Chapter 96
CHAPTER 96
Caspian
I was born in the shadows. I am no stranger to the darkness.
But here, the shadows look back.
I will not break , I whisper in my mind. I will not shatter. I will not—
You will break. You will shatter. Then you will rise.
Even my thoughts are not safe. His voice courses through me, his whispers coming from within my mind. Though as much as I have longed to escape it, I know the truth.
He made me.
He is me.
I need something to break this paralyzing hold. I bite the inside of my cheek hard, drawing blood. The pain brings me back to myself. I stagger through the darkness, away from the pool.
Farron’s spell worked; his mushrooms destroyed the magic within the crystals. I can only pray to the gods I don’t believe in that the chain reaction we theorized worked, and that all the crystals connected to this magic have shattered as well.
But there’s still magic in the pool. Enough Queen’s essence within the reservoir to hold this connection to the worlds beyond. To where he lies in wait.
I must not give him what he seeks.
Finding my footing, I stand and stare into the darkness. “Hello, Father.”
So jealous was Sira of Aurelia’s ability to create life, she sought out powers from beyond our world. The Baron of the Green Flame answered. I don’t know what one would call him. A god, a prophet, a phantom, a demon. He wears a cloak of ashes from the worlds he’s ended. And if my mother succeeds, he’ll be able to step through this gateway into our world and claim another.
Without the crystals, the chamber is pitch-black, except for a phantasmal glow radiating from the reservoir. My father floats atop the water. When I’ve been brought to him before, he appeared as a fae made giant, his hand twice the size of mine, his eyes like milky portals. I know there is another form, as well. One I have seen in my dreams: a calamity of green flame with the maws of a monstrous beast and gaping holes for eyes.
He takes the form of a fae of normal proportions now. His skin is bone white, waist-length hair, the pallid sheen of lichen adorning forgotten tombstones. His ears, longer than those of the fae of the Vale, taper to sharp points. Emerald-green clothing adorns his body, the draping and patterns unknown to me. A creature from a world away.
Ropes of green fire stretch out from his wrists and ankles. All the magic Sira siphoned from Aurelia has given this pool enough power to gift the Baron some corporality here, yet it’s not strong enough to step through.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t still break me.
“I knew you would come back to me, son. The water speaks to me. I feel it in each ripple. I hear it in the tremor of your heart. You seek a gift. I will bestow one.” His voice sounds like a thousand men speaking all around me, screams and cries lacing behind the authority in his words.
My knees buckle at the sound, but I hold myself upright. Gritting my teeth, I stare into his empty gaze. “I seek nothing from you.”
“You seek everything.”
His voice assaults me like a wind, and I scream, my own sound lost in the torrent. I dig my fingernails into my palms, feeling that bite of pain again to keep me here, keep me grounded.
“You have shattered my crystals, son. Did you think that would stop me?”
“I thought it might shut you up,” I grit out.
“Every time you come before me and refuse to step into the pool, you break your mother’s heart.”
“Ah, so you don’t know everything,” I say, trying to affect an air of confidence. “My mother doesn’t have a heart.”
The Baron sighs, his breath creating a wind that blows back my hair. “Come, Caspian, my son. It is time. I will gift you everything. Every wish that has ever lain within your heart can come true. All you must do is join me in the pool. Step into the water. Accept your fate.”
“No.” This is what my mother has always wanted. The reason why my faedom has been a death sentence not only for me, but for all of the Vale. I know what happens when I step into that pool.
“I have seen it in the water,” the Baron says. “It is your destiny.”
“Fuck destiny.” I turn away from him. I need to find Farron and get out of here. We’ve destroyed the crystals. It’s up to Kel now.
Shoots of green flame erupt around me, caging me in on all sides. I stagger, searching for a way past.
“Caspian,” the Baron says in a near sing-song voice, “you have come to me for a reason.”
“Yes. To stop you.” I turn in a circle, looking for a way through the flames. The only path leads back to him. Back to the pool.
“I can free you of her.”
I snap my head to the Baron. “Free me of whom?”
“Your mother.” His skull-white lips curl into a smile. “She haunts you. You feel the whip of her lash each time she looks at you. Though, there’s someone else, isn’t there, son? A girl.”
“Silence,” I growl.
“Sister,” he hisses. “You worry for the one you’ve chosen as sister. Your mother will kill her, won’t she? One day? You know this to be true. But you need not fear, son. Come. I shall show you all the paths of your life in which you can destroy your mother forever.”
I take a shaky step toward him. “My mother brought you to this realm. She bore your child. Everything she does, she does for you, and you would have me destroy her?”
My father’s milky gaze drifts over me. “I would have you, son. There are a great many wonders in this universe. Worlds upon worlds upon worlds. My own heart beats for another realm. But this one … oh, this one is so beautiful, isn’t it? How sweet it will be to walk in its ashes. You must do this for me, son.”
“No,” I whisper.
He takes a step across the pool toward the edge. “Long have I searched for a vessel strong enough to bear my power. Sira was a mighty vessel for my heir, but you are the treasure. I will gift you power enough to make the very cosmos bend to your will. I will gift you this world, son. Take it for me. Sink your teeth into its skin. You will find one is not enough.” He reaches out his hands. “There’s so many of them, dangling across the universe like ripe fruit. One by one, I shall have them all.”
I fall to my knees at the edge of the pool, my very skin feeling as if it wants to rip off and belong to him. “I do not wish for this power.”
The Baron steps forward and bends down before me. His ghostly hand strokes my head then my cheek. His words are almost tender. “You do not get to choose. This path has been chosen for you. I have seen it and so shall you.”
Fingers like claws dig into the back of my skull and drive my head down over the water. I scream and thrash against his pull, but I can’t tear away.
The void looks at me, and I have to look back.
The pool erupts into images, each ripple a different path of the future and, in each one, I see the same: destruction. Horror. Power within power, unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
My eyes follow a particular ripple, larger and brighter than the rest. A ripple etched into the fabric of fate. I stand straight below the cosmos, a huge, white moon and glowing stars above me, dark clouds at my feet, and below, I see the Enchanted Vale. It looks like a battle map, one where I can move the pieces at will however I like.
The clouds part to reveal Castletree. It’s different now, with bark of darkest black. Thorns wind around every branch, creating a keep of briars. My mother’s body lies limp as a ragdoll, impaled by a thorn at the very peak of the tree. A proud display.
Something akin to joy flickers in my chest, but it’s not joy exactly. It is too muted to be true happiness. It’s more … satisfaction.
Someone walks out onto the balcony of Castletree, holding a bow of brilliant white light. My sister, Wrenley. Little Birdy, so beautiful—
Her eyes glow with a phantasmal green light. She smiles up at me in the clouds, then raises her bow in salute. Down below, standing at the base of Castletree, a massive army of skeletons writhing in green flame rattle their bones in cheer.
“You were born for this purpose,” a voice says. A voice I love.
I turn to see Rosalina standing in the clouds beside me, looking down at the Vale. She’s dressed in a gown of black, the fabric like thorns crawling up her body. A twisted crown of briars adorns her hair. There’s an otherworldly beauty to her, one that catches in my throat.
“Princess,” I whisper and reach for her.
She looks up, staring at me with eyes green as emeralds. “Why else are you here, Caspian? You were created to wield the Green Flame. This is your destiny, and I am your mate.” A smile curves up her lips. “This is our destiny.”
I take a step back. “No. I don’t want this for you.”
She looks back down at the Vale. “Your mother is dead. The High Princes have fallen. The Vale is ours, Caspian, and we shall rule it as we like. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of is within our grasp.”
“Stop it, Rose. This isn’t you,” I whisper.
“All your life, you’ve wanted to rule under the sun. The Green Flame will cure you, Caspian. You’ll have a real home. The whole Vale.” Her voice grows in intensity, becoming excited, frantic even. “See these fae? They hated you. I will end them for you, my love. You’ll finally have the respect you deserve. A place to belong.”
I stagger backward, feet slipping on the edge. One more step, and I’ll tumble from these clouds and fall to the Vale below.
Rosalina steps in front of me and holds out her hand. “You don’t need to wait any longer, Caspian. I will be yours forever. Come with me. Our mate bond was written in the stars, as is your eternal dominion over this world.”
I search her face, looking for any remnant of the Rosalina I know. The woman who gave up her freedom for her father. The woman who never let love leave her heart, even in the face of such abuse. The woman who believed there could be goodness in a villain.
“This isn’t what you want, Flower,” I whisper. “This isn’t what I want.”
Her lip curls into a sneer. “It doesn’t matter what you want. You were born for this, and only this. You are the Green Flame!”
“No!” I scream and grab her shoulders. We tumble backward together, falling from the dark clouds. Wind rushes past us both, drops of water pelting my face—
I push myself up from the stone, reach around and snatch my father’s wrist, tearing it from the back of my skull. My face is a breath away from the pool. I stagger backward from it, throwing the Baron away from me. He hisses.
“I am not your weapon,” I say.
“You cannot escape your birthright,” he snarls.
I find purchase on the stone floor and push myself to my feet. With all the hatred I can muster, I look up at him through my lashes and say, “Something to learn about me, Father, is I love a little chaos. If I have to disrupt fate’s plan, I’ll do so gladly. After all,” I purr, “what else are villains for?”
My father roars, a sound like the felling of a great tree, and floats back to the middle of the pool. “Fine. Pretend you can fight destiny. You’ll come crawling to me before the end, Caspian, ember of the Green Flame. In the meantime, I’ll set my sights elsewhere.” He turns and looks toward the other side of the pool.
I follow his gaze. My stomach drops. “No.”
Farron, eyes glowing green, steps toward the water.