Chapter 125
CHAPTER 125
Wrenley
F uck the twisting halls and the traps and fuck the Fates most of all and their weapons of words. They can spout their snarky prophecies at me all they want.
I write my own future.
The labyrinth is a misty haze behind me. Pressure rings in my ears. I’ve never been this deep in the Below before.
The prison comes into view. It’s dark. Only small glowing orbs illuminate the figure sitting behind a transparent wall.
She’s smaller than I expected.
I don’t let my feet slow. If I do, I’ll stop right here and never start again.
It seems Sira hasn’t been able to regrow her crystals yet. But it’s only a matter of time. Cas, what were you thinking?
The figure stands as I approach. She’s about my height, and I hate that it’s like looking into some sort of cursed mirror. Her brows lower as she takes me in, then her eyes widen, moisture pearling at the corners.
“Don’t cry,” I snarl. “I am here for one thing.”
The former Queen’s face hardens. She straightens, taking me in like I’m just another guard. “Very well. Tell me what you want, Wrenley.”
She cannot stop the tremor in her voice as she says my name. It was the one thing Sira allowed me to keep from her.
I take in a shaky breath, desperate not to let my fear show. Not to her. Not to this woman who bargained me away to Sira as if I were nothing more than a sack of flour. What did she even get for trading my life, my agency? I hope it was fucking worth it.
“I can summon briars, and more recently, water,” I bite out. “But you could control all the elements. All the powers of the Enchanted Vale.”
“Yes,” she says simply.
I flick my gaze up at her. “I need you to teach me how to summon fire. I’ve tried everything. I’ve stolen mages from Autumn but they were useless. Read scripts and texts. Useless. I can’t so much as create an ember, no less control it. But I know that power is inside me. I can feel it.”
Aurelia tilts her head, studying me. “It is. I have no doubt. May I ask why you so urgently need this?”
I hiss and begin to pace before the cage as if I am the one trapped inside. “Your daughter has poisoned Caspian with her ideas. Sira suspects him of betrayal, of his unwillingness to accept his destiny. He has gotten … sloppy.”
“I think the word you’re looking for, darling, is brave.”
“What would you know of it?” I slam my hands against the transparent wall. “What would you know of bravery? You fled from duty! You bargained away your own child!”
She doesn’t so much as flinch. “This is not a fate I ever wanted for you.”
Angry tears cascade down my face, and I turn away from her. “Then you shouldn’t have made a deal with Sira.”
“No.”
I whirl around. “She has Caspian imprisoned above Cryptgarden, bound in a cage of fire. A mockery and a warning to all in the Below. She intends to keep him there until she can fix the damage and continue siphoning your magic. Every day, he screams in agony. I cannot take the cries anymore.”
“So, you would learn fire to free him of this cage. To take him where? He cannot survive anywhere but the Below.”
“Away from here,” I say. “Better death than the fate that awaits him.”
“What will she do to you if you are caught?”
“I’m sure I will be punished,” I say. “But she will not kill me. Who would throw away a weapon they can control absolutely?”
There have only been a handful of times Sira has enacted such control over me.
But I remember everything from every one of those moments. The look on Dayton’s face as I fired the arrow. The guttural sound Caspian made as my thorn pierced his back.
I remember it all.
I belong to Sira.
Because of her .
There’s no escape from this life for me. Not when Sira can take control of me whenever she likes. But Caspian …
There may be a future for him. Even if it means he has to abandon me too.
“If it is what you desire, Wrenley,” the Queen says, “then I will teach you how to unlock the depths of your magic.”
“We don’t have much time,” I say, looking at the shattered crystals. “When Sira regains control, she doesn’t intend to bleed you slowly like before. She will take your magic all at once. And with your death, she will bring the Green Flame to the Enchanted Vale.”
The Queen smooths down the wrinkles in her dress. “Quite the predicament.”
“Aren’t you afraid?” I breathe.
She flashes me a strangely casual smile. “Oh, every day.”
I shake my head. “Fine. What do you want in return for training me?”
“Nothing.”
“Everyone wants something,” I growl.
Her eyes soften. “I will never ask you for anything, Wrenley. I promise you that.”
My mind rushes with frustrated confusion. “That’s not how things work! I will not have charity from you of all people.”
The Queen looks down, then flicks her gaze back up to mine, eyes shining. “Well, then, if I must ask for something, perhaps you could pass on a message from me to Caspian after you rescue him.”
“What message?” I say in a low voice.
“Tell him,” she smiles, “Anya O’Connell has another gift for him. One he’ll need if he’s going to defeat his father.”