Page 39 of Tale of the Heart Queen

“She cannot,” Bain says pointedly. “But don’t worry, she’s mostly harmless.”

I snort out a laugh. It’s very obvious she is not harmless.

I keep the creature in my peripheral vision. She’s staring at me like she desperately wants a bite. Then I head towards Bain, hiding behind him like a shield.

Finally, I take in the sight of Coral. She stretches over my head by several stories, shimmering in the soft light. Thousands upon thousands of tiny crevices make up her height. Her entire structure moves and shifts like she’s alive.

“She’s stunning,” I say. Every Artefact has its own type of beauty, but I can see why Bain thinks his girl is just a little more.

“She is,” he says proudly, laying a gentle hand against her. “How are you?” he asks Coral, pausing as though he expects an answer.

Then he gestures to me. “Whenever you’re ready. We shouldn’t linger here too long. I’m not supposed to let you in here, and . . .”

He doesn’t finish the thought.

“Of course,” I say, and then, wasting no more time, I also lay a hand on her.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

I wait, knowing it always takes a few seconds.

“It’s Lor. The Heart Queen.”

They all seem to know who I am.

That’s when I’m sucked into that same shapeless void. Only this time, I’m surrounded by rippling blue waves. There’s no up or down, just an endless stretch of nothing.

Heart Queen. Welcome.

My chest loosens. None of this has been a fluke. This is my purpose. These Artefacts talk to me.

You have finally come.

“Were you expecting me?”

There’s a long pause before Coral answers.

Yes.

“Why?”

You must fulfill your destiny, Heart Queen.

Those words send a shiver creeping over my scalp. “What destiny?”

To save the Queendom of Heart.

Pressure wells in the center of my chest. Part of me understood this would be asked of me, but to hear it confirmed feels like another stack of bricks cemented to my shoulders.

“I’m supposed to save it?”

Surely you understand that by now. Why else do you think we’ve been helping you?

“ ‘We’? As in the other Artefacts?”

Yes.

“Why?”