began to thin out, Rowan pulled his wife into a firm embrace.

  “How do you feel?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

  She had no words for how she was feeling. All that she had feared she would feel after taking a life was not present. None of it had gone the way she expected. “Ask me later, when things have calmed down, and I have had a chance to process everything.”

  He kissed her forehead, still sweaty and caked with the blood of the men she had slaughtered. Rowan showed no disgust, he simply held her for a few moments before releasing her to Legacy.

  The sisters led their friends into the throne room. Their fathers’ body had decomposed at an accelerated rate. He looked as though he had been dead for years rather than less than an hour. Agnar and Soren offered to have the body removed to clear some darkness from the room. The moment the empty husk was taken from the throne room, the air seemed to lighten as though the castle released a sigh of relief after many years of holding its breath.

  “Did he have anything to say?” Legacy asked.

  Honor shrugged. “He was surprised there were two of us, but he kept insisting you were a boy. He thought I was going to give the crown to his son. It was as though he could not fathom that two daughters managed to bring him down.”

  “I cannot say I am surprised. He did not seem to value the lives of the women he encountered. I daresay, he viewed us as inferior,” Legacy bit the words out.

  Honor faced those who had stayed behind for the battle in the streets. “Tell me what happened after we left. It does not look like we suffered many losses. Did we have to kill civilians?”

  Each launched into their experiences from the fight. Gray and his archers had done their best to incapacitate many of the civilians before t
he actual battle began, then they climbed down to join the hand to hand combat. Agnar, Soren, and Justice led their soldiers into battle with specific instructions not to kill unless necessary. They did lose some of their own, but managed to subdue many of the civilians without having to use lethal force.

  “The scariest part was the lack of expression on their faces. They had no idea where they were or what they were doing. It was as though their bodies were empty of their souls,” Soren shuddered.

  “We did not dare heal any of their wounded for fear they would begin the fight again,” Rowan added.

  “I think the strangest occurrence was how it all ended. We were in the middle of battle, swords swinging all around, people falling as they were struck. But a sudden shift in the air seemed to change it all,” Agnar explained.

  Maris nodded at her brother. “It was as though whatever spell held them was suddenly released. I wonder if that happened when Honor killed the king.”

  Renata shook her head in response. “The King himself had no control over the magic anymore. The Shadow Mages were in control. They took us for another attempt to sway Honor to their side. When the girls joined hands, it released some of the purest wild magic I have ever seen. It weakened my siblings. I would venture to guess, that is when the spell was released.”

  “So, what happened then? Were the civilians still prepared to fight when they found themselves in the heat of battle?” Legacy asked.

  “There was mass confusion. We went from fighting to consoling terrified people in a split second. It took quite some time to calm them enough for the practitioners and impaisos to heal the wounded.” Justice gestured to Rowan. “This one here was valiant. You got yourself a good one, Honor.”

  Honor smiled in response. She had gone from an orphan girl to a young woman with more support than she ever dreamed of finding. As they faced the next phase in their battle to save Alderwood, they were going to need to rely on one another more than ever. Legacy took her right hand, Rowan took her left; Honor held them both tightly in a gesture she hoped would tell them both how much she loved them. What had once seemed like a dark destiny had turned into the most beautiful future she could have imagined.

  Epilogue

  They wasted no time preparing the castle for Legacy to take the throne. They were afraid if too much time passed, the Shadow Mages would have time to recover. There was no to anticipate what they would do once they regained their power. For the time being, the main objective was to secure the throne. That meant a coronation was in order.

  Two days had passed since they had won the battle at Pallisaide. The day after had been a terrible day of mourning for many whose loved ones had perished in the fight. Arrangements were made for burials and each person was eulogized in the square. At the end of the day, Justice had announced there would be a coronation the following day at noon. The other counties and county seats had no idea Pallisaide had fallen and there would likely be more fighting as the Gildi and Resistance began to spread the word from county to county. The sooner Legacy was officially on the throne, the better.

  Honor and Legacy stood at the door leading into the throne room. Inside, a large group of supporters were waiting for their new Queen to arrive. Outside the castle, in the courtyard below, stood hundreds of Pallisaidians prepared to celebrate their new Queen.

  At Legacy’s insistence, a braided silver and gold diadem was crafted for Honor to signify her relationship to the new Queen. Both sisters would be crowned at the coronation, but only one would become the ruler of Alderwood for the Kingdom of Man.

  The doors opened, the girls strode arm in arm down the carpet that lined the walkway to the throne. Only Renata had ever been to a coronation. Legacy had, of course, been taught about the process and what would be expected of her. Justice insisted upon officiating. When they reached the front of the room, Honor was to go first.

  “Honor, as you stand before us this day, do you hereby affirm your relationship to the rightful Queen of Alderwood as a daughter of King Junius?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you solemnly swear to uphold your responsibilities to the Queen and the Gildi?”

  “I do.”

  “Then it is my privilege to bestow two titles upon you this day, with all the rights and authority that come with them.” Justice placed the diadem upon her head. “I present to you all, Princess Honor.”

  Cheers erupted around the room. Honors eyes locked with Rowan’s who would also be given a diadem as a prince. Neither of them cared much for the titles, but they had accepted them. Justice held up a hand to calm the people before continuing. He instructed Honor to hold out her hands to receive her next gift. She did as she was told and a beautifully crafted broadsword was placed in her hands.

  “I also present to you, Princess Honor—General of the Gildi.”

  More cheers rose from the crowd. Honor grinned at her sister. It was Legacy’s turn to be crowned Queen. Honor stood facing the rest of the room as Justice posed vows to Legacy as he had to Honor.

  Movement near the door caught Honor’s eye and prevented her from giving the coronation her full attention. The head of a small boy peeked from behind one of the open golden doors. There were no children in attendance, so it was odd that this boy had appeared.

  Honor narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at him. Something was vaguely familiar about him, but she could not pinpoint it from where she stood. A closer look was in order, But as quickly as he had arrived, he pulled himself back from the door as though he had never been there at all.

  “I present to you, Queen Legacy of the Kingdom of Man!” Justice announced.

  Clapping and whistling jolted Honor back to reality. She joined in the excitement as Legacy took her seat on the throne. A warm, tingling feeling spread across the spot under her clothing where the mark that brought her to this moment was etched into her skin. Honor gasped in surprise and clutched her side. Making eye contact with Maris, a knowing smile crept across her face. This was it. Now that her sister sat upon the throne, she had fulfilled the destiny laid out for her by the wild magic. As the tingling faded, a new feeling replaced it. Honor could sense something that reminded her of snakes slithering through the grass spread from her side to her back. She recalled the black streaks that flowed from Rowan’s mark and wondered what it could mean. Perhaps just as Maris had been given an extended destiny, she and Rowan would now face something more.

  A tiny cough seemed to echo through the room and quiet the chattering crowd. Honor looked up to find herself staring into the eyes of the little boy who had peered around the door. He took a tentative step forward. It was clear, he was nervous and confused as his eyes darted around the room. He looked directly at Legacy as he approached the throne. The closer he came, the more Honor began to pick out the tiny details that made him so familiar. She had seen those eyes before. She knew that face shape.

  “Hello, young man, where did you come from?” Legacy asked softly.

  “Have you seen my father?” He asked as though afraid of what the answer may be.

  Honor’s heart clenched. Memories flooded back to her of the final moments she shared with the King as he died. He had asked her a question that she dismissed as a chauvinistic assumption. Now, the meaning of his words were sickeningly clear.

  “Where did you last see your father young man?” Legacy asked, she had not come to the same realization as her sister.

  “The last time I was with him, he was here. You are sitting on his throne.”

  About the Author

  Photo Courtesy of:

  Alissa Toering at Precious Memories Photography

  KT Webb is a big city girl living in small town South Dakota with her husband and two children. She believes in the power of words and enjoys writing stories that make the impossible seem possible.

  KT loves reading, listening to pop-punk music (especially when she’s writing), having adventures with her children and traveling. She believes in magic, that there’s a hero
inside everyone and that characters should be just as flawed and intriguing as the people we meet every day.

  A Note from the Author

  Thank you to the people who wouldn't let me give up on my passion. This story came out of nowhere, and I think it was worth the wait.

  Thank you to my story development team for giving honest feedback and suggestions. I may have been a bit stubborn at times, but this story grew because of you.

  Thank you to my tribe. You are the best bunch of weirdos I've ever met. I love you all!

  To the Tripod of Trust—you girls have inspired me, supported me, and called me on my shit. I am beyond lucky to have you as my best friends.

  For Jamie, Lisa, and Kelli—I hope this makes up for all those missed coffee dates.

  Finally, thank you to my husband and kids for putting up with my intense focus as this story poured out of me. You three are my world.

  As an independent author, I depend on the reviews of my readers to entice other people to read my work. It would mean the world to me if you would leave an honest review on Amazon.com and/or Goodreads.com.

  I love to hear from my readers;

  Website: www.ktwebbauthor.com

  Email: kt_webb@hotmail.com

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  Other Titles:

  The New Era Saga (YA Superhero)

  The Evolved (book one)

  Growing Hope (book two)

  Choosing Eternity (book three)

  The Last Coven Series (YA Paranormal)

  Awakening (book one)

  Chicago Love Stories (Adult Contemporary Novellas)

  Hard Habit to Break

  Stay the Night