Chapter 40
Zara
I was everything and nothing.
I floated among the stars, the sky stretching far and wide, wrapping around me. It was beautiful—peaceful. I wondered if I had become a star? If I were now a wandering soul, and if all stars were just that. Souls waiting, watching—searching.
But what was I searching for? Waiting for? How long had I been here?
Stars, planets, and entire universes twinkled in front of me. The black space was filled with endless vibrant colors. They were so bright and colorful that there were no words to describe them. I just watched in awe as I drifted and drifted and waited. But for what?
Something appeared in the distance, and I was pulled toward it as if by a thread. I was flying through space, through time itself, as I halted before three large stone thrones. They were the size of mountains, and I watched as three figures appeared upon them.
The first figure, the one in the middle, seemed familiar somehow.
It was a man, curly dark hair, with devastating features.
He was all hard lines and sharp angles, and he was powerful.
I could feel the raw energy buzzing in the air around us.
His bright, glowing, blue eyes shone as brightly as a sun.
The woman to his left was also beautiful, young, almost like a child. She had a rich, dark complexion with short, wavy black hair, and those same eerie, glowing blue eyes.
The woman to his right was old. She had white hair and wrinkled skin, but she was anything but frail. That same energy pulsed around her, and again the same glowing bright blue eyes. All of them wore long black robes.
Zara. An ancient male voice boomed, but I didn’t notice any of their lips moving.
Zara? I knew that name. It felt familiar somehow, but from where? Where was I? Who was I?
Something snapped in my mind, and my life, my memories came flooding back.
There had been so much death and manipulation, but there had also been love.
The memories sped up, and I spun in them endlessly until I remembered it all, gasping as I came back to myself, one person on my mind.
Xavier.
The Fates were silent as they watched me, but what was I? I should be dead. I shouldn’t be here.
“What am I doing here?” I called out, but my voice was lost in the air. I wasn't sure if anyone could hear me until a young and old, ancient voice filled my head, and I watched as the young girl on the throne tilted her head at me.
You are here because we made it so. Her words were both loud and soft, carrying the wisdom of age, yet it was also playful like a child’s.
“Why?” I questioned and winced as a ripple of power surged toward me.
It pressed in on me, and I sucked in a breath as my body appeared, a large marble floor stretching beneath my feet.
I was wearing a long white robe, and I glanced at my hands, turning them over, unsure if they were real or if this was all just an illusion playing out inside my head.
Your life is far from over, Zara.
The young woman that had been on the throne was now gone, replaced by a much older version of herself. Her young features now wrinkled, her hair now a stark white.
The other two had also changed. The male in the middle now appeared young, boyish, and the old woman to the right was now middle-aged, with golden hair and smooth porcelain skin.
They were all devastatingly beautiful, and a shiver ran through me as I blinked.
Our time has come to an end, Zara. Like those before us, and before them.
I blinked again, still not understanding why I was here, how I was alive.
You are in the in-between, held here by your thread, by me. It was the male who spoke this time, Caelan, and the memory of him leaving my body had my blood boiling. He had magic… he could have saved Xavier, and he didn’t.
You misunderstand, Caelan said icily, and I glared up at him, my fists clenching. I did not have any power. The curse that was broken was old magic, magic I had already used.
If I were thinking more clearly, that might have made sense, but I wasn’t.
“You could have saved him,” I snarled, and Caelan’s voice boomed.
SILENCE.
I flinched, but held my tongue. What good was arguing about it now… it was done. He was dead. I was dead. What was I doing here?
The other woman spoke, and I glanced her way, trying not to glare. We interfered with the fate of your world, with the lives of mortals. We are no longer worthy of our station and need to pass on.
“Pass on where?”
They all smiled, and I couldn’t help but shudder at the creepy sight.
In time you will know. But we cannot leave until we have trained our next of kin. This residual power we hold now is temporary. It is no longer ours and will slowly pass onto our chosen.
“What does this have to do with me?” I asked again, trying to process what they were saying.
Your fate was manipulated. Changed. A life you should have had was taken from you. You have known great pain and sacrifice. We are offering you to be one of the chosen. A life for a life.
If I had blood, it would have drained from my face. The room spun, and I stumbled backward into a chair that seemed to materialize behind me. Smooth stone, like the ones they were seated in, came into view, and my fingers tightened around the armrests beneath me.
“You want me to be a Fate… a god?” I whispered and began to shake my head. They made a mistake. Why would they choose me?! I was nobody, a villain. I killed so many, caused so much suffering… they were cracked. Insane.
Silence stilled the air, and the three monstrous figures shrunk, appearing human-sized on their thrones in front of where I now sat.
If you accept, you will gain power and knowledge coveted by many. This would not be a mortal life. This gift will be as much a curse as it is a blessing. You will come to know the past, present, and future—the fates and destinies—of countless people across infinite realms.
“And if I decide not to accept,” I said hoarsely, swallowing thickly.
Then you will find peace among the stars and pass on as all others do. Although I do urge you not to make this decision in haste.
Everything was spinning, and I felt nauseous.
I was a monster, not a God.
We are giving you a chance at a fresh start, a new life. One where you can do good. Protect and guide others and ensure the balance between all realms. Your unique experiences will prove helpful in ensuring what happened with Morgana doesn’t happen again. But it is your choice to make.
My gaze slowly lifted toward them, their glowing eyes fixed upon me. My choice. Hadn't I wished for that? For a second chance at life? One where I wasn't the villain. One where I was happy? One where I had control over my own fate, my own choices…
Images and faces flashed through my mind, emerald eyes burning into my soul.
I wanted a life with him… with Cynthia. A life with the friends and family I'd longed to know, with the mate I never truly had…
a life that was now lost. Shouldn't I seek peace instead?
Try to find him in whatever awaited beyond this.
Or would he want me to take this opportunity?
To find happiness. To watch over them. His brother.
His kingdom. Ensure their safety, that they were cared for.
Or was that my own selfishness? Was I tempted by the power offered to me?
Did wanting this power, choosing this for myself, make me like her?
The Fates remained silent as I thought, as I processed.
I saw what power did to others, and I didn’t want to be anything like her, but I also wanted to make sure no one had to endure what we had ever again.
My mind was at war with itself and I slowly raised my head toward the Fates, who were all still watching me closely.
Their forms continued to shift from young to old to middle-aged.
Do you accept Zara?
“My mate,” I choked out, sitting up straighter. “What about Xavier? Where is he? Where did he go?”
Their glowing eyes all honed in on me. Their appearances shifted once again, making my pulse quicken.
We cannot share another’s fate.
I nearly growled at them. “I need to know. Tell me,” I begged, my voice cracking on the words. How could I possibly make this choice without knowing he was safe, that he wasn't waiting for me out there somewhere among the stars?
Glaring, I ran my hands through my hair but then I realized something. Caelan dipped his chin just a fraction, and hope surged within me. If I agreed, I would become just like them. I'd know what happened to him. I'd be able to talk to him, to see him, just as they're seeing and talking to me now.
It might be a trick, but what else did I have to lose?
“I accept,” I said fiercely, standing from the stone chair.
They nodded as one, and Caelan lifted his palm.
I watched as a golden thread appeared in his grasp, spearing straight for me.
I held my breath as it wrapped around my body, gritting my teeth as the warm glow sunk beneath my skin.
I gasped as the warm thread burned through my veins, and an electrifying spark ignited inside me.
Use your time well.
I looked up to meet their gazes again. What?
I watched as the young girl on the left reached into her robes and pulled out a silver pocket watch. My brow furrowed as I stared at it, its emerald gem reminding me of another one I had seen.
The three of you will have until sunset, and then your training will begin.
The three of who?
My mouth opened to ask what they meant, who they meant, but before I could, I was thrown backward. My eyes shot wide and Caelan smiled ferociously at me, amusement sparkling in his gaze as he watched me fall off the marble slab and tumble through the sky.