The world spins around me, and when I feel my feet on solid ground again, I open my eyes to find myself in the library.
It’s dark, save for the violet light surrounding the Codex.
It calls to me from its position on the table, and I move without thinking, pressing my palms to either side of it. The words on the page glow bright, dancing before my eyes.
The woman from the cauldron is at my side again, but when I glance up at her, she transforms into the dark fae that’s been haunting my nightmares for weeks. Tall. Reed-thin, framed with lean muscles. Black hair falls past his shoulders. His mouth is a cruel red slash.
Tonight, I’m not afraid of him, though.
Tonight, he feels… familiar.
Everything is unfolding as it should be…
“Sometimes,” he says in that same otherworldly voice, “in order to build whatcouldbe, we must first destroy whatis.”
The words call the rune on the back of my neck to life, sizzling my skin and unlocking something deep inside me. Something ancient. Something right. My palms begin to glow bright against the book, the same dark indigo magic from before, only this time I’m not restless.
I welcome it. Call it forth. Nurture it.
Beneath my touch, the letters dancing on the pages of the Codex settle into a verse.
A child conceived ’neath moon so bright
Born of the union of darkness and light
Blessed is the babe who inherits the crown
Blessed is the blood that brings the world down
I recognize the words from Tatiana’s notes about the prophecy, but then another verse appears beneath the first, and I read it aloud like a chant.
Like a spell.
For that, I realize, is what it is.
Andthis, I realize, is my great task.
I will not fail.
Blood of my blood, my magic, my fire
I call unto you, my king and my sire
Return to this realm to claim what is ours
By flame and by force, so shall we devour
I repeat it three times, the magic in my hands growing stronger and stronger until the soft glow turns into indigo flames. They lick up my arms and across my chest, filling me with strength. With power.
The fae beside me smiles, his silver eyes glittering like precious jewels.
“What must I do?” I whisper. I don’t recognize my own voice.
Am I still dreaming? Is this a vision? A nightmare?
Something stirs in the farthest recesses of my mind.
This is wrong. Wrong. Wrong…
