Chapter 45 A Crown Drenched in Shadows
The storm didn’t come with thunder or lightning.
It came in silence.
Queen Roshni stood in the sacred tower, the forbidden part of the palace where no light touched the walls. The floor was carved with ancient sigils, some long outlawed by the celestial courts. She was alone, but the silence bent to her will like a loyal dog.
Before her burned a low blue flame.
The priestess knelt beside her. Hooded, trembling.
“You summoned the Old Magic,” the priestess whispered. “You know the cost.”
Roshni’s eyes gleamed like obsidian. “I have paid worse prices to keep my kingdom intact.”
A bowl was placed before her. Starlight liquid shimmered inside it—essence drawn from the cosmic well. In its reflection danced a flickering image:
Sana.
Pregnant. Glowing. Laughing to herself in the forest as she picked herbs and whispered lullabies to the child no one else knew existed.
Roshni’s lip curled. “That abomination will not see daylight.”
The priestess swallowed. “She is protected by the Veil. A shadow walks with her.”
“I know.” Roshni’s voice sharpened. “That’s why we won’t strike her.”
The priestess frowned. “Then what—?”
“We’ll strike the child.”
---
Far away, in the forest, Sana stirred.
She paused while weaving a cradle from the vines she had found. Her fingers stilled. Her chest tightened, a cold wind brushing past her like an invisible warning.
She placed a protective hand over her belly.
“Are you okay?” she whispered to the bump. “Did something… change?”
There was no answer.
Just an odd stillness, as if the forest itself had stopped breathing.
---
In the tower, Roshni reached for the dagger of silver bone.
She dipped it into the starlight bowl, speaking ancient words. Words that had not been spoken aloud since the first eclipse.
“Child of shadow, child of shame, Return to dust, unwrite your name.”
The bowl pulsed.
The image of Sana twisted.
And the faint outline of the unborn child began to fade.
The priestess gasped. “Stop! This magic—it is tearing the bond of fate!”
“I am fate,” Roshni snarled.
And with one last slash across the bowl’s surface, the image was gone.
The flame died.
---
Sana screamed.
The pain was instant. Like something had clawed from within her.
She fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.
“No… no, please—”
Her vision blurred. Blood stained the grass. She screamed again, but there was no one to hear her.
“I won’t lose you,” she sobbed. “Not you. Please…”
Darkness took her.
---
Back in Chandlok, the moon above the palace cracked ever so slightly. Not physically—but in the realm of the stars, a line was drawn.
Hatim, seated in his study, jerked upright.
A chill crept into his spine. He clenched his fist, unsure why he felt like something sacred had just died.
He walked to the window and stared into the void of the night.
A soft voice whispered in his mind: “The stars are bleeding.”
He blinked. Shook his head.
“No,” he muttered. “Don’t do this. Not again.”
But his heart wouldn’t calm.
---
And Roshni?
She stood alone in the tower as the priestess wept silently beside her.
“The deed is done,” the queen said, her voice like iron.
“May the heavens forgive you,” the priestess whispered.
“They won’t,” Roshni replied. “And I don’t care.”
She stepped into the shadows, leaving the room as cold and lifeless as the silence she had birthed.
---
Author’s Note:
Hey lovely readers ??
This chapter was a heavy one to write. As a writer, there are moments where even I feel my heart sink with the characters — and this was one of them. Roshni’s actions may seem unforgivable, but remember, in Starveil, every light has a shadow… and every shadow hides a truth.
Thank you for walking with me through these dark woods. Keep your hearts strong — the next chapter holds answers you’ve been waiting for. ??