Chapter 30
S?ren
Between one blink and the next, the vision disappeared and the queen rematerialized in front of me. For a long moment, I had only one coherent thought.
Fuck.
Somehow, the Queen of Kryllian was Arraya in the flesh. A fact only further confirmed when my eyes adjusted to the throne room once more and I saw Anja—Arraya—whoever she was—gripping tight to Revna, a dagger at her throat.
Revna swallowed, and a bead of blood trailed down her neck. I stiffened, unwilling to move an inch. The queen scowled, her eyes alight with the same mania I’d seen in them when she forced her way into my quarters covered in blood only a few weeks ago.
“What the hell are you doing?” I growled.
“Getting justice,” the queen hissed. “My husband should never have died in the first place, but my bitch of a sister murdered him in cold blood. Simply for creating a world far beyond anything she could imagine.”
I put a hand on the hilt of my sword, but the queen shook her head.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Not unless you’re willing to see what your love’s throat looks like when I slash it open.
” My princess’s eyes widened slightly, her hands shaking, and I thought, Oh, I am going to rip that woman to pieces.
“What do you want?” I demanded through gritted teeth.
“Put the soul in the body,” the queen barked. “Now, S?ren.”
Revna held the bloodred thread loosely in her palms—a thread I now knew belonged to the worst man the Fjordlands had ever known. And I had no choice but to resurrect him. In Frode’s body, no less.
I held up my hands in a loose gesture of surrender and moved forward until I was face-to-face with Revna. Her teeth were clenched tight. I didn’t need a mind-reading Lurae to know what she was trying to tell me with widened eyes. You cannot put Callum’s soul into Frode’s body.
But what other option did I have? I reached out and cupped my own hands, allowing Revna to pass me the glowing thread she held.
My heartbeat pounded in my throat. The soul warmed my palms, and I glanced over at Frode’s cold body.
The queen hauled Revna to the table where he waited and tilted her head toward it. A gesture for me to begin the process.
I took in a shuddering breath. Was this the right thing to do? Raise a villain from the dead to save Revna’s life?
Of course it is. There was no other option. Revna was my light. Even if it meant the world fell into darkness, I would do anything to keep her. I hovered my hands over the body, fear crawling up my spine like ice.
An idea struck me—one so wild I hardly dared consider it.
But we were out of options.
I took a deep breath and made eye contact with Revna. She saw my resolve, and her mouth set in a grim line of determination. There was uncertainty in her eyes, but behind it, the fury she carried with her always. Once, it had been a shield. Now, I knew it was sharp as her blade.
I lunged for the queen.
Her surprise offered a momentary distraction. I grabbed her dagger wrist in my free hand as tightly as I could, creating enough space between Revna and the blade for her to duck away. The queen let out a scream of surprise and frustration as she lost her balance.
The soul in my hand shuddered. I held the queen’s arm away from her and pressed the palm of my other hand flat against her sternum, drawing a rush of my Lurae forward as I did so. The red soul thread sank beneath her skin, and my Lurae, rather than killing her, sealed it there.
There was no time to marvel at my newly discovered ability. Anja fell to the ground, convulsing. I didn’t hesitate—I pulled my sword from its sheath and slammed it through the queen’s stomach, pulling it out swiftly. A deadly wound, one that would end both her and Callum in a single blow.
Revna grabbed my arm. We watched with bated breath, relaxing slightly as blood poured from her. “Is she dead?” Revna whispered.
I opened my mouth to confirm the queen breathed no more…but I couldn’t. Before my eyes, her shuddering body began to heal itself, the wound sealing in a matter of moments. Horror crept up my body.
Callum’s soul had made Arraya immortal, too.
Revna looked around frantically. “Where’s the sword? The Soulcleaver?”
For the first time since I’d noticed the weapon, the queen didn’t have it on her. “Not here.” Dread sank like a stone in my gut.
“We can’t fight an immortal,” Revna said, shoving me toward the door. “Run! We have to warn everyone, before she decimates the festival!”
We sprinted for the courtyard, the doors slamming behind us.
I spotted the mare from our trip to the wastes out grazing and ran toward it, pulling Revna up behind me and urging the horse to a gallop.
My mind flashed through the faces of everyone at the festival.
Volkan and Mira were there. Revna’s friends, too.
I called to her over my shoulder. “We have to tell everyone to be ready to run or fight.”
“Fight.” Her voice was taut. The sky above us was darkening steadily, a storm blowing in. The weather felt as ominous as the coming battle. “We’ll fight.”