Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Zander took my hand. His grip was firm, not hurried, but intentional, like every second counted.
We passed through the castle corridors with an efficiency that startled the guards, two of whom stiffened when they caught sight of the prince striding toward the lower chambers.
They exchanged a glance, uncertain whether to stop him.
He didn’t break stride.
“We won’t have much time,” he said lowly as we descended the stone staircase that spiraled toward the royal vault. “The guards will report my presence. Theron will know I came here.”
The air grew colder the deeper we went. The sconces on the walls dimmed the further we descended, casting flickering light over crumbling tapestries and shelves of ancient records. The vault door was an iron monster, etched with sigils and magic wards I could almost feel hum beneath my skin.
Zander pressed his palm to a carved panel.
It clicked open without ceremony, and I stepped inside behind him.
It was more library than treasure hoard—rows of sealed boxes, velvet-covered ledgers, half-faded paintings of ancestors too proud to be remembered. But at the far end of the narrow aisle, set on a pedestal as if it were something alive, sat a small wooden chest no larger than a loaf of bread.
Zander moved to it, reverent but determined. “Nobody’s been able to open this,” he said. “It was tucked away with records from the Fae Accords. I found a line in a Blood Fae ledger that called it His Memory Vessel. I think it belonged to the Blood King himself.”
I stared at the chest. It didn’t look like much—just a simple box carved from dusky, knot-ridden wood. But the magic radiating off of it curled in my gut like smoke.
“How do we open it?” I asked.
“I was hoping…” he turned to me, eyes flicking down to the chain at my throat, “your key would work.”
I looked down. The golden key, warm against my skin, hung beside the pendant I’d worn since I put Kaelith’s scale around my neck.
I slipped the chain over my head and took the key in trembling fingers.
“It’s worth a try,” I whispered, stepping forward and kneeling before the chest.
Zander stayed close behind me, but he didn’t touch me. Just waited, breath steady, as I slowly brought the key to the lock carved in the center of the wood.
The moment the teeth met the slot, magic rippled through the air.
The key pulsed like it had a heartbeat, and the lock unraveled—not clicked, not opened—but unraveled like threads of silver light tugged free by invisible hands.
The lid creaked.
Zander and I held our breath as the chest began to open.
The chest opened with a whisper, not a sound, like the box exhaled its secrets for the first time in centuries.
Inside, nestled on a bed of crimson velvet that looked strangely untouched by time, was a single book.
No jewels. No crown. Just… a book.
I reached in slowly, the magic clinging to my skin like mist. The cover was thick and dark, made of some kind of hardened leather I didn’t recognize. No title, no markings, no crest or sigil to give any indication of what it was.
Only the weight of it.
As if it knew it mattered.
I drew it out with both hands and slowly opened it.
Zander leaned close, peering over my shoulder. “It’s blank.”
I blinked, confused. “What are you talking about? It’s in fae script.”
He stared harder. “There’s nothing on the page, Ashe. Just parchment.”
But I could see it. Lines of curling script, inked in a shimmering red-gold, moving like flame trapped on the page. Each word was sharp and strange—different than the fae I’d read in the sanctuary. This was older. Deeper.
“Why can I see it and you can’t?” I murmured.
Zander hesitated, then reached out and touched the cover. The moment his fingers met the surface, a faint pulse flickered from the spine.
“It’s written in blood script,” he said, eyes narrowing. “Only descendants of the author can read it.”
I swallowed hard. “Then it was written by my grandfather.”
“Most likely.” Zander’s jaw flexed. “Can you get Kaelith to help you decipher it?”
Kaelith, I called silently, are you there?
Her voice wrapped around me like violet smoke. I felt the lock break. What have you found, little flame?
Blood script. Fae. I can read it, but barely. Can you help?
There was a pause, a stirring in my mind like wings unfurling. Yes. Bring it to the isle. I cannot aid you here. But that book… it was meant for you.
Zander met my eyes. “Well?”
“She says it’s mine,” I said quietly. “But I have to bring it to the isle.”
He nodded once. “Then we’ll go together.”
We slipped from the vault like ghosts, after returning the book to the box and taking it, the guards eyeing us with wary eyes but making no move to stop us. Zander walked at my side, his shoulders tense, as though what we carried had already begun to press down.
Kaelith and Hein were waiting on the Ascension Grounds, their violet and cobalt wings spread in the rising sun. Hein lowered his head as Zander approached, eyes flicking to the book under my cloak.
We didn’t speak. There was no need.
Zander mounted Hein, and I climbed onto Kaelith’s back. Her scales shimmered, responding to the strange energy of the book. It feels like old magic, she said as we launched into the sky. Feral. Dangerous. Yours.
We soared toward the Dragon Isle, the wind slicing across my face like cold steel. The ocean below gleamed, untouched by what was coming.
We landed in the clearing at the heart of the isle, the same place I had been tested. Ancient and quiet, save for the thrum of magic that always pulsed beneath the soil.
I slid down Kaelith’s side and pulled the book from beneath my cloak. The leather seemed warmer now, like it knew it had reached where it was always meant to be.
I held it out.
Kaelith leaned close, eyes narrowing as she scanned the first few pages. Her tail twitched once. Then again.
This is the Storm-born prophecy, she said, her voice tight. But… there is a passage here that was missing from the others.
“What does it say?” I asked, stepping closer.
Her eyes glowed faintly as she read aloud—each word rolling like thunder in my bones.
“From ash and storm, the Storm-born shall rise. Blood of two thrones, heart divided. Marked by ruin, gifted by blood. One shall bring unity—or the kingdom’s final breath.”
I felt the breath leave my lungs.
Kaelith scanned the page, her claw brushing a line that shimmered brighter than the rest.
“Born of what should not be,
A child of both hollow and flame,
Neither wholly fae, nor man,
Storm-crowned and soul-shackled.
They will wield power unbidden,
Call dragons with voice alone.
If unclaimed, they shall fall.
If chosen, they shall rule or ruin all.”
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
I stared at the strange book, the words burning across the page like living fire. “What part was missing from the other prophecy?” I asked softly.
Kaelith’s eyes narrowed, and her tail coiled slightly as if the memory made her tense. It appears the entire prophecy was not translated.
“What does it say?’ I asked.
“Should ruin choose redemption,
And shadow yield to flame,
The one born of shattered oaths
May claim the blood-cursed throne.
Their voice shall cleanse the blackened sky,
Returning lost wings to color once more.
Only the heir and the key will set us all free”
Zander sucked in a breath, stepping closer as if drawn by the force of the words. “You could claim the Blood Throne,” he said, voice low. “You could return the black dragons to what they were before the war.”
The ache of it hit me like a storm. My chest tightened. Not just unite the horde… but heal what had been broken for generations.
Zander’s gaze met mine, something like fear and awe dancing in his eyes. “This is why the Blood King wants you,” he whispered. “Not just because you’re powerful. Not just because of who your parents were. But because you’re the only one who could fix what he destroyed.”
My hands trembled as I closed the book. “Or… take it from him entirely.”
Kaelith’s voice threaded into my mind, as sharp as truth. He knows it. And now you do too.
Hein’s voice cut clean through the silence. We must return to the Ascension Grounds. Katama’s rider has vexing news and wishes to meet with Zander.
Zander’s jaw tensed, but he gave a short nod. “Let’s go.”
I climbed onto Kaelith’s back, the air tense as we rose into the sky, sunlight flickering off her scales like blades of violet flame. Zander mounted Hein, the pair flying beside us in sharp silence. I could feel the question rising between us—What now?—but neither of us gave it voice.
As we crested the final ridge and descended toward the castle, the Ascension Grounds came into view.
Remy stood near the edge, arms crossed, his expression storm-dark as we landed.
The moment he saw us dismounting together, his eyes narrowed.
Kaelith’s tail flicked warningly as I slid to the ground.
Zander dropped down from Hein’s back in a smooth motion, his steps unhurried as he approached Remy.
“You were looking for me,” Zander said flatly.
Remy held up a folded parchment, stiff with seal and soot. “This came through the informant line just an hour ago.” His tone was tight. Controlled. “You leaked troop movements to sympathizers of the Crimson Sigil. We lost over twenty members of First Guild.”
The air stilled. Even the wind held its breath.
Zander’s eyes flashed bright with fury and disbelief. “I have never,” he said, his voice low and lethal, “nor would I ever betray this kingdom.”
Remy didn’t flinch, but his jaw ticked. “The report says the leak was traced back to Crownwatch. It has your royal seal on it.”
“And that makes it mine?” Zander snapped. “Half the guard has access to my seal. If you truly believe I would trade lives for—”
“I don’t,” Remy cut in, softer now, but not backing down. “But someone does. And they’re feeding this to the council.”
Kaelith’s voice whispered in my mind. They’re framing him. This is no accident.
I know. My thoughts burned like fire. But how far does it go?
I stepped closer, placing myself between them. “We don’t have time for in-fighting. If someone’s framing Zander, then we need to find out who. Fast.”
Zander didn’t take his eyes off Remy. “Get me the names of anyone who has access to my room.”
Remy gave a single nod, though his glare lingered a beat too long. “Already working on it.” Then he turned and walked off, the report still clenched in his fist.
Zander exhaled through his nose, barely restraining the rage simmering in his veins.
“They’re coming for you,” I said softly.
His gaze slid to mine. “Then they’ll learn what happens when you push a dragon rider too far.”