Page 61 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“Yes, so far the vision has not changed. He still dies.” He frowned. “The vision came to me as soon as you decided to break your curse and give him the stone.” Brim looked truly sorry. I wondered how much he knew Cassius and Ito hold such pity in his eyes. “I summoned you to see if your vision matched mine. Every decision you make could change his fate for the better. But if I’m being honest, I am seeing the vision multiple times a day, which is not a good sign.”

My eyes moved to Della as she frowned. Her power zipped around her too, but my power was overpowering and suffocating in the small cabin. Della’s eyes were solid white, and I could feel her anger.

“If breaking my curse kills Cassius, then I will gladly not do it.”

“You must,” Della frowned at me. “If you don't, then Exile is stuck, and the prophecy will not be fulfilled. Do you know what your father does if he isn't stopped?” She stepped forward. “He slaughters every fae that isn’t from Kizar or Cerithia. Children. Women. Innocent. Crimson. Cassius. They will all die. You have to break your curse so that the prophecy happens. Cassius will die that way too.”

My mind was too filled with my darkness talking quickly about saving Cassius. I couldn’t fucking think. Thank the stars that Della came with me because she took control of the conversation.

“So, he will die if she breaks the curse? How the fuck is that happening?” Her eyes narrowed on Brim. “I want the details of your vision. How does he die? Why?”

Della was fucking furious.

“Ardella…”

“No, tell me. You said it's a vision, not a prophecy, so it can be changed.”

“You know I’m not supposed to say too much.” Brim glanced at her.

“I am your god, and I am demanding that you tell me every detail you know!” Her power expanded around us, and I knew that Brim would not deny her again.

Brim nodded.

“Give me a moment,” he said. “Visions are not always clear. Prophecies give clear details, and visions are like small snippets of information that make up just a sliver of what you need.”

My heart was racing. I didn’t want to hear how he would die, but I had seen it play out in my mind hundreds of times. Part of the reason I wanted Cassius to stay away was because I saw an image of him dead each time he stood in front of me. All I could think of was never seeing his smile again, never feeling him, never hearing his voice, never having a life together.

“He dies trying to save Thea. He goes into the next life, or rather waits for Thea so they can go together.” Brim stood and paced in front of us. “Thea breaks her curse and goes to fulfill her prophecy, but there is some trouble;that part of the vision is unclear. Something about him breaking free of restraints. It was almost as if he had been taken by Luren and Jesper, but Thea was already fulfilling her prophecy. Perhaps him being taken is what triggered her to see the prophecy out. Because he is in danger.

“But he tries to help Thea when she is injured and..." Brim swallowed hard. “Luren has a fae with magic that captures him so he can’t move, and Luren beheads him.”

Hearing my father’s name was the final straw. I stood quickly and furiously, my fists clenched tightly.

“I’ll go slice my father’s head off right now if that will stop this from happening.”

“You must break your curse before you go and kill the kings. You need your bloodstone to fuel your powers. Without it, you will not be able to fulfill the prophecy. You will be overpowered and will die.” Della frowned. “How can we stop this, Brim?”

I would die with him. I would not exist without him. But I would burn this whole fucking realm down with me when I went. No one would escape my wrath. I wouldn’t be able to hold my darkness in or control it.

“Cassius feels like he must save her because he knows she broke her curse and worries that she will die, and he will lose her forever. She gets wounded, and it triggers his matebond to act, and he can’t stop it because he knows she will not go to Exile this time.”

“Okay, so I won’t tell him.” I looked at both of them. “I won’t tell him, so he doesn’t try to help.”

“He’s still going to try and help.” Della looked at me, and I knew she was right.

“No, actually Thea’s right. If she doesn’t tell him, he might not intervene. He intervenes because heknowsshe will die for good, and that is the thought that makes him react. But maybe if that thought never goes through his mind, then he won’t.”

“I won’t tell him.” How the fuck was I going to break this fucking curse without him knowing? “When did this happen? If I know, then I can use my magic to make sure he can’t interfere with me and the prophecy. I couldn’t tell when it happened in my vision.”

Della looked at Brim expectantly.

“I don’t know,” he sighed, defeated. “It gave me no indication of anything particular happening, so I can't pinpoint the day.”

Fucking wonderful. I gripped my forehead tightly. My crown tattoo on my arm burned so much that I couldn’t help thepainful sob that escaped me.

“If Cassius dies, the whole realm dies,” I promised, my eyes pulsing violently between red and black. I was losing control of myself.

“You have enough details that we can make sure it doesn’t happen.” Della nodded, trying to sound hopeful, but we both knew that there was a chance. A chance that Cassius dies.

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