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My mother nodded. “He is already caring for my brother’s boy, and Jonas’s sister’s son. The princes have been well cared for.”
“What will happen if she . . .whenshe wears the ring?”
My mother smiled weakly. “The glass crown directs the true ruler to their desires and connects her to the fiercest strength of her mesmer, and most importantly, should she heed it, the crown will whisper the steps of her fated path, making her wise, and brave, and . . . powerful.”
The thud of horses in the distance spurred Anja to help my mother back to her feet. The wood spun, and the last I saw of Anja Eriksson was when she led my mother, me in her arms, to the door of House Strom.
She ran into the shadows at the same moment Jens Strom answered the door.
The cyclone of images faded. In a rush, the darkness released me, and I was once again returned to the clearing filled with Kryv. With Kase.
He reached for me. “Are you all right?”
“Did you . . . did you see that?” I asked, breathlessly.
“We saw nothing,” Niklas said. “You just froze for a moment, your eyes sort of went dark, and the ring . . . it burned like a flame. But Kase felt something.”
My grip tightened on his hand. “What did you feel?”
He let out an exhausted sigh. “A connection. The moment you placed that ring on your finger, I felt linked to you. In a different way. As if all your fears beckoned me to you. I felt as if I could go to you wherever you stood. Be it in the North, the peaks. Anywhere.”
“Through shadow walking?”
“Yes.”
“You’re vowed,” Lynx said with a shrug. “Alver vows are powerful are they not? If Malin strengthens with the ring, why not her husband?”
“Interesting thoughts, Lynxy,” Niklas said, a sly grin curled in the corners of his mouth. “Next time, follow that connection, Kase. Let us see what happens.”
Desires. The ring had delivered the memory of my parents, the memory of my mother telling me the true power of the relic. It would lead me toward my desires and give me the power to see them through.
I glanced at my finger. The glass was bright as the setting sun. No one had seen the furious spiral of memories. My parents. My father. Jonas Eld, a name no one knew, a man from the second royal bloodline who’d sacrificed his life to keep us safe.
I cupped Kase’s cheek. “I come from House Eld, Kase. And you . . . your father’s name was Sander. He was a Malevolent like you.”
“Malin, what did you see?”
“I was shown that the ring leads me toward the desires of my heart. I had the desire to understand the power and how to use the ring. So, I was shown the night my father died. I saw my mother, and she spoke of the ring’s power.” I knew Kase’s mother had worked at House Strom, but she’d died before my fourth turn. I had mere shadows of memories of the woman. “I saw your mother, Kase. Anja Eriksson delivered me and my mother to House Strom.”
“No,” Kase said. “She was a servant there. My father was—”
“Not a fisherman as Jens thought,” I whispered. “It was the story she told to remain close to House Strom.” The ring burned my skin slightly. “I can show you.”
A tight knot pressed against my heart. Some power deep inside told me, much the same as bone dust, now if I desired to share a thought, I would be able to do it. Warmth gathered beneath my palm on his face. Kase closed his eyes as I thought only of what I’d seen. From start to finish.
His jaw pulsed when he looked at me again. “We were always together.”
“Always.” I kissed him, gripping his hair to hold him close. When I broke away, I rested my forehead to his. “House Eriksson was always destined to rise with House Eld. I am a shadow queen,yourshadow queen.” I found Bard and Hagen in the crowd. “And I am your cousin. We do share blood.”
Hagen smiled with a touch of caution. “I’ll stick to being your brother, Mal.”
“Same,” said Bard.
My eyes drifted to Sol, then Herja. The desire to save the Northern king from his curse was suffocating. But how could I help him? The thought rolled around in my head. A comfortable, soft burn coated the glass until a gentle whisper returned. This time, the voice was familiar. Calista’s.
Share your crown, step into darkness, and beastly ways may be forgotten.
“I think I know how to help Valen.”
