Page 23 of House of Gilded Nightmares

“Valaron requires a Queen of Nightmares. If the realm is without a queen for more than a full cycle of the Obsidian Moon, the barrier between Valaron and the rest of Aureon is broken, and the nightmares escape into the rest of the world.”

My chest tightens, my heart restarting like a panicked bird in a cage. My voice comes out breathy, shaky. “I don’t understand…”

“The Obsidian Moon cycles every twenty-two years. It’s been nearly twenty-two years since you left. The barrier is already starting to thin…that’s no doubt another reason you were able to pull me through to Eldare the night of the ritual. If we don’t reach the Court of Nightmares in the next twelve days, what happens next will be dire.”

“Why didn’t you explain any of this before?” I groan, shaking my head back and forth.

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you,” Zyren says quietly. “It’s a lot to take in.”

We lock gazes. “I want you to tell me everything. All of it.”

He nods. “I’m sure you have many questions.”

I ask the first that comes to mind, the most vital one, the one that burns in my gut. “Why not just choose another queen? Why me?”

“Your bloodline is woven into the magic of this place, a spell wrought ages upon ages ago,” Zyren says. “As is the king’s. Those bloodlines together keep Valaron anchored. And you…”

“I’m the last of my line,” I finish softly, sharp tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.

His eyes hold sorrow. “It can only be you.”

“So, if I don’t marry the king, then this world will spill over into Aureon and nightmares will run wild? That’s what you’re saying?”

“I’m sorry,” he responds, his voice thick with regret.

My mind spins, trying to absorb this new information. “I still don’t understand…how did someone get through into Valaron to take me when I was a baby? If the realms can’t be breached? And why?”

Zyren’s face grows stormy, his eyes burning with anger. “Can you not think of someone powerful enough who would want to claim you, your magic?”

I straighten abruptly, my veins pulsing with adrenaline. “The High Priest?”

“Why do you think that almost no one in Eldare can use magic save for a select few, and those few are all kept behind lock and key in the Amethyst Palace?”

“I—I thought that was just how magic worked.”

Zyren’s expression grows even darker. “No. That is not the natural way of magic. Your High Priest must have figured out some way to harness the magic of Eldare, which is why he has so much of it and the other citizens so little. Then he makes sure to collect those few that can summon it and raise them under his roof so he can control every last drop of magic running through your land.”

My brows furrow and I close my eyes for a moment. “But how did he even know about me?”

“There are some who know of the existence of Valaron…those mages and witches who practice at the highest levels of magic. I do not know exactly how he found you, but I can put together some of the pieces based on the timeline.” Zyren pauses a moment. “No doubt you know of the great magical drought that lasted over two hundred years. That drought did not affect us here, but we saw it in the dreams throughout Aureon. The priest must have harnessed the influx of magic when it was returned to Aureon after being trapped in the City of Night, and used that great wave of magic to cross realms and bring you back with him.”

I shake my head again. “I still don’t understand why he would want that. Want me?”

“I imagine he thought if he claimed you, with your rare and powerful magic, he would ensure that he never lost magic again.”

A chill moves across my skin, raising goosebumps. Zyren continues.

“Think of it. Even his claims that magic can only be performed under his supervision in your cathedral…and the highest magic performed with him during…a joining ritual.” His words come out a growl now, intensifying my shiver. “It’s all been about control. He’s been manipulating all of Eldare, taking advantage of you and the other priestesses for decades.”

The confusion and numbness I’ve been feeling melt away in a firestorm of fury. My entire life has been altered, all so this man could fulfill his lust for power. “He has to pay for what he’s done. I will make him suffer, even if it takes me the rest of my life to find a way.”

“Sarielle…” Zyren whispers.

His eyes widen and his mouth falls open. For a moment, I think he’s simply shocked by my words. But it’s not what I said…it’s the magic pulsating off of me.

It envelopes my body in a soft golden glow, the same color as my eyes. In the early morning shadows of the forest, it cuts through the mist and the chill. Behind me, Arrow snorts in alarm. I look down at my arms with a mix of fear and wonder, lifting them and watching the magic as it ripples along my skin. I lift one hand toward my face, watching the light pool in my palm, swirling in a sphere like spun gold.

And then, just like that, it vanishes like a candle snuffed out. I shiver in the sudden chill.

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