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Seraphina

Seraphina stood proud and tall before King Malakar, the imposter king of Wyrmhaven. He stared at her through narrowed, reddish-amber eyes that looked as though fire burned inside of them. Seraphina knew his look was meant to terrify her, but she would never show this man fear.

Her silver hair flowed down her back and her stormy silvery-gray eyes flashed as though they controlled the power of lightning. Seraphina’s dark blue tunic made her look regal as she refused to back down from the evil king who betrayed and overthrew his nephew, Dain, for the crown.

He controlled the land through fear and violence. Seraphina would never allow herself to be controlled by such a man—or any man.

The men who’d brought her in stood behind her. They’d been very gentle when they escorted her to the palace, as they were terrified of her abilities. Seraphina had known they were coming and didn’t fight them.

“What do you have to say for yourself, Oracle?” King Malakar asked, his voice languid and drawn out, as though he’d just asked her if she’d enjoyed her breakfast.

“I stand by my prophecy, Sire.” Seraphina’s voice was very soft and calm, yet everyone in the packed courtroom heard every word she’d said. “You will be defeated and the rightful king will reclaim the throne. Dain Stormrider will soon take his rightful place as king of the Drakon Realm and all the kingdoms within, including Wyrmhaven. You will kneel before him.”

King Malakar gripped the armrests on his throne with white-knuckled hands and sat up straight, leaning toward Seraphina. His face turned bright red and the vein in his neck throbbed. “That is treason,” he hissed.

She stood still and remained calm, confident in her vision of what was to come. “It’s the truth. It’s not treason to speak the truth. You have taxed the people to death. You rule with cruelty and violence. You have allowed the people closest to you to ravage the kingdom and destroy all that was good within it. You will fall and the rightful king will bring light to where there is only darkness now.”

A loud gasp echoed throughout the court. No one ever dared speak to King Malakar that way. He would have had the person tortured in public to serve as a lesson.

Seraphina allowed herself a moment of satisfaction when she saw the tiniest flicker of fear cross King Malakar’s face before he quickly hid it. He growled at her.

“You shall be punished for your treasonous words. You shall be beheaded in front of everyone as a lesson for speaking out against me.”

She never flinched and her lips curled up a bit in a slight smile. “You could kill me a thousand times but that would not change the events that are to come. As sure as the sun rises in the east and falls in the west, so shall you fall.”

“Get her out of here,” he yelled.

Seraphine bowed her head to him, still smiling. “Your majesty.” Her tone was slightly mocking.

The king’s face turned a bright purple with rage and he stood, pointing at her. He snarled, showing his long fangs. “I will celebrate when I see your head roll. I’ll mount it on a pike for all to see.”

“Keep living your dreams, Malakar. Soon, it will be your head on a pike.”

With a serene look on her face, her head held high, she practically glided between the rows of dragon shifters, other shifters, and mundane citizens. They looked at her with a mixture of fear and admiration.

“Oracle, please,” one of the guards said, gesturing to the open cell.

She nodded at him and walked inside, the peace she felt in her soul exuding from her, almost as though she glowed a pure white light.

A small, frail, young woman brought her bread and water that afternoon. She was extremely timid and kept her head down, speaking to Seraphina only in a whisper.

“Aren’t you frightened? Once the King orders someone’s death, he doesn’t forgive.”

“No. One should never be afraid of the future because there’s no sense in it. What will happen will happen and no amount of fear is going to stop it. We must live in the here and now.”

“Forgive me for asking, but is there a future for me?”

Seraphina took the woman’s hand and closed her eyes. “You have suffered greatly under King Malakar’s rule. I see that most of your family is dead. Pack only what you can carry with you. When the darkest of night descends upon this land, you must leave and travel to Velmora, and you will find what you seek. You must tell no one of your plans, as the king has spies everywhere.You must simply disappear. Until then, present yourself as though nothing out of the ordinary was about to happen.”

“Thank you, Oracle,” whispered the woman, and she hurried out of the cell as though she was afraid of being caught lingering too long.

Seraphina sat on the wooden bench, closed her eyes, and rested her hands on her knees. She closed her eyes and an image of Dain appeared. She knew his story wasn’t over but wasn’t sure when he’d be successful in returning. There would be a lot of innocent lives lost, as there always were during wars. The difference between Malakar and Dain was that the evil king would consider it people’s duty to die for him, whereas his nephew would mourn every life lost.

She sighed as she thought of Dain. He’d been hurt in many ways when his uncle betrayed him. Malakar’s henchmen attacked when Dain wasn’t expecting it, so he didn’t have time to shift into his dragon form. Dain was badly injured. The betrayal of an uncle who’d held a high position was a tremendous blow.

Dain’s image flashed into her mind. Although they’d never met in person, she knew him—probably better than he knew himself. She’d had visions of him for the last couple of years but had to wait to announce her prophecy until the time was right.