Page 134 of Stolen

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One day, our young will ask about this moment. About their mother. About the realm we rebuilt together.

And I will say this.

It began with a storm, a stolen human, and a plan to cheat the Fates.

But what I found instead was something I never expected. It was tremendous.

Love.

Fire.

Everything I never knew was possible for me.

And I would choose her again. I would choose them again.

Every single time.

And now it’s my duty to ensure Nightfall is ready to receive the gift of my children.

That it is the haven it once was.

I kiss her head once more, “I shall return soon,Myrrin.”

The room dims as the wards lock into place.

My breath slows beside Jules’ steady one, and for a single heartbeat, I allow myself to imagine a quiet life.

Then, I rise.

I do not wake her.

My viyellaneeds rest.

She has fought for this realm and suffered for it.

And now, she carries our future in her womb.

That sacred knowledge alone makes me want to stay. But duty calls.

Always, there is duty.

I call to the magic in my blood, and the Eyrie shifts beneath me.

Winds answer.

Stone sings.

The zareth pulsing beneath my skin coils outward and bends space itself. My wings extend, bracing for the magic that will soon whisk me away.

And it does.

In the blink of a breath, I vanish—traveling through ley-lines, through flame, through stone and time itself—until I arrive at the cliffs of Castletide, Lord Kael’s keep.

The air is heavy with salt and storm.

Waves crash far below, and the ocean pulses with ancient power.

Kael, Dagan, and Thorne wait for me in the watchtower, their silhouettes lit by the violet light of the fading moon.

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