Page 109 of Cursebreaker

“For so long, I’ve been afraid—afraid of who I am, afraid of losing control, afraid to trust myself. I’ve tried to outrun my fears, tried to hide from them. But I have been to the Burning Lands. I have seen what Morana can do. This is only the beginning. They will keep coming, until there is nowhere left to run, nowhere left to hide.

“You have no reason to trust me,” I say, and my voice no longer trembles. “I am no more than a stranger to you. And yes, Underling venom flows through my veins.” I hold out my arms. Lift my chin. “But so does the very power Morana will stop at nothing to obtain. Power that feeds not on fear, but on hope—on love.”

I look over my shoulder at Margaret—at Gabriel and Eliza. At Killian and Henry.

“The people we love will not have died in vain,” I say, facing the crowd once more. “I am going to the Eerie to take back the land and free the people still in bondage there. If you follow me into battle, I cannot guarantee you victory. But I will make this oath: When you go into battle, I will stand at the front lines. I will be your shield and your sword, and I will never surrender.”

I toss the crown in the sand. Take a step back.

“I have no interest in being queen or captain. I only wish to fight for a world where we can be free. No more running. No more hiding.”

I meet their stares now, not with fear, not with shame, but with expectation. With truth.

“Who will stand with me?”

A heartbeat of silence. Another.

I refuse to falter. I continue to meet their stares unabashedly.

There’s a moment when I think they might call for my execution. I can feel my crew tensing behind me, as if preparing for a fight. But the little girl steps forward, and it’s as if the entire island holds its breath as she retrieves the crown from the sand.

She looks up at me with determination—with hope. And when she offers me the crown, the people of the island kneel once more. Not because I am the heir of Hildegarde. But because they know the truth—they’ve seen me—and now they’ve made their choice.

I kneel, taking the crown from the child. “What is your name?”

She stands up straighter. “Zia.”

“Thank you for believing in me, Zia,” I say as I rise. “Please,” I add, addressing the crowd. “Go. Tend to your wounded.” I face my crew. “The rest of you, prepare to set sail. We leave tonight.”

But as they rise, their attention shifts to something behind me, and I turn then, to where Titus remains on one knee, bathed in the tangerine glow of the setting sun, his expression a mixture of reverence and awe. One hand turns the object in his pocket over and over and—

He withdraws his hand, revealing the small velvet box.

“Aster, my love?” he says, his voice thick, his eyes wide with terror even as a hesitant, hopeful smile tugs at his lips.

My heart races, my blood beating in my ears. “Yes?”

He takes a deep breath. Licks his lips. Clenches his jaw.

He opens the box.

Inside are the two pearl earrings Mother had given me the night of the Reckoning Day ball.

“I thought I’d lost them,” I murmur, only half-aware I’ve said the words aloud.

Titus nods slowly as he looks down at the pearls, his swallow audible. “I kept meaning to return them to you, but—well, I talked to your parents, and—” He clears his throat, tugs at his shirt collar, sweat slicking his brow. He meets my eyes, finally, and I find myself tumbling into the depths of his gaze. “I don’t want to spend another moment without you by my side.”

I can’t breathe. Can’t speak. Can’t do anything but stare at him. Blink.

Blink again.

“Aster Oberon,” Titus says, and my heart skips a beat. Flips. Tumbles right out of my chest. “Will you marry me?”

Yes, I want to say. Of course, I mean to tell him. I want this. I want him—always and forever.

But Killian still hasn’t let go of Orella’s body, refusing to part with her. Jack’s blood still paints the front of Margaret’s dress.

Margaret. My heart wrenches as I meet her gaze. I don’t know what I expect, but she’s smiling even as tears stream down her face. “Say something,” she mouths to me.