Epilogue
PRINCE COLE
“Souls tend to go back to who feels like home.”
— N.R. Hart
I wake up with a jolt, gasping for air as if I’ve just emerged from a nightmare. My limbs feel like lead, and my chest burns with a dull, persistent ache where a wound must have been.
Sunlight filters through the canopy above as I struggle to push myself up, my head throbbing.
The sound of rustling leaves draws my attention, and for a moment, I can hardly believe my eyes.
My sister.
Is she really here?
I try to make sense of her presence, my mind racing to piece together how she got here.
She kneels beside me, covered in dirt, but her eyes are bright and relieved. “Cole,” she says, letting out a happy sob and wrapping her arms around me.
I hold her close, overwhelmed by a happiness that feels almost unreal. “How… How did you get here?” I ask, pulling away slightly to look at her.
She looks exactly the same as she always has, with her black curls cascading down her back and her striking green eyes.
I look around, struggling to make sense of my surroundings.
I just can’t make sense of what’s happening.
“A woman helped me out of Lorelda’s dungeon,” she says. “And I found you on my way home. What happened to you?”
Home.
I try to process her words, but something in the back of my mind feels urgent, like a whisper pulling me forward.
“Who was this woman?” I ask, my voice trembling slightly. “What did she look like?”
“She was just a blur of a big smile and red hair.” She frowns, studying me. “Cole, what happened to you? Why are you here? Why’s there so much blood on you? Let me help?—”
As she speaks, a strange compulsion pulls at me, urging me to move deeper into the forest. I stand up, brushing off the dirt and leaves from my clothes.
I can’t believe my eyes.
The trees stand tall and majestic, their leaves rustling softly in the breeze. Sunlight filters through the dense foliage, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor while birds flutter through the branches.
Lorelda must be dead.
I start running, because there’s something I need to find. Something important.
Aurora calls after me, her voice filled with concern, but I can’t stop. My feet pound against the ground, adrenaline surging through me.
The trees blur together as I push through, my breaths coming in ragged gasps.
Aurora catches up with me, breathless. “Tell me what’s going on. Please, let me help you.”
The forest seems endless, but eventually, I spot the glimmer of a castle looming ahead, and a sense of familiarity tugs at me.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. “What’s happening, Cole? Please talk to me.”
I don’t stop.
I can’t stop.
I sprint until I reach the castle. I vaguely remember being here before. In another lifetime, maybe.
My boots pound against the cobblestone path leading to the castle gates. And I have a bad, bad feeling that I won’t survive today if I don’t knock on those doors.
Aurora’s hand grips my arm gently. “Cole, please,” she pleads. “You need to explain.”
I knock.
“You have to tell me what’s going on.”
I’m nearly frantic as I knock again, the urgency inside me almost overwhelming.
I can’t wait any longer.