CHAPTER 41
“The first shifter was born when the first Deskyiara was born. It's as if good and evil were brought to the Realms that day. The Gods never knew the destruction that was coming.” - Book of Azure
I GLIDE MY GLOVES OVER my hands, pulling them high above my elbows, and follow Florian out to dance. The whispers from the Royals form goosebumps along my spine. Their eyes are glued on me if they are plotting out some sort of plan to have me removed for good.
But as fast as I noticed the King of the Sky leaving after the King of Ice, Florian spins me around.
My chest collides with his. He wraps his arm around my waist, gliding his fingers into mine.
His suit is different from the chosen, the color of choice this evening, a burgundy red adorned with the stones of the realms against his pocket.
Unfortunately, it matches the same color as Skie’s dress.
“What is it?” I pull my chin upwards to him, watching his eyes flicker everywhere but toward me. “What is going on?”
“I found Alice.” His voice drops to a whisper. “She is alive.”
My chest rises, my heart flickering wildly. “Where is she?”
“Lykia was right, they took her to the dungeon, but she escaped. One of the dragons I suppose broke down the right wall, letting multiple shifters escape that night. Including Alice.”
“Florian, where is she!” My voice raises, catching the attention of a pair dancing beside us. I force a smile, tightening my lips as their brows pull inward, startled by my outburst.
“She is in the Darklands. With Tilly.” His eyes drop to mine. I catch sight of his scar in his cornea, and the tones in his eyes radiate like the fire behind me. “Something is going on, I can feel it. Sense it.”
I glance away, swaying as I follow his lead. “But how did she end up here? Only a Deskyiara can travel through the stones unless they have the pendant you wear.”
“I know.” He leans closer. “None of it makes sense.”
My chin rises, almost tiptoeing to catch sight of Koen clutching his arm in agony by the staircase, leaning against the railing. My brows deepen, but Florian shifts direction, obstructing my view of him.
“I also remember us…” His words jolt me to my core. Time freezes, memories clashing inside of me but most importantly, just by him speaking those words, my heart rips into two. Not for me. But for him.
Damn it… he remembers.
“How?” My eyes soften, meeting his glistening eyes.
“The night of the lake. I suppose when the first stone connected with you, I remembered flashes of my life with you. It’s always been you. I am ashamed of how I treated you before I started to remember.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” My eyes burn, his hand gripping mine tighter as he rips his gaze away from me.
“Because I wanted to see if you would choose me.” He breathes a shaky breath, his lips pulling between his teeth before he lets out a heartbreaking scuff.
“I was foolish to think I had a chance this go around. I wondered if the Gods brought you back for me, that you might finally love me. Want me. Not him.”
My brows pull together, eyes shutting as I inhale a deep, trembling breath. “Florian…”
“I know.” He cuts me off, glancing around at those who dance around us before meeting my eyes. “I know it’s always been him. But sometimes I wish it wouldn’t always be him.”
“I tried to beg the Gods to take my feelings away, they didn’t listen.
I tried everything I possibly could to stop myself from loving him…
” A tear cascades down my cheek, and I let it fall off my chin as I glare into his eyes that weep of sadness.
“They are punishing us for what we did… they are punishing us, which means everyone in the Realms is suffering because of it.”
He shakes his head, his golden locks gently swaying against his chest. “Who would have known the love you two have for each other would curse the Realms?”
We shift, and that’s when I see Koen stumbling up the steps, rushing out the door.
My body jolts backwards, pulling myself away from Florian’s tight grip.
“I’m sorry…” I shift myself away from him. “I need to go.” I let go of Florian, running around him and weaving through those who dance. I lift my dress, rushing up the stairs so fast, I can hardly catch my breath.
“Serene, wait!” I hear Florian call out for me, but I run.
I don’t care who sees. I chase the man I love out the doors.
My heels click sharply against the stairs, each step causing the lights to shimmer and dance around my feet as I hurry upwards. The slick surface of the stairs makes my heels slip, threatening to send me tumbling sideways.
I mutter frustratedly under my breath, “screw it,” and swiftly reach down to yank off my shoes, tossing them carelessly to the side.
With force, my hands push the door open, allowing the door to slam against the wall and rush down the staircase. My eyes frantically flicker around, my chest constricting as I wonder where the hell he might have ran off to, and why.
My fingers curl around my dress, lifting it up and racing out the tunnel.
The night air prickles at my exposed skin, and my breath is seen like white fog dancing around my lips.
But despite everything, I feel no pain, even from the pebbles that dig into my feet.
I never pause as I rush towards the Pyre.
I almost feel him. As if somehow we are tethered together as one.
I feel pain, rippling through me.
My heart shatters as I fear Koen might be in danger.
I reach the entrance, the lights that wrap around the trees and walls, sparkling brightly against the dark sky tonight. However, I see no torches lit in any room.
Find him.
I call out for my dragons, feeling an intense warmth spreading through my arm before the stones ignite and pulse brilliantly like distant stars in the night sky.
The dragons burst forth from me, gracefully soaring and weaving through the air with elegance and violence.
As if they are ready to fight anyone who dares threaten my life.
The dragon of darkness, a shadowy silhouette almost invisible against the night, silently descends and settles gently on my shoulder. I acknowledge it with a nod, signaling them to bring me to him.
They fly away, searching high and low for him until I hear a loud, painful scream rip from someone's throat.
A fire starts to flicker in the far east, up high in the ice wing, catching a silhouette of a man hunching over before falling to the ground.
Without hesitation, I sprint across the Pyre and rush up the concrete stairs. The chillness soaks through my feet, but I don’t stop for a moment.
Floor three.
This is where I hear the cries of man, his body slamming against the walls and ground as he yells out in pain.
My dress slips from my trembling hands as I walk slowly towards the door in the farthest back. An arched door is there, sealed with a solid, steel frame. The chosen symbol, bold against the door, engraved sharply into it.
My heart beats intensely against my chest as my fingers curl into sweaty fists.
I swallow, eyes wide as I take my last step, letting myself stop right in front of it.
Glass crashing in the room makes me jump in place, while grunts and deep breathing echo down the hallway.
I allow my hands to grip the chilly door, opening it slightly to see Koen gripping the windowsill on his knees, shirtless, allowing my eyes to catch the sight of the marking of his curse.
But also, the dragon claws slashed across his back.
“Koen…” I whisper, tiptoeing in and gently closing the door behind me.
He whips his head so fast, throwing his hand out towards me. “You cannot be in here!”
The dress catches in the cracks of the flooring. I yank it to move on, ripping the dress apart along the train, but I don’t care. I squat down next to him, my body trembling as I hold out my shaky hands. “What is wrong?”
His eyes flicker from emerald to darkness, and my heart sinks. My heart freezes. He is turning. Shifting.
“No. Not now.” My head shakes, eyes burning as I watch him in pain.
He grips the windowsill tighter, veins bulging definitively against his arm as his head hangs low. His curls, covering his face as he lets out a trembling scream, coming from the pit of his stomach.
I close my eyes, allowing the tear to fall down my cheek.
“You need to leave!” he cries out. “The blood moon must be coming, I won’t be able to stop it! Unless she is needing me to shift, she might be controlling this.”
“I will not leave you.”
He lifts his head, eyes darkening. “Stop being foolish!” he growls, jaw ticking as he notices I am not moving. “Leave!”
“No.” I don’t stutter.
He hits the windowsill with both of his fists, his curls bouncing by the force. “Damn it, Serene! You will die if you stay!”
“I will not leave you. I will never leave you again.” My eyes blur as I listen to the sounds of his bones breaking under his skin.
“Even if you hate me!”
I suck in a trembling breath. “Even if I hate you.”
He weeps, tears streaming down his cheeks before falling off his chin. Then his eyes meet mine, not the darkness, not the crimson red of the dragon he shifts into, but the emerald green. The eyes of the Koen I love.
“Spark…” he breathes out, closing his eyes so gently before re-opening them. “I cannot be the one to kill you. I could never live with that. I need you to understand I could never hurt you. I have never wanted to hurt you. All I have done is bring pain into your life.”
“Then don’t.” I fall to my knees, crawling towards him, tears soaking my cheeks as they drip down to the floor. “Fight it, please fight.”
“You don’t understand.” He clenches his jaw, his shoulder snapping out of place as he lets out a raging cry. “She will never stop making me shift until you die. My life is in her hands. As well as yours.”
“I don’t fear her, Koen.”
“I do.” He swallows, and a tear drips from his chin.
His back hunches, his fingers stretching as I catch sight of his bones rippling under skin.