Centuries had gone by, and I knew they found ways to obtain blood through black markets and secret deals, but even after all these centuries at trying to achieve peace, it seemed they were gearing up for another war.
“Anything else?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at Dedra, who looked away and started to fuss with her weapons on the ground. I stared at the back of her head and waited for her to respond.
“And she mentioned that prophecy again.” She sighed, standing up and sheathing her weapons. “And she wouldn’t stop saying it, and it got on my nerves.”
That damn prophecy.
*
“In shadows deep, where realms entwine, a queen once fallen shall anew define. From ancient blood, a lineage lost shall rise again despite the cost. The witch returns to claim her right with magic stolen and love a blight. Legends lie, and tales mislead, but the lost queen shall set us free.”
*
Aria scoffed. “They need to move on. What I want to know is why they attackedthisvillage?” she said, putting her hands on her hips.
Aria looked at me like I had an answer.
“Guess we'll see when she wakes,” I growled, and she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.
“I’m not going to have to put up with your brother being here too, am I?” Aria retorted, meeting my eye.
My gaze fell upon the twins, who seemed to be watching me anxiously. Besides Julian, they were the only two people who knew about my brother’s disappearance.
Aria and my brother Jaxon had been involved when we were younger. Her family had sent her to be trained by our guard, and for a few years, they had been inseparable.
Then, without warning, she left and returned home weeks before her training was finished. We still don’t know what happened between them. Anytime we asked Jaxon, he would change the subject or leave the room. He had been unbearable for years afterward and from the way Aria always asks after him, albeit angrily, I was certain she still harbored feelings for him.
“No, my brother didn’t join us on this trip,” I said, looking away, but I could have sworn disappointment flashed on her face before I did.
“Well, good,” Aria scoffed, kicking the ground with her boot.
“What happened between the two of you anyway?” Theo asked, and Dedra hit his arm.
“What?! We all want to know!” Theo said, raising his hands in mock surrender.
Aria gave a sarcastic smile. “Ask the prick—I mean prince—yourself.”
“Alright, enough,” I grumbled, a headache forming in my temples. I rubbed them, and a wet gargle noise came fromthe witch. I looked down at her, and she smiled with defiant satisfaction.
“Hello, boy.” The witch coughed, blood running down her chin. “You risk getting so near to your enemy?”
“I know when someone is a threat,” I replied coolly, scanning her from head to toe. “And when someone isn’t.” I wiped any hint of emotion from my face—a trait my uncle claimed I inherited from my mother.
The witch’s eyes narrowed, and her face twisted into a sneer of disgust.
“Why did you attack this village?” I asked, cutting her off before she could speak. She flashed a wicked grin, revealing her blood-stained teeth.
“Don’t you know what we seek, boy?” She sneered.
“I know you seek a worthless, forgotten queen,” I said coldly, making her bristle.
“Never forgotten and soon will return,” the witch said through a fit of coughs. “You will see.”
I scoffed. “And how exactly are you going to resurrect the dead? Hopes and wishes?”
“We don’t have to resurrect that which isn’t dead,” she said smiling, her eyelids drooping over her black beady eyes. She was slipping into unconsciousness again.
“Why did you attack this village?” I asked again, and she cracked an eyelid.
