Page 80 of Shadows of Ruin

“Go on,” Cassandra ordered. “Speak it.”

Kade huffed. “Cassandra delivered a prophecy a few years ago. She’s had a couple of them in her time—” Cassandra swatted his leg, but not angrily. I frowned, remembering how at ease Kade seemed with Vivienne at the bonfire. He hadn’t balked at Vivienne’s strange behavior because it had been soclose to his Cassandra’s.“Rebels rise where darkness lies, not one but two must break the ties. Across the void, a queen you must seek, trust freely given, for one alone proves too weak. Though evil will free and be bound no more, Fate still awaits one final war.”

I exhaled. Not much of it made sense to me. Minus that part where he dragged me across the void. But I wasn’t a queen.Break the ties? Evil will free?That sounded anything but pleasant.

“I’m not a queen, Kade,” I said softly.

“He acted on his heart, not the words,” Cassandra interjected. “Fate is fickle, and my interference could change too much. But I did always tell him to trust his heart.”

Kade stared at his tea.

A tingle ran along my skin under Cassandra’s stare. I’d lived almost my entire life hating Vivienne’s words. The weight I’d felt earlier returned. Maybe it hadn’t left at all, it just became more pronounced now.

“Princess,” she said. “The time for decisions has come. Unravel your mind.”

I knew her words were about Kade. If I’d trust him with a prophecy, she must know already.

It wasn’t a question though. Through my wariness, my anger, my out-of-control mind and heart, I knew one thing—Icouldtrust Kade. It may take me time to fully accept it, to let him have all the parts of me again, if I ever did. This moment though? This moment seemed too coincidental. Two prophecies, two kingdoms.

The damned Fates struck again. And a terrifying realization settled in my heart.

Vivienne’s prophecy about me must be true. Just as Kade’s must be.

Cassandra’s voice drifted toward me and sealed my resolve. “If you’ve made your choice, no more secrets.”

Kade finally turned his attention to me. “What secrets?”

My palms prickled with sweat, a nervous energy thrumming from my body. I knew the decision to trust Kade was the right one, a conviction stirring from somewhere I couldn’t name. But speaking those words to anyone other than my parents, Ian, or Kalliah? It proved difficult.

“I have a prophecy too,” I said, wiping my hands along my pants.

Kade’s lips parted, but he didn’t look away.

“It was given to me shortly after my birth, by Vivienne. It’s why my parents enacted the marriage trials. They believed her words so fiercely and lived completely focused on fulfilling the damn thing.”

Kade stared at me, arching his brow as if to say, “Go on.”

Taking a deep breath, I spoke the words that controlled my life. “Void of magic, a heroine born, destiny calls, though faint and torn. Many will come from across the land, yet only the strongest will win her hand. With lover’s touch she shall ignite, without it perish from the kingdom’s blight.”

Cassandra nodded with her eyes closed and stood abruptly.

She rubbed her hands together before taking Kade’s, then mine. Quickly, she pulled our hands together, forcing us to our feet. My teacup landed with a clang against the table, spilling its contents. She dragged us to the center of the room, unfazed by the mess she’d created. She muttered under her breath, words I didn’t understand or maybe just didn’t grasp for how incoherently she spoke them.

Cassandra brought our hands up and then joined them together. Kade slid his hand into mine, intertwining our fingers just like he’d done earlier. As soon as Cassandra let go, a powerful shock sent waves of energy through me.

My knees wobbled and I could barely hold myself upright, the electric current so strong. Kade’s eyes widened, and he gripped my hand more tightly, his shoulders shaking from the unknown magic pulsating between us.

“The Fates are at work.” Cassandra’s voice somehow echoed in the sitting area.

The current ceased, and the immediate force of her joining our hands faded.

“Are you all right?” Kade asked, his concerned eyes raking over me.

I nodded once. He looked back to Cassandra somewhat reluctantly. “What does it mean?” Kade asked. “It cannot be a coincidence both Lana and I have prophecies. There has to be more. What are we supposed to do?”

Cassandra’s gaze flitted between us once more, all with an eerie sense of calm. “Time will reveal what minds cannot. Fulfill your prophecies and spark your destiny.”

“That doesn’t help get her back to safety, Cassandra. I need you to tell us more.” Kade’s panicked tone surprised me. His voice rising. He still held my hand. “I have to get her away from him.”

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