Chapter 6 #2
I jumped up, giving her a tight hug. I could feel Aster going stiff in my arms, but she relaxed a moment later and wrapped her arms around me. Breaking away, I went to the hidden door and opened it. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
Entering the passage, I followed the path we had taken the night before to help Ezra escape his death sentence. I kept my eyes forward, not allowing myself to look at the cells or the prisoners inside them until I approached the brightly lit chamber that housed the queen.
Stepping in front of the iron bars, Queen Cassia looked up from her book. Surprise flickered in those sky-blue eyes of hers, reminding me so much of my father’s.
My heart beat hard in my chest, and I took a steadying breath. “Do you know who I am?” I asked. My voice shook with every word.
Queen Cassia blew out a breath and closed her book, setting it on the table beside her chair.
She stood and made her way to the bars. Every movement she made was graceful, but powerful.
She raised her chin, looking down at me.
“I do,” she murmured. “You are Sybil Hart, descendant of my brother, Dryden. You were born in Mide, though you were brought here just weeks ago.” Her eyes moved along my face, studying me.
“You’ve had a difficult time since coming here,” she sighed, a deep sadness gleaming in her gaze.
“There’s a darkness growing in you, gaining strength.
How curious it is about you, about your pain.
” Her eyes met mine again, warming slightly.
“Your eyes are becoming more like hers every day. But you came here to ask me something.” The queen twisted, returning to her chair.
Once she settled in, she looked at me, giving me a slight nod.
I cleared my throat, shoving aside the apprehension that grew from her inspection and her words. “I wanted to ask about the bargain, if you knew of a way to break it. If you could break it.”
Regret rippled across her face. “Sadly, no. The only way to break this bargain is if Ambrose releases you from it or if one of you dies. But it isn’t time for either yet.”
My brows scrunched together. “What does that mean?”
“It means that there is a story being woven in time. One fated to destroy another. One fated to destroy herself to save those she loves and more. Your path…it will be a hard one, but one you must follow to become who you need to be to stop him.”
“I don’t understand. You said I have to destroy myself?”
“Yes,” Queen Cassia sighed. “When the time comes, you will have to choose between yourself and your mates.”
“What does that mean?” My frustration grew at her vague words, but I forced myself to stay calm as she looked at the wall beside her, as if she were trying to find the right words to say.
Finally, looking back at me, she said, “It means that you will have to decide who falls. You can either let your mates die and forever be bound to Ambrose’s bargain, or you will have to die and break free.”
Everything around me stopped. Time, the world, my heart, even my lungs refused to move, to bring in air. Every emotion, every dream I had, fell away. “I have to kill myself in order to stop Ambrose, in order to protect my mate?”
“Mates, but yes. However, the story doesn’t end there. It’s still being woven…so many outcomes, so many possibilities. It’s quite funny, really, how fate works.”
“Funny?” I scoffed. “You think my death is funny?” My blood felt hot in my veins. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream, to laugh, or to cry.
“No, not your death itself, but what may come after. It’s rather interesting.”
“Do I get to know what’s interesting about it?” I asked flatly, my eyes narrowing on her. She was the queen, I repeated to myself. Be respectful and calm.
“No, unfortunately, you do not. It's something that you’ll have to find out on your own. The only thing I can tell you to do is to follow your heart. It may sound silly, cliché even; however, that’s the only way you’ll survive.
” Queen Cassia smiled at me, smiled at the way my lip curled from dismay, how my face seemed to twist from the disgruntled shock of her words.
Cliché my ass.
I cleared my throat, wiping the grimace off my face.
She’s the queen. She’s the queen, and I need to stay calm.
My frustration ebbed, but was quickly replaced with a sickening fear that I had never felt before.
If I truly followed my heart, it wouldn’t lead me toward death.
I don’t want to die. I have just barely started living.
Not to mention, I just found my mat—“You said mates.”
The queen let out a soft laugh. “I was wondering when you would catch on to that. Yes, mates. You have three, in fact. Two, you have already met. It’s rare to have more than one, but it happens from time to time.
They say that when a person has so many facets, so many needs, it's hard to find one equal to foster those qualities. So, fate entwines more than one, to match what is essential.”
“Mine are Kieran and Samian?”
The queen smiled and gave me a small nod.
I ran a hand through my hair and whispered a curse, earning me a cluck of the tongue from the queen.
Her face pinched with disapproval, but she laughed.
The sound was so light and serene. I let out a weak huff, but my heart felt heavy.
I had three mates. Three. But I would have to die so they could live.
Would fate even allow me to meet my third mate? Or would I die before I had the chance?