Page 35 of Heiress of Fire

“I do think it’s a bit weird that there isn’t anyone else here. Cara, you mentioned there was no one in the hallways earlier, right?” Davina asked, turning to Cara.

“Yes,” she answered.

“I don’t know about the other Soldiers and Leaders. All I know is that we must obey that voice,” Beacon responded.

“I feel the same way,” Davina said. Torchlights lit up as they neared the hallway.

They watched in wonder as they paced toward the direction of the igniting lights.

“We’re making it to the King’s warded section of the fortress. I think we should stop here,” Leilani said with worry.

“We’ll be fine. Quick, hurry, Lani, before we lose the dove,” Davina said with her eyes fixated on the white dove which occasionally looked back at them as if it were making sure it was being followed.

Davina and Ron rushed up the staircases that brought them and closer to the King’s throne room, the others on their trail. She had never been this close to the throne room before, but the dove continued to fly. It would stop and look back at them and then continued to flap its wings.

What could this mean? Davina asked herself, but she was too excited to even stop. Could the King finally be retiring from his silence? Could they be the generation chosen to receive the honor to reunite with their King?

As they neared a set of beautiful golden doors, Davina was able to glimpse the intricate carvings of the four symbols that represented the Bellatorm islands. The white dove headed for the doorway and disappeared completely as a white, yet transparent wall appeared before the golden doors.

This must’ve been the barrier that the King had set up, stopping anyone from coming into his throne room. Davina reached for the bright barrier.

“What are you doing?” Snow asked.

Davina held her hand close to the barrier as she turned to Snow. “I’m just trying to see something.”

“Wait, Davina!” Caleb and Beacon shouted.

“Do you not know that you’re going to be disintegrated if your hand touches the barrier?” Snow asked.

“What?” Leilani shouted.

“You guys haven’t heard of all those stories of when the King first went into isolation?” Snow asked as her blue eyes scanned the others. Davina looked at Ron who seemed just as confused as she. “The Soldiers who came to inform the King about the Revolt found this wall had been lifted. As they touched it, they died immediately. This caused an increase of deserters of Castellum’s army.”

“I’m sure there’s a reason why those Soldiers died,” Davina argued.

“I heard that those Soldiers were corrupt,” Cara whispered.

Snow snapped her gaze at Cara.

“We don’t know if what you say is for sure. You know how our people can be,” Davina said as she stepped in front of Cara.

“Davina’s right, they’re very talkative,” Valerie agreed.

Snow rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“There’s no need for such tension, guys, maybe we should—” Leilani began before Ron interrupted her.

“Vivi, look.” Ron jerked his chin toward the doors.

The grand doors were creaking open.

The Soldiers, Davina, and Cara remained frozen in place as they watched the four-hundred-year-old white barrier fade into nothing.

The forbidden throne room was being presented to them after many of their ancestors were robbed of experiencing a moment like this.

The King was behind those walls. He was waiting on the other side of that door, Davina realized. She, an Almenara, was receiving the honor of being this near to the King despite being born into the most cursed of Bellatorm bloodlines.

Certainly, the King wouldn’t want to see the descendant of the woman who was the face of the Revolt.

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