Page 133 of The Curse of Golden Blood
"You might have to make decisions like these someday. When you rule. When the weight of crowns and the demands of power force your hand.
"I don't want to rule anything."
"Want has nothing to do with it. You are Emystra's daughter. The rightful heir to power that could reshape the realms." She stopped pacing, fixing me with those terrible white eyes. "Join me, Miralyte. Pledge allegiance to me. Help me bring order to the chaos that threatens to consume us all."
"You're not my sister. You're a kinslayer."
"I am both." Her voice went soft, deadly. "And so might you be, if you choose to fight me. Join me willingly, and I can teach you how to make the hard choices without losing yourself completely."
I stared at her, this beautiful monster who shared my face and my blood. Who had killed Ciradyl and called it mercy. Who spoke of necessity as if it could wash away the stain of murder.
I had come to the fae realm to avenge my sister. To find justice for the family that had been torn away from me. Only to discover that my other sister, the one I never knew existed, had been the one to destroy everything I loved.
"And if I refuse?"
Ylvena's smile was gentle as a mother's lullaby and cold as winter graves. "Then everyone you love dies. Starting with Pelbie Ranthar."
My blood turned to ice. "How do you—"
"Your little friend. Sweet girl. Healing gift, if I'm not mistaken. She's currently in the dungeon three levels below us, along with several other guests from Thunder Court." Ylvena gestured casually, as if discussing the weather. "I do hope the accommodations are adequate. Prison can be so dreary."
"You're bluffing."
"Am I? Guards."
Two figures stepped from alcoves I hadn't noticed before. They moved with mechanical precision, dragging something between them. Someone.
Pelbie.
Her face was bruised, her healing robes torn and stained with blood. But her eyes were defiant, fierce with the same stubborn courage that had carried her through every hardship we'd faced together.
"Mira." Her voice cracked but held steady. "Don't listen to her.Don't—"
One of the guards struck her across the mouth, cutting off her words. Blood trickled from her split lip, but she kept staring at me with those brave, determined eyes.
"Your friend has been quite vocal about her opinions regarding my hospitality," Ylvena said conversationally. "But I think she might be more cooperative now that you're here to witness the consequences of defiance."
My power surged against the golden chains, sunfire seeking outlet and finding only cold metal that drank heat like a desert drinks rain. Rage built in my chest, hot and desperate and utterly useless.
"Let her go. This is between us."
"Oh, but it's not, dear sister. You see, I've learned something interesting about you during our brief acquaintance." Ylvena moved to stand beside Pelbie, one perfectly manicured hand resting on my friend's shoulder like a serpent preparing to strike. "You would do anything for the people you love. Sacrifice anything. Even yourself."
Her smile widened, cold as winter starlight. "That's precisely why I spared you all those years ago. I knew that eventually, your noble heart would be your undoing. You would sacrifice yourself to save others, and in doing so, you would destroy the one person foolish enough to love you completely."
My blood turned to ice. "Zydar."
"Such a shame you failed to complete the task yourself. But don't worry, dear sister." She stroked Pelbie's hair with mock tenderness. "I'll finish what you started. After all, what use is a storm lord when his anchor to this world has been severed?"
The words hit like physical blows. She'd planned this. All of it. My capture, the mirror trap, everything designed to exploit the one weakness she knew I couldn't overcome.
My love for the people who mattered to me.
The guard holding Pelbie produced a blade, its edge gleaming with unnatural sharpness. The point came to rest just below her ear, pressing hard enough to dimple skin.
"Choose quickly, Miralyte. Your power serving mine, or her life spilling across my floor."
"Is this how you're going to convince me, sister?" I let the word drip with all the venom I could muster. "Threatening innocent people? How very regal of you."
