Chapter 44 #2
He stops struggling, and his eyes lock with mine. His face crumples in defeat. “Stop. I can’t—” His voice breaks. “I can’t stand to see you hurting yourself.”
I sob, shaking my head in refusal.
“Renya, please .” He gives me a broken smile. “I found you once; I’ll find you again. I swear it.”
The words hit me like a blade. Too close . Too damn close to the vow Kallan whispered to me all those years ago.
Elowen steps through the portal, not sparing me a glance. The guard follows, dragging Dimitri with him.
“No! Koen!” My scream shatters me.
Lioran shoves him through.
And I break.
“No!” My scream rips the air apart. I strike the shield so hard that cracks splinter through it, light spiderwebbing across the surface. Lioran falters. For the first time, his mask slips. He’s afraid. Good. He should be.
“Go ahead and run, Lioran,” I snarl, voice low, shaking with venom. My blood drips against the shield, sizzling. “Run and hide. But just know that I will hunt you. I will find you. And when I do, I will destroy you. You have no idea what you’ve just done.”
His back stiffens, but he doesn’t turn. Doesn’t answer. Then he’s gone, along with the portal.
The world tilts sideways. My knees threaten to buckle beneath me. My hands are bloodied from hitting the shield, my body trembling with rage, with grief, with the agony of losing more people I love. Yet nothing can prepare me for what I feel when the golden glow of the portal fades.
The shield disappears as the hall stirs awake. Cries, confusion, chaos. None of it matters. My scream tears free as the portal vanishes, as Koen vanishes, as Dimitri vanishes.
I stare at the spot where they were just moments ago. Every breath feels like my lungs are being shredded. My heart feels like it’s been ripped from my chest. Tears are streaming down my face. I’m not sure what point I had started crying.
I hear Ravelle before I see her, but I don’t turn. I’m unable to take my eyes off the place where I last saw him. She approaches slowly, her steps measured.
“Serenya…what happened? Where’s Dimitri?”
I stay silent. I can’t speak. I can barely even breathe.
“Where is he, Serenya?” she presses again, her voice louder this time.
I finally tear my gaze from the floor and meet her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I sob. “I’m so…sorry. I—I tried. I tried to stop them. I—”
“Serenya! Are you okay? What happened?” My mother rushes to me, pulling me into a tight hug. I break all over again in her arms.
When I don’t answer, she doesn’t push. Not yet. She pulls away, scanning the room, her eyes landing on my uncle, her brother, as he makes his way toward us.
“What the hells ha—”
“Ceryn, I’m taking Serenya to her chambers,” she cuts him off. “Dismiss everyone and gather the council immediately.”
He nods, hurrying away.
Turning to Ravelle, my mother gently takes her hand. “Would you like to stay in your own chambers for the night?”
Ravelle hesitates, and I can see she doesn’t want to be alone. Neither do I. So before she can answer, I say, “She’s staying with me.”
Ravelle meets my eyes, her look one of relief, though her pain is evident, tears threatening to fall. I take her hand, and together, we follow my mother to my chambers.
By the time we arrive, we are utterly drained. There are no words. We simply crawl into bed together, holding each other for comfort. Ravelle falls asleep almost immediately. The effects of the sleeping spell Elowen used can linger for days.
The events of today are too much to process. Losing Koen…losing Dimitri…it’s too much. It doesn’t feel real. He was right there. If I’d been stronger, if I’d punched the shield a little harder…maybe…
Tears slip free again, and just like that, my heart is plunged into darkness again.
I’m not just sad, though. I’m angry. Furious.
I’m angry that we spent a whole month trying to uncover Elowen’s plans, and still, we know nothing. I’m angry that I allowed her into my kingdom—into my home—when I knew she was a threat. I’m angry that I couldn’t save the ones I love… again.
And Lioran…the betrayal stings far too deep. He was my friend. I trusted him. How could I have been so wrong? The way he looked at me. Bored. Disgusted. My stomach twists with the memory.
I slowly slip out of bed, careful not to wake Ravelle. I open the balcony doors and step outside, gripping the railing. The cold night air does nothing to cool the rage churning inside me.
What does Elowen want with Koen and Dimitri? Does she really believe she can start a war with two kingdoms and win? She took two kings today. Does she think she’s untouchable?
A small, terrified part of me wonders if she’s found another artifact. Or worse, has she gained control of all of them?
Ravelle stirs behind me, and a few moments later, she steps up beside me. We stand in silence, staring at the night sky—unfairly beautiful and peaceful, while we stand here in agony, our hearts shattered.
“I’ll get them back, Ravelle. I will. ” My voice is hoarse. “I’ll tear this world apart if I have to.”
She keeps her gaze on the stars, but gently places her hand over mine on the railing. “We’ll leave nothing but silence behind for anyone who dares try to stop us.”
There’s no hesitation between us. We’re in this together.
“For Koen and Dimitri,” I whisper, barely audible, but Ravelle hears it.
She nods. “For Koen and Dimitri. We’ll show Elowen what it means to steal from us.”
My resolve hardens like iron. For them, I will burn this world to the ground.
Ravelle turns towards me then, the fear in her eyes more intense than ever before. So quietly I barely hear her, she says, “Serenya…I’m pregnant.”