Chapter Twenty-Seven
Delphine
Iheld out the drawing to the lumen queen. She was beautiful, radiating with power. It was difficult to guess her age, considering how much longer lumens lived than witches. We had longer than average lives, but lumens could remain young and beautiful for thousands of years.
Aurora Valdis looked up from the drawing in confusion. “Who is this child?”
Even as a teen, my power to see things happening in the future was strong. And I knew it was accurate. “The child is yours.”
She brushed her fingers over the portrait. “She does not look like Adriel.”
I nodded. “She comes from another. Not of this world. And this one.” I handed her another drawing. “She comes before the girl with mis-matched eyes. Soon.”
Aurora’s face dropped for a moment, but she recovered quickly, hiding her emotions away. “They do not share the same father.”
It was a statement, and I only nodded.
The queen sighed, the weight of so many lives resting on her shoulders. “You are strong, young witch.”
This time, it was my turn to sigh. “Not strong enough. When the final moment comes, I won’t be there.”
Aurora smiled sadly. “Neither will I. But if the ones we love most are safe, it will all be worth it.”
I huffed in annoyance. “Can’t say I’m quite that evolved yet.”
The queen’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Meeting your mates will change your tune. When you find them, you will be ready to sacrifice everything.”
Her words sank in as she turned and walked away. I sucked in a breath. “Wait. THEM?”
But the queen didn’t respond. Only her soft laughter filled the marble halls as she left me with that dramatic bit of information.
Having a rough idea of when you were going to die wasn’t exactly a fun insight. But after we met Tibby, the memory of my meeting with the lumen queen all those years ago came rushing back. Not even meeting Gremory brought that memory to the surface.
“Stars above,” I whispered with a sigh. It was as if my ancestors knew when I’d met my second mate that I would need that knowledge returned. Because the queen was right. I would sacrifice everything for them.
And knowing that my death would give them a future, with love and happiness to be found, I would die not happily, but comforted. A tiny, selfish part of my heart ached to know they would live on without me. Gremory and Tabitha were my everything. Was I not theirs?
Without realizing where my feet led, I’d wandered into the gardens, away from the party.
They’d need me soon, to bring Devon back into his body, but not just yet.
I plucked a rose from the bush, a thorn pricking my finger.
Blood trickled down the stem until a single drop fell to the dirt at my feet.
“Returning your blood to your homeland so soon, Delphine Bellinor?” A voice I hadn’t heard in ages chuckled from the shadows.
I turned to the old crone, bowing before meeting her gaze. Technically, because of my royal blood and status among the Mal-Regia, I wasn’t required to bow to the Scribes. But Lahabiel was someone I admired. Her story was one of resilience and deserved respect.
“My blood was always meant to return to this world, one way or another,” I murmured, bending down to stick the stem into the earth. Whispering a few words, I brought it back to life, a new rose bush growing around the cut flower.
She nodded. “Yes, but that is not what troubles you now.”
Lahabiel was much too discerning for her own good. I held out my arm to her, and we walked the garden at her pace. “I know that I will leave them behind, but I worry for their future. There must be something I can do to ensure their survival.”
“Nothing in life is ensured, young witch.” She spoke somberly.
If the subject matter wasn’t so depressing, I’d enjoy her nickname. Today, I felt anything but young. “True, but that doesn’t mean we can’t leave something behind to help the ones we love.”
Lahabiel looked up at me, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling as she smiled. She patted my hand affectionately. “There is one thing you can do.”
She pulled a pouch from her pocket, and I emptied the contents into my palm, my lips parting at the rare object in my hand. A genuine smile graced my face. “Thank you, Lahabiel.”