I gasped once I’d caught my breath. “What are you doing?”
“Getting you your crown.” He galloped forward. Snow dusted around us in a flurry.
As I gripped into his waist, the sword tumbled from my grip. “NO!”
I still had my staff. Edgar grew closer, his general in front of him, poised to fight. Markings of a warrior were sprawled on his face, his scars stretching out, thin and pink over his aging skin. His eyes were the color of storm clouds. Barrel-chested and with muscles filling his armor, he stood taller than us by several inches. His horse, like him, stood strong and proud.
Fear of dying gripped me as Blaise and I got closer. It all came down to this. I couldn’t concentrate on anything but them.
“Get ready!” Blaise shouted. Unlike Cedric, he trusted me to handle myself, or understood my duties more, instead of trying to keep me out of danger. Frantically, I scrambled for a paralyzing spell, but it bounced right off him and hit one of my own soldiers square in the chest.
I knew I shouldn’t, but the lure of sacrificial magic was strong. The power, untapped and deadly, lingered as it always did when I was in my most dire need. Perhaps that was what Licia meant when he told Morgana not to use that magic to help me. I hoped she wasn’t, but I knew she’d done it before.
Two spells shot at me but bounced off. My protection spells from Morgana and Licia, I mused.
Shock erased my thoughts. General Frost stabbed his sword through Blaise’s horse, throwing us to the ground. There were no spells against swords or weapons, which was why they were still used.
Standing, I steadied myself, but he was quick. I jumped out of the way and grabbed a sword lying on the ground. I was always useless at this. Edgar watched, jumping down from his horse. His presence pulled a fury out of me I’d kept buried until now.
“COWARD!” I screamed at him. “You call yourself a Mortis. You steal MY crown. MY throne. You threatened MY people. I will KILL you for it!”
“I see you’re no different from your father,” he snarled. “Then I will take pleasure in ending his line.”
“Family against family.” I grappled the hilt and plunged it forward. I held myself strong as Blaise got into a fight with General Frost.
Shows of extreme force kept Edgar winning. I dodged another almost-lethal attack. I came close to hitting him twice, too close apparently. General Frost pushed Edgar backward into Blaise, then diverted his attention to me.
Frost wasted no time with words. Instead, he sliced the blade of his sword through the air. He was better than Edgar, far better than me. I didn’t stand a chance.
In his belt, I spotted a dagger. Small but deadly. It was a far smarter option than fighting him back with a sword.
As he crashed downward, slicing the blade down over me, I nimbly flipped the space between us and landed at his stomach. I had seconds. If that.
I grabbed his dagger and pulled it to his throat. Surprise filled his features as I sliced it across his neck.
I couldn’t believe it. I’d killed him. My gaze pulled up to Edgar’s, who looked behind me.
“NO!” Blaise screamed. Somewhere to my left, Cedric’s wail ached through my soul.
At first, I didn’t understand what was happening. All I knew is I was numb all over. I felt a dull ache in my stomach, like someone had punched me really hard. Looking down, I watched blood spray out from the center of my dress. Shock stole my next breaths, until the sword was wrenched back. One of Edgar’s men looked down at me, then dropped his sword to his side as if he were just as surprised at what he’d done as I was.
My hands were shaking. Pain seared through me, slightly at first, then stronger until I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. I gurgled and coughed blood. My vision blurred. I could see my ancestors still, swaying and surrounding me. It was over. I saw Blaise kill Edgar before stars filled my vision. I watched his crown fall onto the snow-covered ground. Empty.
The last thing I saw was Cedric’s panicked stare on mine, then Blaise dropping to my side and pressing his hands against the wound. Death came quickly. I felt peaceful in its grasp. The battle was over, and we were both dead.
THIRTY-THREE
The curious thing about death was how beautiful and light it felt. It was the most feared thing, yet so serene. I was at peace when I was pulled back unwantedly into my broken body. Trapped in a silent suffering, I heard Licia’s and Morgana’s chants. Pain pinched through my stomach where the fatal wound was. I had lost too much blood for me to stay. Yet somehow, I was alive. For seconds at least.
I hovered between worlds. The veil. A place I never wanted to end up. I wanted to beg Morgana and Licia to stop trying to bring me back and let me go. They had taken me from the spirit realm, landing me in a sort of purgatory. I didn’t want my soul to become trapped, half here, half there for an eternity. It was a fate worse than death.
The dead, eyeless and unspeaking, watched me from a distance. They weren’t as kind as the ancestors in the spirit realm. They seemed angry, hurt, as they moved closer. Everything was misted in gray and white. I wanted to speak, but I couldn’t.
I could still feel the pinches of pain from the world, but the emptiness of the veil took most of it away. My soul shuddered as they grew closer again, impatient now. I could feel their energy. They wanted to attach to me. I didn’t know why.
Death.
Blackness.
Emptiness.
Darkness lured me in, away from my fear. I turned to walk but heard Blaise’s and Cedric’s pained tones, begging for Morgana and Licia to try harder.
They couldn’t. I knew it was impossible. I was already gone.
In the distance, I saw him before I felt him. My father’s spirit, restless and filled with fury. I wanted to scream, to run, but he could reach me now. He rushed closer, a resemblance to who he was in his life before I tore the ring from his finger, ripping his immortality from him.
Daughter.
The voice was inside my head. There was no need for words there.
You have killed two of your family now, a great betrayal for which you will pay.
I turned and saw Edgar. I didn’t kill him.
He was killed for you. You have destroyed us. My father’s voice echoed in my head. As punishment, your soul will be shattered. You will no longer remain.
No, I pleaded. I had no choice. You were going to kill me. You both were. No. No. My soul trembled. I didn’t want to be obliterated out of existence, mere splinters of me left. I could hear the chanting still as I tried to escape, but it was no use.
They could almost touch me. Then everything faded to black.
“Winter.” Morgana’s bloodshot eyes were wild. “Winter, can you hear me?” she asked desperately, hovering over me. Joining her, Blaise, Cedric, and Licia looked down.
“Winter?” Cedric hesitated. “Can you hear us?”
My lips parted. All that came out was a slight groan.
Relief washed through their expressions. I noticed bones had been laid all over my body. What were they doing to bring me back? I noticed pixies had been brought in to heal my other wounds. They fluttered over my head.
My hands moved down to my stomach, but there was nothing there. “How?”
“You’re alive!” Cedric cried, pulling me into his arms. “You came back to us.”
I gulped. “How?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Morgana looked from me to Licia, her eyes glistening with tears, her cheeks puffy and red. “What matters is you are safe.”
I felt sick at the thought of my father and Edgar trying to punish me in the place between the spirit realm and our world. I didn’t know how I was alive, but I did know I never wanted to go back there.
“Cedric,” I managed to say, attempting to sit up.
Blaise didn’t say a word, instead moved to the back to make room.
“Careful.” Cedric helped me up. “You just died.”
“Yes.” It felt surreal, but something didn’t sit right. I did
n’t feel quite myself. “I really did, didn’t I?” The memory of Edgar in the spirit realm came back. I turned toward Blaise. “You killed Edgar!”
He nodded. “He had it coming,” he said nonchalantly, although I could tell he’d been crying.
“We won,” I said slowly. “You all saved me, and we won.” I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. “I’m queen. Queen of Magaelor.”
Cedric kissed me, his salty tears fresh on his lips. “I’m never letting you go again.” His breaths were heavy. “I mean it. Never.”
THIRTY-FOUR
“You’re here,” Blaise said in disbelief after I’d come to the library. Cedric had gone to the town to gather supplies. Hundreds of people had died in the battle. Their bodies were still being buried in mass graves. I stayed with the others, mourning, wondering how I’d been so lucky. I felt more darkness inside me than ever. I dared not tell a soul, but something had attached itself to me when I was on the other side, or perhaps when I’d been brought back, and it was unrelenting.
I kept dismissing the dark urges and desires, but they consumed me. Voices, telling me to do things I didn’t want to, like hurt people. “Stop!” I growled.
Blaise frowned. “What did I do?”
“Nothing.” I closed my eyes. “Sorry.” I’d taken several of Morgana’s capsules, but nothing kept the darkness at bay. “Blaise, I’m sorry for everything. I—”
Before I could say anything else, his lips were on mine. He held onto me tightly, the urgency strengthening our bond. The darkness in me purred with his, begging for more. He tangled his hand in my hair.
“Blaise.” His name rolled off my tongue as I pulled away. His breaths were heavy as his head rested against mine. His grip around me tightened.
“I won’t apologize,” he said before I could tell him it was wrong.
I felt dizzy. “I can’t do this. I’m with Cedric. I know we’ve been through so much.”
His eyes squeezed shut. “I…” He opened them again, looking uncertain as his gaze met mine. “Don’t leave.”
“This has to stop.” I cried, pushing him away. “You confuse me. I never know what you want or what this is, and I’m hurting Cedric, a man I care about.”
His lips parted. “I−”
“It’s not your fault.” I reined in my anger. I wasn’t being fair to him. “You’re just doing what feels good for you and that’s all you know.”
“You died.” He said. “It…terrified me.” He took my hands in his. “But you’re alive.”
“Why did it terrify you?”
“Why wouldn’t it?” He brushed his fingers against my lips. “Admit it. You don’t really want him.”
My heartbeat quickened. “Please don’t.”
“My brother is upset with me, you know. He believes I used my armies to protect you.”
“You were protecting Magaelor.” I hesitated. “Right?”
He shrugged. “What does it matter? You’re staying with him. You’ve made it abundantly clear.”
“You care about Magaelor’s people.” I stated because he wouldn’t.
He laughed. “I am not like your precious Cedric. I don’t pretend to care about things I don’t. I care for Niferum.”
My heart raced, and my voice cracked. “Don’t do this.” My tears fell thick and fast. “I’ve just become queen again. I-I can’t stand it. There’s someone who wants me deeply just rooms from where we stand.” I paused. “Where I betrayed him. Cedric is a good man.”
His forehead wrinkled. “I’m sure he is.”
“I want to be with him.”
“You don’t.” His eyes widened. “You’re just saying that, but it’s fine. You can continue lying to yourself.” Blaise shook his head. “What you have with him, it’s nothing compared to what you actually want.”
“How would you know?”
“We are one of them same, Winter. He will never be enough for you. You’re too passionate.” He grabbed my shoulders, looking me dead in the eye. “We understand each other. We’re not like other people. He will never understand your dark side, or embrace it. You’ll always feel like half a person with him.”
“Let me ask you something.” I gulped, my hands were beginning to shake. “Why do you want me to leave him so much? You kiss me, why? You can’t feel love, so why are you playing with my feelings? What is it you want?”
I’d done it. Shattered the illusion of the game. I saw it in his eyes. Something in him changed. His lips parted, but he didn’t speak.
“I knew it.” I said after a silent minute. He was simply jealous and was willing to let me ruin the one good thing in my life over it. This was all a game to him, until now. “Let me go, Blaise.” I stepped back.
His expression darkened. “I said I wouldn’t ask. I told you I wanted you to be happy, but I can’t watch it any longer. You shouldn’t be with him,” he said with determination.
“Then who should I be with?”
He didn’t respond.
“I’ll be leaving now. With Cedric. To Magaelor.”
I felt like something shattered in my chest as I walked to the door.
He called out, stopping me in my tracks. “Wait.”
I turned on my heel. “What?”
He inhaled deeply, uncertainty in his features. “I’ll be seeing you at your coronation. I look forward to seeing you become queen, at long last.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “No thanks to you.”
“You’d think my killing your cousin and letting you build an army here would pay for any previous wrongs.”
“You’d think.” I couldn’t help but smirk. “Goodbye, Blaise.”
“See you soon.”
***
I wore my navy-blue dress and red traveling cloak with a white fur trim. The gold crown on my head shone under the dappled sunlight coming through the window. It had been worn by my father, then Edgar, and now me. The weight of their souls was heavy. A black pit of despair snaked around my core, knotting me from the inside.
“Are you okay?” Cedric asked tentatively.
I shook the feeling away. Honestly, I wasn’t. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, not wanting to worry him. “We all survived. I got what I wanted. I’m queen.” Yet it didn’t quite feel real yet. “We will be back in Magaelor soon.”
“We will.” He kissed my forehead and brushed down to my lips, balling his cheeks. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Maybe we can be at peace now for a while,” I said, thinking of all the soldiers who’d deserted Edgar at the end. I’d ordered none be harmed. There was no need for division any longer. Edgar was dead, and the throne was forever solidified as mine. But something didn’t feel right. I wondered if I should have told Morgana. I was certain she used sacrificial magic to bring me back, but what was the price for a life?
Adius rushed through the door looking flustered. “Winter!”
“Adius, what is it?”
“King Xenos is dead,” he told me, his eyes weary. “I’ve just been alerted. He was killed, by the fire-wielders.”
I felt like someone had stuck their hand inside of me and twisted my organs. Dizziness swept me; the color drained from my face.
“Kiros is king.”
“Yes.”
Home was in my grasp. I was sure Xenos wouldn’t go to war. Politically, it didn’t make sense. But with Kiros, it was personal. I had broken his heart. Humiliated him. “He’s going to come after me, isn’t he?”
Cedric looked at me apologetically. “We will be ready for him. For now, the transition to power will occupy his mind away from any wants of war.”
“I hope so.”
“You can navigate this. First, let’s get you back home.”
“You should know, your majesty,” Adius added, “he won’t come after you right away. Berovia is in a great state of unrest. The dragons escaped, causing havoc, but also the morning before they did, a newspaper printed proof that Xenos was hiding dragons and trying to siphon their magi
c. They even had authentic letters showing the king’s seal. Because of it, they haven’t been able to create a lie to why they were being hidden in the kingdom.”
Cedric arched an eyebrow, knowing in his eyes. “You were right. Getting those letters did help. They just printed it later than we wanted.”
“At the right time, coincidently, it seems.”
“You did this?” Adius looked impressed.
“I helped, but Morgana and Licia are the ones who put the nail in Xenos’s coffin.”
Cedric clasped his fingers with mine. “We can discuss this on the way. Are you ready?”
“I have to be.” I whispered.
Adius stepped aside as we headed for the door. My destiny waited, and it had come about in the most unlikely way. I wondered what my future might hold as queen.
***
We left the castle and through the large gates. Blaise had come to watch us leave with the others. His smoky-gray eyes regarded me as I footed the stirrup, climbing onto the back of my black horse. He looked like he belonged to the court, with his large, glistening blue wings which shimmered like the walls glamoured to appear as frost and crystal.
Cedric climbed onto his horse, then reached across and held my hand. I looked back. Blaise shrugged his hands deep into his pockets, shaking his head when he turned.
I touched the tiara on my head. Locks of my dark hair had been curled around the delicate silver frame with diamonds and sapphires—though beautiful, it was only temporary until we returned home.
Home.
I’d spent so long contemplating the kingdom I’d inherited to rule, yet I was alone there, save for my few friends, and Cedric. I smiled at him as the wind picked up, swirling white around us. Cedric’s smile was broader, more genuine than those of us lunas surrounding him. “Ready?” I asked, gripping the night-blue reins.
He nodded, and I looked back as we headed toward the others. Cedric’s lips always curved a little at the corners, as if he were on the edge of laughter.
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