55. Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Five
Queen Olyndria
Verin arrived through a shimmering blue portal, his body glowing from the influx of power. “You lost, wife.”
Seconds.
Celestine warned me that we’d only have seconds to pull this plan off. The Heart Tree was tied to Sapphira and Verin from the blood in his poison. Once Sapphira’s core was encased in the onyx, all of the tree’s powers would ricochet back to the tree and take the rest of magic with it.
Nyx grabbed the jagged dark blue stone in Sapphira’s unconscious hand, raced to the altar, and drank the vials before lying down.
Blood-splattered and tired, I nodded at Mariam, the human who would make sure Sapphira was cared for, ate the herbs to keep her fake human memories fresh, and her body from aging while we waited for her return.
“I’ll take care of her,” she said as I placed my daughter into arms. They fled through Ryka’s portal as another second passed.
“Ha! You think she can escape me?” Verin’s voice rattled with the palace.
Thirty seconds.
Desmire kicked away a soldier with his hand stretched out, encasing Nyx in a pointed onyx shell.
Twenty seconds.
One last job to do. Magic from the tree rushed through us all. A power surge while it fought Verin’s control, searching for a purer source, the sapphire in Nyx’s hand.
Images of Sapphira’s smile, her beautiful bouncing curls as a toddler flashed through my head now tinged with purple.
My core flared inside me as I pushed the extent of my power, creating images in everyone’s heads with a clear view of the princess. The one I wanted them to believe was the princess.
Ten seconds.
Through the tethers of the Heart Tree, I reached into the minds of the evil king, the werewolf fighting to return to his mate, the demi-Fae prince, the soldiers, the citizens of Crysia and changed the image of the princess.
Instead of my beautiful girl with her brown skin, bright hazel eyes, and a core of sapphire, they’d believe the girl in the onyx was my daughter.
Pale skin like mine, purple hair, and an amethyst core.
I looked at my mate, the dragon that stood by me, protecting our daughter from the shadows.
I’d protect him too. Ripping the truth from their minds of his existence, my daughter’s identity, and slid the memories into the shell with Nyx as Desmire finished sealing her off.
Five seconds.
“Go!” I shouted at Desmire. Verin laughed as his brother raced from the palace, and shifted to a dragon. He had to get as far away as he could when magic rebounded.
Three seconds.
“Time to die, wife.” Verin gripped my arm and the chaos around us quieted.
Two seconds.
I smiled.
Sapphira was in the human world and her core was safe, hidden along with the memories that would go into effect in one second.
Time’s up.
Wind whipped through the ballroom. The world shook violently, and the sky darkened to a blood red, throwing us back, against the wall.
Then nothing.
The blue sky shined through the shattered skylight. The onyx crystals glistened, showing the sleeping princess holding a great secret in her hands.
Verin trembled, his voice hoarse as he stood, and fell back to the ground. “What?”
I didn’t bother standing. I knew I wouldn’t be able to. Magic was gone, the connection severed to that vital essence within me. It still existed, but no matter how hard I’d reach for it, my diamond core couldn’t find me.
The Heart Tree took back the magic and something else from me as I’d harnessed more than I should. But my work was done. My family was safe for now.
“What did she do? Get her out of there.” Verin crawled toward the onyx. “Get that bastard’s child out of there. She stole my…” He vomited, the loss of power affecting us all.
It worked.
If he killed me now, as least I knew Sapphira’s identity was protected.
The evil king thought the princess lay in that onyx… tomb.
My gut churned and my vision blurred before my body revolted alongside the king’s.
“You and that brat may have thwarted me now, but make no mistake, wife. You’ve only delayed my destiny. There’s nothing you can do.”
“Moon twinkles where pastries bleed,” I told him and laughed.
The Heart Tree indeed took more than I intended. My mind was slipping as I closed my eyes and surrendered to my body’s need to rest.
One day Sapphira will come back. Celestine showed me the truth. Until then, I’d make sure she had a mate, and a kingdom to come back to.