Page 94 of Bound in Blood

shall be our ruin or our redemption.

Bringing balance to the new world order,

be it through peace or total annihilation.

“Though, take heed?—

the one who first drinks from the untouched vessel,

pale as alabaster stone,

for it is they who will determine its poison or its nectar.

“And those who thirst for the crimson rivers of mortal veins

shall face the insurmountable task of their birthright.

They must choose the path of the righteous,

or face the damnation of the eternal.”

She clears her throat. “There is another verse, but it has been lost or forgotten. Though I am sure there are some who know it well.”

I close my eyes and recount the verse Nazeel told me, the one I have been unable to forget since.

“But if the Chosen One can slay the three-headed dragon?—

if the untamable beast does kneel at its new master’s feet,

and the light is tempted back from the darkness,

then they shall awaken the protector of man.

And the sun must swallow the shadows

to bring a balance that reigns through the ages.”

When I reopen my eyes, all three of them are staring at me. Enora’s eyes are brimming with tears. “I thought it was the five points of the pentagram that held meaning, and perhaps it does, but it is the three-headed dragon which holds the key.”

Xavier rubs his temples. “What the fuck? What three-headed dragon? We have one of them to deal with now too?”

Enora clears her throat to speak, but it is Ophelia who answers. “You’re the three-headed dragon, Xavier.”

He gapes at her. “Say what now?”

“You, Axl, and Malachi. The three untamable Ruby Dragon commanders.” Then she looks up at me. “And you’re the protector of man?”

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I still refuse to accept it as my truth. I am no savior, and I will not let her become one either. Because there is only one fate for those who are born to save the world. “I am the protector of you. Nobody else.”

She squeezes my hand and turns back to Enora. “So, whoever first drank from the untouched vessel, which I guess refers to me, gets to determine whether I’m good or bad—is that right?”

Enora nods. “That is the general interpretation, sweet child.”

Ophelia presses her lips together, her face screwed up in concentration. “So Giorgios has taken Malachi because he thinks he can somehow use him to persuade me to use my magic for evil?”

I rack my brain for an answer that will not come. “That makes no sense. Elementai are inherently pure and good.”

Enora clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “This is true. However, we know Giorgios is in possession not only of powerful dark magic, but that he also has a wraith on his side. A wraith can turn anyone toward the darkness if they have the opportunity to be in proximity for long enough.”

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