Page 1 of The Time Of Kings

PROLOGUE

Apromise.

A single promise made. One that easily spilled from my lips as I looked down at my little girl, only hours old and with her whole life ahead of her. And what a colourful life it was going to be, as unlike my own life, she would not have to question all the things this world kept hidden beneath the veil of supernatural secrets. She would not grow up encircled by the shadows that tainted what was real or not. But instead, the truth would surround her as we all embraced the new life Draven and I had just this day brought into this world.

This Supernatural World.

A world I had once been so terrified of. One I had tried to supress and mask under the shroud of disbelief. Of course, that was all before there was…

Him.

The hero of my story.

The man who started it all and filled the grey life I had once lived with colour. Green for the ivy that covered parts of Afterlife, a place I now called home. The shimmering yellow of golden sands that had now merged parts of his past with that ofmy own. Red for the bed of roses we had made love on and the blood that connected us after coating our lips. Pink and orange for the sunset sky he asked me to marry him under. But above all other, it was the purple in his eyes that told me more than words could ever fully express.

And now I had the blue. The colour of our beautiful girl’s eyes that I knew would stay that way forever. This despite reading otherwise in the many baby books my husband had been obsessed with reading.

Draven had given me a world of colour and despite all we had been through, I knew that I no longer damned the Fates. Not even for all the pain we had endured in order to get here. Because in the end, I now knew that it was always the hardest of life’s journeys that brought us to the sweetest of destinations. The hardships, the pain, and the tears were all just stepping stones to a deserving future called happiness.

Meaning I would not have changed a single thing.

It was also why the moment I was alone, I looked down at our sleeping girl and made her this promise…

“My little Amelia Faith, I vow to love you every single day of my life and to always be there for you. No matter which road I have to travel, I would follow you to the ends of the Earth and all the realms in between. I promise to always have your back, to protect you, no matter the cost. Today, tomorrow, and every day after…”

“This is my vow,and it is… timeless.”

1

THE TIMELESS VOW

KEIRA DECADES LATER…

“Well, that escalated quickly,” Pip said after we had just finished listening to all that my daughter had to say, and in truth, I knew I shouldn’t have been surprised. Not considering I had pretty much dreamt of this very conversation. But then, that was the burden of being an Electus, or so I had been told decades ago.

Of course, I had hoped Amelia’s life would have been easier than feeling the weight of our world on her shoulders like I had. Although, I think after the recent war fought in Hell, I could say that hope hadn’t just sailed. No, it had taken a flying leap out of a burning window and straight into the flaming river of Phlegethon!

Despite this, I couldn’t have been more proud of her. The strength of her soul and will to do good brought tears to my eyes just thinking about all she had endured for the Fate of our world. For those she loved and cared for.

For the man she was fated to.

A man I knew would have Demonic kittens right now if he discovered what she was planning. Just like my own King wouldif he knew that I was about to help her. Because I made a vow to my daughter long ago. One that promised that I would follow her to the ends of the Earth and all realms in between if she needed me. And well… that included footsteps taken in the past, present, or future.

However, I still had to make my worries known, which was why I couldn’t help but ask,

“No, no, no, no… please tell me this is not what you have in mind?” Because she had just finished telling me about all the nightmares that had haunted her these last months, with a Wraith master at the core of it all. Which meant, once again, she felt a very different Fate baring down at her and another Oracle was the one to put it there.

Of course, I understood her despairing need to do something to help these poor souls that seemed trapped to their mad King’s fate. To fulfill a promise made and do everything she possibly could to free them. And that was the thing with Oracles, they had the uncanny ability to make the unachievable seem achievable, as if it was as straight forward as walking down the clear and easy path to glory.

But it was never clear and easy, for there was no such thing for a Chosen One.

Because they never spoke of the scars such a journey would leave against your soul. The pain and heartache that would cling to your mind like fractures branching out around the edges of the mirror. One that would crack further every time you had to look at your reflection, just knowing the pieces of yourself you were forced to sacrifice.

They also never spoke of the hurt you regrettably had to inflict on those you loved.

Well, I wouldn’t let her do such a thing alone. Because if there was a way I could take some of that burden or guilt away, then I would do it. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it withoutfirst trying to be the voice of reason. Despite already knowing my daughter well enough to understand she had already made up her mind. But even Pip knew it was a pointless endeavor to try, as Amelia’s sigh spoke volumes.

“Sorry, Toots, but that sigh isn’t a good sign either.”

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