Page 64 of The Fate of Eternity

I snap my gaze to my right, noting the silhouette of a woman in the tree line. It’s impossible to make her out, but the cackle that rings in the air before she disappears is familiar—I heard it earlier today.

In my cell.

The woman.

The same woman who wasn’t there when the guards took me.

What does all of this mean?

Before I have a chance to contemplate any of it, the world shifts around me. I choke on my breath, which is securely lodged in my throat, as dizziness washes over me.

“Adrianna, answer me right now!” The order comes from Raiden, and it takes everything in me to look his way. “Oh, thank fuck,” he rasps, his hand still imprinted on the stand before him.

Returning to the present, I feel a telltale shiver run up my spine as a gush of magic coils in my gut. It forces a snicker to my lips as it intertwines around the magical binding securing my wrists together.

With a snarl, I tug at the binding, watching as it clatters to the floor in a heap. My pulse thunders in my ears as my head falls back and a surge of magic cascades over me.

A bright light beams around the room, but it doesn’t blind me. Not even a little.

Not this time.

31

ADRIANNA

Chanting rings in my ears as my body vibrates with the remnants of the magic coursing through my bones. It’s all I feel, all-consuming, and completely out of control.

One word repeats in my mind.

Protect.

Protect. Protect. Protect.

I must protect Flora.

I must protect Arlo.

I must protect Kryll.

I must protect Raiden.

I must protect Cassian.

I must protect Brody.

I must protect the kingdom.

My sense of purpose is grounding even as it leads me into the depths of an unfamiliar darkness. The light courses through my veins as it projects around the room, engulfing those whose names swirl in my thoughts with a beam so bright that it’s almost blinding.

I’m rooted to the spot, fingers tingling with my fae magic as Flora calls out my name, breaking through the fog I’m engulfed in.

My gaze snaps to hers, watching as she squints, and I quickly realize it is only me who can see through the light I’m generating; the rest of them are completely lost to it.

“Do it, Flora,” I yell, my chest heaving with every word, and even though she can’t see me, she doesn’t waste a moment before springing into action.

Raiden, Kryll, Cassian, and Brody are still connected to the stands, locked in, with a sense of bewilderment tainting their perspective along with the light.

“Do what?” Brody hollers, wanting to be a part of whatever the fuck this is, but there’s no time to answer. Flora is already swirling into action.

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