Crowns of Fate (The Broken Prophecy #3)

Prologue

CASSANDRA, PRESENT DAY

Athousand years of running from fate should have prepared me for this moment.

A thousand years of waiting, of only hearing part of a prophecy that I knew would determine whether Atheria will rise again or fall forever.

A thousand years without the sister I had sacrificed everything for.

Yet at the beginning of the end of the Fates’ plans, I couldn’t run fast enough.

Fleeing the halls of this palace—this prison—became my singular focus as the earth trembled beneath my feet. I knew. One did not need to be a seer or a sorceress to know the gates of hell had been opened and evil now poured into our world.

Thames.

Every bone in my body rejected his presence as the tendrils of his power, of our power, permeated the cracks within the walls.

Whispers of promises once sung, an unrequited love, searched desperately for me, attempting to trap me in his grasp.

A thousand years of pain enduring the bond I wish could be severed.

The crimes I’d committed in the name of unconditional love for my mate were unfathomable.

The years I spent tormented at the agony and evil in this world, the very evil I helped make far too powerful, haunted me.

Some nights, it dragged me into a place deeper than the lowest bowels of the earth. Into void lands and utter darkness.

But I had righted my wrongs. I turned to something far more powerful than the dark magic on which Thames thrived: true love and sacrifice. Together, the two provided me with enough power to create a prison, trapping Thames in the void. I would not fall into his hands again.

The dark palace, nestled among the mountains of rock, lurked behind me as I mounted the chestnut stallion, already saddled in the stables.

A calling pulled me forward as we made our way through the rocky terrain of Mount Legion.

While it had been hundreds of years since I’d left the palace grounds, it did not matter.

The Fates’ unrelenting insistence lured me away from my home.

It waged a war against the inexplicable urge to return to my mate.

The strength it took to deny my bond threatened to knock me off my horse.

I growled, holding in the scream building inside of me at the tension.

I’d resisted his callings for a thousand years.

The summons of a seer, though, must be obeyed.

Ignoring the Fates was impossible, and even if I managed to, it could lead to dire consequences. A burden those chosen must bear.

“Faster, Phoenix.” Urging my stallion to move quicker, we navigated the dusty terrain, through forests of leafless trees. Intertwined branches lay bare in the eerie tunnels the landscape created, carving our path forward.

Beads of sweat dripped down my back as the setting sun shone the last of its rays on our perilous journey.

Where exactly the Fates wanted me to be remained unclear, but I knew we traveled toward destiny, a thread pulling me to my eventual end.

The winds warmed my cheeks the longer we traveled, lulling me into a false sense of security, begging me to rest along with the rhythm of my horse, despite the frantic speed. When my eyes pleaded to close, I forced them open. I would not let my body betray me now.

Hours passed. The sun moved across the sky, creating shadows of my figure on the dry paths. How much farther would it take to answer the Fates’ call?

Phoenix faltered more than once, until eventually, neither of us could travel any farther. My beautiful stallion collapsed upon the dirt, panting for air as I fell sideways off his back.

“We are safe. You did well.” I whispered reassurances to the steed, even if I knew we would never truly be safe while Thames roamed this plane. But for now, we had to rest. Just long enough for me to be able to heal the aching hooves of my companion.

The powers I shouldn’t have, ones that have been lost to the history books of old, allowed me to conjure the water deep within the ground to pool atop, granting my steed much relief.

Whispering the words of my long-forgotten ancestors, I opened my hands before me, summoning water for me to drink as well.

I pushed past the exhaustion engulfing me, making my hands shake.

Gulping down the cool liquid soothed the fire burning my lungs.

My strength returned slowly, with every sip, and with every bite of the chewy fruit I found hidden in the saddle bags.

I closed my eyes, just for a moment to rest my weary soul, though I didn’t deserve it.

The first time I ever slept peacefully occurred when that little prince healed in my quarters overnight after his father whipped him bloody.

He didn’t know I lingered next to the bed in the late hours of night, soaking in his innocence as he recovered.

He reminded me my power could be used for good.

He reminded me, even with my evil past, there might still be hope if I could get him to his future.

His destiny had been determined by the Fates themselves.

When my eyes peeled open, the last rays of light were disappearing on the horizon. A caw echoed in the distance and reminded me we weren’t alone in this world. We had to press forward. I jerked my body up and dug down deep to find the will to continue.

Rubbing the neck of the horse, light emitted from the tips of my fingers, healing the unimaginable aching muscles of my friend.

“Just a little bit more,” I whispered, gently rubbing his mane. “We must keep going.”

He nuzzled my palm and huffed a breath in agreement.

“Let’s ride.”

The tendril of Fates calling grew louder and threatened to explode as we reached a jagged, rocky line in the ground.

The mist, which once lay impenetrable over the void holding Thames in its grasp, had disappeared.

In its place lay a colorless river of debris, soil, and deadened ground.

The land completely and utterly drained of life.

Thames had infested his prison exactly as he planned to infest the world—with death and destruction.

A shiver skated over my sweat-slicked skin as we crossed the threshold into the area where the void once stood. One careful step at a time, we wandered into the foreign land. More caws echoed in the sky. An alert to the world that something was coming.

The wings of a voidling created a shadow as it passed ahead, flying in the opposite direction I rode. Its monstrous scales glittered in the sunlight, but the beast ignored me completely.

A stray breeze danced across the dusty ground, pressing against my back and pushing me forward.

My heart pounded, thudding with both anticipation and fear. I knew where the Fates were leading me now. I felt her. Closer than she’d been in a thousand years.

Would she forgive me for what I’d done? For the pain I’d caused us both? While she knew why I cast this horrible spell, while she agreed it must be done—after all these years, would she still love me, even if I didn’t deserve it?

My heart raced, erratic, panicked. It had been so long. I pushed Phoenix forward as his careful steps turned into a frantic gallop toward the only person who loved me through every evil deed. The person whom I’d sacrificed it all to protect.

I didn’t do it alone. A thousand years ago, Evelyn, Queen of Brookmere, Jasper, King of Mysthaven, and I may have each sacrificed everything to save our world, but selfishly, I’d done it to ensure Thames could never reach her.

On too many occasions he kept me from her presence. When he threatened her life to ensure I remained his and only his, I knew the time had come.

I surged through the landscape before me, urging Phoenix to jump over the dead bramble and decaying ground, searching as the string luring me onward tightened.

Suddenly there, where the world should’ve ended had the curse still been in place, stood my sister.

Relief overtook every one of my senses, seeing her face-to-face again. My beautiful, strong sister. Her face tilted toward the sun, arms reaching for the sky, eyes closed in apparent reverence.

I stopped just a few lengths before her. Dismounting, I fell into a heap, my legs giving out beneath me, my body yearning to run to her before I even had my footing. But still, I rose, racing for her. Her eyes opened, and when her gaze met mine, her arms fell to her sides.

“Cassandra,” she whispered. Her wiry grey hair stood on end, begging to be tamed.

Fear, longing, anguish, love—all stuck in my throat, unsure of how to make amends for our past, yet frantic to wrap her in a hug and reassure myself she was truly here.

Smiling, I thought about reaching for her but paused, coming to a halt and swallowing down the part of me that so desperately wanted to touch her. “Vivienne. You look terrible,” I joked.

She scoffed, and her mouth, open in shock, morphed into a smile spreading across her face as she took me in. I didn’t miss the pain glistening in her eyes. “A thousand years will do that to someone.”

Lightning cracked above us, splitting the sky open, as rain spilled instantaneously. The ground making up the void drank in the water like a starved Fae.

A gust of wind followed, whipping around us, weaving through our hair and clothes. I felt it everywhere, embracing me in its tendrils.

Whispers, faint at first, carried toward Vivienne and me until it was not only the wind itself surrounding us, but the Fates’ words as well.

Void of magic, a heroine born,

Destiny calls, though faint and torn.

Many will come from across the land,

Yet only the strongest will win her hand.

With lover’s touch, she shall ignite,

Without it, perish from the kingdom's blight.

Vivienne’s hand found mine and when we intertwined our fingers, the words continued, this time familiar ones that rang in my ears since I’d first heard the prophecy.

Rebels rise where darkness lies,

Not one but two must break the ties.

Across the void, a queen you must seek,

Trust freely given, for one alone proves too weak.

Though evil will free and be bound no more,

Fate still awaits one final war.

The rain soaked through my clothes, plastering my hair across my face as the storm continued to crescendo until it hit a deafening peak. I stepped up to my sister, grabbing her. The moment we embraced, a surge of power passed between us, claiming our bodies for itself.

This was where we were supposed to be.

Nature demanded it.

The Fates commanded it.

All at once the wind stopped, the rain ceased, and an eerie long-awaited finality settled over me.

With gazes locked, Vivienne and I spoke in unison the words flowing in my mind. Revealing together the final piece of the puzzle to rid the dark magic plaguing our lands all these years by my own hand.

Banish all ties to darkness with light,

If any remains, so will this plight.

In the end, a willing sacrifice of life

Will trigger events to cease this strife.

For the loss of love will heal what’s torn

And allow this world to be reborn.