Chapter 35
Disembodied voices echo across the alabaster hallway as they call to me. Dark whispers propel me forward. I walk, slow and steady, towards the black mass that awaits at the end. Metal chains scrape against the cold stone with each step of my feet.
The voices pull me closer and closer to the golden door, shadows swirling from its hinges and pooling under the frame. Rather than a key, this door demands blood.
Powerful blood.
I raise Arcasia’s dagger, slashing a diagonal cut across my palm.
Crimson coats my hand. I turn it, inspecting the rivulet that decorates the white stone as it drops from my finger.
A trail of scarlet trickles across the runes etched into the dagger’s blade, each glowing a brilliant shade of blue as it comes to life.
Heat scalds my back, the sudden influx of pain causing me to spin to see its source.
A blazing streak of fire races across the throne room floor, flames encircling the unoccupied Amethyst Throne.
On its cushion sits a golden crown adorned with six sparkling jewels—a single stone each representing a precious region: Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz, Diamond, and, in the center, Amethyst. It calls to me, singing in a language I can’t speak, demanding I place the golden diadem on my head.
The fork in my journey is clear: use my blood to open the door to the god realm or stay and save my home.
The sea beast inked on my skin thrashes wildly, her desired choice evident in her desperate plea. The flames rise higher, the voices beyond the door screaming in an ear-splitting crescendo.
The time to make my decision rapidly diminishes; only mere seconds remain. A primal scream breaks through my lips, but it’s not for me.
Something in the core of my being rips. My very soul splinters into two. One name forces its way into my head, my heart, and my throat: Cal.