Page 14 of Her King

“When blood and bone are severed from land,

A witch of wandering soul shall stand.

Born beneath the weeping moon,

Forged in grief and cast too soon.

She walks in shadow, bound by none,

Yet tethered to what must be done.

Her power comes in trinity,

Of earth, of light, of calamity.

One realm shall fear her,

One shall seek her,

One shall bleed for her.

If crowned before the moons align,

The realms will bend, not break the line.

But if her soul is severed first,

The realms shall drown beneath the cursed.

She may bind the realms or burn them down,

Ascend as Queen or steal the crown.

The choice is hers, but not alone,

For even queens must choose a throne.”

A shiver runs up my spine as I read the passage three times. How the hell am I supposed to live through this?

Chapter Twelve

The Shard

Niko

I find her in the garden, seated on a low stone bench, moonlight curling around her like a crown of silver. She doesn’t flinch when I approach, not this time. Her power rolls off her in steady waves now. It doesn’t lash out or spark anymore. It breathes with her, swelling and receding.

“You’re not the same woman I met in Bantry Bay,” I say, stopping a few paces behind her.

Cassandra looks up. “I’m not even the same woman I was yesterday.” She chuckles but the sound is flat.

Her voice is calm, but there’s something sharper beneath it. Resolve perhaps? She holds up her palm, revealing the shard, and my breath catches.

“Where did you get that?” I ask.

“Arabella brought it,” she replies. “It’s a trinity shard. I felt the realms in it, Niko. All three realms. I don’t think I’m becoming their queen. I think I already am.”

Silence stretches between us. Not uncomfortable, just heavy. This is real and scary.

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