Page 89 of A Fate In Moonstone

“Go to Harold’s Temple and tell him to make his move. Then assemble the soldiers and bring them to the edge of the woods near Crysia’s human realm portal. While the soldiers cause chaos, we will go to the tree. Meet me here tomorrow at sunset.”

It was too fast.

Should I lash out now with fire, and stone, and take them out? Call for guards? And tell them what, the king is Verin?

Nausea bubbled in my gut. I couldn’t. I was still dying and I’d die faster if I tried. I was in no condition to fight.

No, no, no.

“Your will is done, Father.”

Father… Father….

“Yes. I shall prepare the concoction tonight. My focus must be on that, one slight deviation from the potion and ritual that hag gave me could ruin everything. I trust any issues that arise will be handled quietly.” Verin’s tone was stern. He meant business.

I had to leave before they left the throne room and saw me. But where?

Verin said a hag gave him a ritual for the tree. He only called one person that. Celestine.

Clenching my jaw, I raced through the open palace doors, tears rolling down my cheeks as the pain in my arm, my ribs, and my head burned.

Barely making it into her cave, I crumbled to the ground, hands clenching my ears as the voices ripped through my mind. It was hard to tell whose voice was speaking as they all came at the same time, yelling over each other.

“You won’t lose me. It’s me and you, Tor.”

“Interesting twist, little gem. A new prize has entered this marvelous game between us.”

“Stop it!” I screamed.

“Goodbye, little gem.”

“Stop it!”

“Sapphira.” A soft voice spoke but I still couldn’t make out whose.

“Celestine says that you are the one to free her. Make no mistake. We will not be friends. You will hate me as time goes on, but you will become stronger and you will save her.” I knew that voice, it was my mate’s. But it was so angry, and full of such a rage I’d never hear come from Rune.

“Sapphira, open your eyes.”

I did and saw big owlish eyes staring into mine.

“So many voices. I don’t know who or what. Nothing makes sense.” I cried, and the seer cradled my face.

“You need to breathe, my dear. Try inhaling slowly. Yes. Like that, then release. Do this now. Innnn…. And outtt.”

She breathed and I followed her rhythm. The pain was still there, but the voices lowered the volume and after a few minutes it was manageable.

“He’s attacking the city, likely tomorrow. You told him a ritual, something to help him consume magic. The spy said he was trying to consume all magic, and I knew it had something to do with the tree, and I thought I had more time.” I sobbed, but this time not because of the pain but from the overwhelming heavy feeling in my gut. Rune and I getting married, that future I allowed myself to imagine was gone, wasn’t it?

“How could you help him?” I breathed and pushed her hands away. “There simply isn’t enough time to take out my core to rid the poison inside me, be Fae once more, and stop him is there?”

Celestine shook her head.

“So, what’s the point of all this? Why did I have to go through all this…” I searched for the words and landed on the easiest to explain. “Pain.”

I pushed Celestine away and covered my face with my hands.

“I’m still dying. I’m losing my mind, my body, and I can’t fix it in time to defeat Verin. He won. I simply wasn’t strong enough or smart enough to play this game that he’d been rigging since the beginning. Especially when our own seer is helping him.”