Page 39 of A Rising Hope

“Insanaria is going to kill you,” he choked between the smoke.

“She already did once, didn’t she?” I let out a cold, icy chuckle, pausing on the threshold as I opened the door outside. “I’ll take my chances.”

“What do you think you are going to do? If the Queen can’t break through his shields, what makes you think you can?”

I clicked my tongue scornfully.

“Ah, Godric, but that’s precisely the point, isn’t it? She is just a CreatorQueen . . .And I am a fucking Destroyer Empress.”I threw the knife without glancing back. The dull thump of the blade sounded, followed by a loud groan confirming my mark. The knife wedged deep into his shoulder; his pain pleased the fury within me. “Too bad Healers can’t heal themselves,” I uttered before stepping off the stone porch.

The traitor-brother would live.

Left for Gideon to deal with his sorry ass later. My husband had a long fucking list of things to fix from his dumb decisions.

I reached the clear glass-like barrier, my touch sending a ripple through it. Shadows churned behind it—hungry, starving beings ready to devour me.

Whatever flicker of fear that sparkled within me at the unnerving sight of never-ending darkness was quickly smothered by anger, by rage and pure power that coursed through my veins.

“Oh, get over yourself, it’s just some fucking shadows,” I mumbled to myself, taking a deep breath.

A single step forward.

And the Black Shadows swallowed me entirely.

27

INSANARIA

“Enjoying the view?” I snapped, appearing a step behind the General. His hands were loosely clasped behind his back as he stood tall on the round balcony observing the encompassing deep blue ocean.

“What is it that you want, Insanaria?” he asked, his tone full of boredom, lacking any hint of respect. The General didn’t bother looking back at me, only motioned with his finger, as if telling me to hurry.

I wanted to kill him right there. But anger was no use in precision.

So instead, I took a step closer. My shadows, my rightful companions, swirled with the winds as we stood atop the highest tower in my castle.

“I’ve been doing some interesting reading recently.” I started weaving my webs like a starving spider.

“I suppose when one runs out of people to siphon magic from, it’s only natural to pick up another hobby.” He dared to mock me, unbothered by my presence. Arrogant bastard.

“You see, you were quite right. I did not know much about blood magic. A mistake I was desperate to remedy.” I folded myarms. “It was quite unfortunate to discover that not much has been recorded regarding your cursed magic, even in my most ancient scripts.” I stared at the waves crashing far below. “But there was one small mere mention of it.” My eyes pierced the back of his head as I spat. “Do you want to take a guess at what it was, mydear nephew?”

He turned at that.

I smirked.

“Oh yes, General, quite the minor detail you forgot to mention. You see, what I had discovered in my search is that in order for any blood magic to work onme, for your shields to keepmeat bay, we had to share blood.” I clicked my tongue, not hiding the disgust that lined my face. “As a child, I had always thought my mother had died at birth, father lost at sea. It was easier to pretend, to explain my unfortunate childhood at the orphanage as some cruel twist of Fate. So, imagine my disbelief when I found out years later that the woman who birthed me was alive and well—a simple whore entertaining the streets of the Svitar Slums—one who just didn’t bother raising her offspring.” The shadows spun around me, comforting me.

Even now, after so many years, I often go back to the stale memory of the day my magic killed her. My very first kill.

My mother’s terrifying stare as life left her at my call, forever etched in me.

A memory that shaped me into who I was today.

“I had considered the possibility of my mother giving birth to other children before. A possibility I very much didn’t care about. But I must say, I never thought that my half-sister would be the one birthing a Destroyer such as you.” I flicked an invisible piece of lint off my shoulder. “I always heard rumors, of course, but Diamara had been tight-lipped about who the whore was that ruined their marriage. And frankly, I had very little interest in whatever court drama you all had that week. Atthe time, I had much more pressing issues at hand than who the emperor was fucking that month.” I clicked my tongue. “But gods, what a pleasant surprise it was to discover this precious little piece of history now . . . even if it is under such unpleasant circumstances.” I gave him a poisonous smile.

“I wish I could share such a warm familial bond with you, but I don’t.” The General smirked, examining me.

“Oh, you would be thrilled if you knew what exciting news this was! Because you see, I spent years . . .yearssearching for the last thing I needed to complete my ritual. I have magic, so much of it, and yet it was never enough, because no matter how much I had obtained, I was always missing one part of it. Destroyers’ fire. You know yourself, Destroyers’ fire doesn’t mix very well with Magic Wielders, not compatible with its hosts, too unruly and overbearing, killing every single swarm I tried to mix it in. But then there was a Seer that showed me a child being born where magic freely mixed and where fire lived in harmony—an answer to all my problems. At first, I thought it must have been Finn, your lovely wife, but then it dawned on me. There was a shortcut all along.A bloodrelated Destroyer to a Creator. Yes, you’ve won by trapping me here, but it turns out I don’t have to leave this place in order to finally accomplish my goal of becoming a god.”

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