Page 108 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

Oblivion.

A quick chant and I slipped out my door and down the hall. It was so easy to move when you couldn’t be seen. No one even glanced my way, and I prayed to the old gods, thanking them for giving me as much magic as they had. Otherwise, I would be a dead woman.

I reached the end of the wing, raising my hands as my magic whipped out, drawn to that power trail. I hurried through winding hallways and far too many stairs. The further I went, the fewer people I saw, only a handful of guards, and even then, they were few and far between.

Silence followed me through this wing of the palace, and an uneasy feeling met my every step. Images were carved into the shimmering, pale stone of the walls, depicting ancient battles between gods and monsters. I paused before a statue of a huge masculine form with jagged horns growing from his shoulders. His head was bent, obscuring his face, and he appeared to be holding a spear. I glanced closer at the words etched deep into the plinth. The curves and slashes of the words predated even my knowledge of language. I studied the muscled figure, drawn to it for some reason. The way the artist had sculpted the face, body, and pose, it was obvious that whoever this man was, he’d been deeply loved.

“That won’t do,” a voice said behind me, and I nearly jumped. I turned around to see Tara and Tessa coming toward me.

“It has to. We are running out of test subjects as it is,” Tessa said.

I stayed still as they approached, their long silk robes dancing across the floor as they walked hand in hand.

“She will imprison innocents at this rate. Damn, maybe even her own citizens, to get this to work,” Tara said.

Tessa raised Tara’s hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to it. Tara blushed. “You are safe with me. We both are. Just do what she says, remember? Besides, the guards started to talk, so I think she’s backing off them.”

I followed the girls, passing the large statue and heading toward the stairs. What were they doing down here? What did Nismera have them doing? They continued down the steps and turned a corner, still lost in conversation. I tried to process all they said. Use her citizens? She had to mean those bodies Kaden and I found downstairs. Bile hit my stomach.

They pushed open a large door, and voices spilled out. Machines whirled as workers, small and large, shouted to each other. Several tiny winged creatures carried pieces of trash away from the area, snapping at each other in a language I didn’t know.

“Any progress, Quill?” Nismera’s voice had me backing into the nearest wall.

She strode toward the center of the room, her black gown flowing behind her. The feathers of some beast lined the neckline, dipping low enough to reveal the inner curves of her breasts. A crown made of sharp edges and spikes jutted from her head. When she turned, I realized it wasn’t a gown but more a coat. Her lower half was covered in golden armor, stained with what I could only assume was blood. She must have just returned.

A man, or something close enough to it, walked toward her and bowed. He wore an apron covered in grime and glasses over his three eyes, the middle piece larger than the other two.

“Yes, I have the gauntlet almost ready as well.”

Gauntlet? I took a step out of the shadows.

Quill turned away, and she followed. They moved past a few pieces of giant machinery and headed toward the back. I trailed behind, making sure I remained undetected. My heart thudded as we rounded a corner and entered a room that was a perfect circle. There were symbols worked into the stone on the floor, matching the ones on the giant device above us.

The runes lit up as Nismera entered, her power activating them. Quill and she stopped in the middle of the room, and I joined them, careful not to draw too close. She lifted her arm, and the walls enclosed us, glowing runes spinning. We moved forward and then what felt like down before the wall slid away. Quill stepped out first, and we followed.

I gasped and quickly covered my mouth, muffling the sound as we entered the massive stone room. Several people lay bound on the floor, their hands tied and mouths gagged. A few looked no more than twenty years of age, covered in dirt and grime. These must have been the recent shipment of prisoners one of her legions had collected.

Windows, three stories high, made up the walls, and I wondered what the view was like from here. I wanted to go look, but the large pillar in the center of the room pulled at my magic. Whatever was there both beckoned and repelled me. Quill turned his shoulder, giving me a clear view, and my blood ran cold. On the raised pedestal, encased in glass, was the ring of Oblivion.

Nismera walked toward it, her long nails grazing over the clear box, the runes on it lighting up. It was infused with godly magic to keep the ring stable. Oh gods. My magic jerked away, remembering only a fraction of the power belonging to the man who used to wield it. I took a step back, then another and another, speaking words to calm my magic. We were not in danger.

Nismera tapped on the box as if it weren’t holding a weapon of mass destruction. “Anything new?” she asked.

“No, my liege, but we may try again.”

She nodded, and with a flick of her wrist, a spear made of gold appeared. Runes lined the shaft, and power sang from it, dark, twisted power, made from blood and not just anyone’s, but Dianna’s.

I knew it, felt it in my skin. Ig’Morruthen and celestial. The perfect weapon made into a death spear. This was the one that killed Samkiel. The prophecy Reggie spoke of was not wrong. They were destined to kill one another, and they had. My heart lurched. I knew she felt that now. She probably hated herself for it, and I didn’t blame her one bit for wishing to burn the world for it.

“Let’s try again, shall we?” Nismera asked. Quill took several steps back, moving to the side.

The people in front of her began to tremble as she lifted the lid off the case containing Oblivion. The portal activated behind me, and I turned as Tessa and Tara walked out.

“You’re late.” Nismera eyed them sternly.

Tara’s blush deepened. “My apologies, my king.” She bowed slightly, but Tessa couldn’t care less. She just stood, playing with the ends of her blonde hair.

Nismera did not berate them. Instead, she turned her focus back toward the Oblivion ring.

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