Page 154 of Queen of Legends and Lies
Sterling traces soothing circles on my back. “Just over there, naked and curled up like a newborn babe.”
“But where were you before that?”
“And how’d you get back to the surface without us seeing you?”
“And with Rose?”
“And without your clothes?”
Questions tumble out of them, their voices rising in a clamor of confusion and fear.
I can’t even begin to explain what happened to me down there, not to mention it’s already fading, slipping away like a dream from my consciousness.
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I only remember a bright light. Then, I woke up here.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.” Sterling presses a soft kiss to my temple. “You’ve been through a lot. We can talk more about it later.”
And for once, I listen to him. It’s much easier to sit here and just be still.
But there’s something else too. A strange energy thrumming through my veins. It’s ancient and powerful, like a remnant of that ethereal place I passed through on my way back to this world. Is it the phoenix fire?
I close my eyes, letting peace wash over me.
For now, it’s enough to be here, safe in Sterling’s arms with the knowledge that everything is finally over. I’ve fulfilled my favor to Nyc. The world is safe, the dragons’ future secured. The eggs will never be enslaved. And Tirene, my kingdom, is no longer at war.
I didn’t fail.
A sudden thought strikes me, so wonderful and perfect that I can’t help but smile. I tilt my head back, meeting Sterling’s warm brown eyes. My heart flutters in my chest, but after what I’ve just faced, this isn’t quite as scary. “Now that this is all over…now that we have time…”
He cocks an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Time for what, my queen?”
I reach up, cupping his face in my hands. “To plan our wedding. To start our life together.”
Sterling’s eyes light up, shining with love and joy and a fierce, unshakable devotion. “Oh, Lark.” He leans down, mouth covering mine in the sweetest, most marvelous kiss. “I wasbeginning to think you’d changed your mind about marrying me.”
Even though I might have died, I still survived the prophecy. And starting tomorrow, I’m setting fire to my fate.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Zeru steps into the cavern’s open expanse. The air hangs heavy with the remnants of a forgotten battlefield. Scorched terrain and blackened foliage cause him to crinkle his nose in disdain.
Still, a faint smirk teases the edges of his lips.
This round belongs to her, he surmises.
The altar, once cradling the decaying shambles of the God of Nightmare’s bones, now stands as a misshapen slab of vacant stone.
Fucking nuisance.
Zeru surveys the profound destruction. A testament to the magnitude of the altercation. That putrid entity corrupted everything, disrupting the delicate equilibrium the gods had tirelessly preserved. No more would his existence pollute this realm.
With purpose, he leaves the side room, examining the main chamber that once echoed with the voices of all the gods. Before that day…
With a mere flicker of his mind’s eye, the transformation begins.
Crystals jut from the ground like proud sentinels dancing with light, casting prisms across the walls. The dirt on the floorrushes away, revealing the sparkling, blue geode centerpiece he’d grown before.
The newly repaired table rights itself. Chairs slide into place, as if eager for the company they’d been crafted to accommodate. The dome becomes a fully formed shield once more, though the frescoes remain demolished. That’s more Aletheia’s realm. The Goddess of Light and Truth constructed the murals last time, many, many years ago.
