Epilogue
CASIMIR
When my blade fells the final soldier, I can finally breathe again. Glancing around me, I catch sight of Gilead and Stanik, each taking off in the opposite direction to sweep the halls for any lingering soldiers or spies.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
One moment, I was with Raelys at the banquet, my mind solely preoccupied with getting through the mind-numbing facade of socializing before spending the rest of my evening with her.
She is all I can think about, all I’ve been able to focus on for days—no, weeks now.
Her magic has taken root on my skin, claiming me as hers long before either of us ever realized it.
My brother pulled me away to tell me that a battering ram destroyed the front gates. A few moments later, Nikolas and Leander were plunged into a frenzy from Scorpion’s Haze. Everything descended into chaos after the rebellion stormed the castle.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through the bond from Raelys, right above her left hip, signaling to me that she was in danger.
Without warning, it suddenly ceased. She wouldn’t vanish—not without a trace, she is too intelligent, too precise for that.
Something is wrong… very wrong, and my mind races with every possibility as I storm down the hall towards the foyer.
Stalking down the corridors, I look for her.
Each moment stretches into eternity, dread filling my veins with every echoing step down the empty halls. The silence around me screams that I am already too late, and everything around me feels lifeless without her presence.
Don’t send your forces to Thalvar.
Her words echo in my mind, haunting me.
She knew.
With my forces sent west, the rebellion would have easily killed me. My death would have released her from our oath, yet she chose to warn me. I should have kept a closer eye on her, but I set her loose in my kingdom, knowing she deserved freedom.
“Your Majesty!” Kieran approaches me. “Are you all right?”
“The Princess,” I snap. “Where. Is. She.” I grab the front of his armor, the last pieces of my restraint ready to snap.
“T-the rebellion c-captured her,” he stutters, fear in his gaze.
I see red.
“Should she remain lost, Dratheria will cease to exist.” My grip tightens. “I want every soldier in Khalessor at the front gates to go after them. Do you understand?”
Kieran nods. “Y-yes.”
“Gather my forces.” I release my hold.
Before I can reach the front gates, my father steps in my path, cutting me off. “You are not leaving after a siege to go after one princess.” Roderick’s voice is firm. “Your court needs you. Your people need you.”
“Get out of my way,” I growl, stepping around him.
Roderick’s magic wraps around me like a million tiny thorns, halting my movements. “You are hurt,” he counters, reaching out to grab my right arm. “I’ll call a healer.”
I pull it back before he can touch me. He can’t see the mark, can’t know it exists. I close my fingers around the gash on the inside of my arm, my blood coating my fingers. Someone caught me with a blade across the mark while fighting, and I did not get a chance to examine it.
“I’m going.” I grind out, fighting against his magic’s hold.
“You are not,” Roderick replies calmly. “I will not allow you to throw away everything I have worked for. Your kingdom falls apart around you. I suggest you remedy it quickly, or you will lose your crown.” He places a palm on my shoulder, turning me around and forcing me in the other direction. “I called for a healer.”
I am helpless against Roderick’s magic. My body is exhausted from fighting, my injuries settling in as the pain grows. My head is foggy from blood loss. I’m too weak to shield myself against his magic, leaving me like a puppet on his strings.
Although I am worried for Raelys’ safety, I know she will be able to care for herself until I can free her. She is an architect of chaos, navigating court politics and rebellions with precision in the shadows. The person who lands in the crosshairs of her vengeance will quickly meet their demise.
She is by far the most destructive thing I have desired, yet she is the strategist to my ruthless blade.
She is a fuel that burns hotter than the sun, and I would let that fire consume me if she allowed me to.
It is a truth I have been blind to for so long, yet now it feels undeniable; she is irrefutably mine.
The stars dim with her absence… and soon, the world may follow.