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“The Dark King certainly wishes it. He has been greatly amused by the mad king’s turmoil over the years. Especially considering the circumstances around his curse.”
“What circumstances?”
“Do you not know?
I didn’t answer. I just let silence wain until his voice swirled around me once again.
“Roken loved once, but it was that same love that betrayed him to me,” he began.
“What do you mean?” I paused. I knew how the curse operated within Roken, how it turned him into a feral beast devoid of all reason.
“Come to me, and I shall show you.”
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice strong and resolute despite the fear I felt inside.
“You.”
“Tell me your name,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Malachi Stormweaver,” he answered, his tone dangerously sinister. I shrugged off a shiver of fear and held my head high. I wouldn’t let this man intimidate me, not when I’d accomplished so much already here in this perilous fantasy world.
“Why me?”
“The Dark King has his eyes set on you.”
“And if I give myself to him? Will you release Roken from your magic?”
“Come to me and the Dark King will give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“And Roken?”
“I will remove all traces of my magic from his heart. You have my word.”
With a hard shiver, I woke up with a start and immediately glanced over at Roken, only to see him clutching at his chest in his sleep. Alarm bells went off in my head as his brow furrowed and his lips parted, releasing a soft, pained groan.
What if he wasn’t truly free after all? What if the true love’s embrace hadn’t broken the curse? What if he needed more? What if what Malachi had warned was true? Could he really kill Roken as easily as he’d warned he could?
Still asleep, Roken grunted quietly, and I bit my lip. There really wasn’t a decision to make because I had already made it. If his life was still in danger, I would save him. It wasn’t even a question.
With exceeding gentleness, I pressed my fingertips over his heart, and immediately, a cold jolt of magic passed through my arm.
The sorcererhadn’tbeen lying.
Roken was still afflicted with Malachi’s magic, and I was the only one in the world that could save him. I would sacrifice anything to make certain Roken was able to survive, so that he could take his crown back and protect the people of this realm.
I dipped my head, pressing my forehead against him, and his arms surrounded me with warmth. For a minute, I just allowed myself to pretend like the rest of the world didn’t exist, that monsters and magic weren’t real, and that the only thing that existed was the two of us. It was gloriously liberating, but I knew it needed to end before it was too late.
Carefully, I unwound myself from his arms and rolled away from him before I pushed myself up to my feet. For a long moment, I stared down at him, not wanting to go and silently thanking him for the love and affection he’d shown me since I’d first stepped into this wild world.
Not wanting to waste too much time, I pulled on my dress and slipped on my shoes. I threaded the belt around my waist with my sword, cinching it tight before I silently made my way down the overgrown trail that followed the riverbank. I carefully avoided branches and dried leaves, choosing to walk on the thick carpet of moss in order to keep my journey as quiet as possible.
There was a gentle pull of mystical energy leading me downriver, and I knew that it was Malachi guiding me towards him. I walked for nearly an hour before I emerged into a shaded clearing only to see a shadowed figure standing in the center.
My breath caught in my throat as he pushed down his hood, and his sinister gaze locked onto mine. The clearing seemed to shrink in his presence, his aura consuming every inch of space, commanding attention and respect. It took everything in me not to turn around and run straight back into Roken’s arms. Instead, I held my head tall and boldly met his gaze with just as much intensity.
His features were chiseled, sculpted by the passing of time, bearing the weight of untamed knowledge and forbidden magic. The lines of his face traced tales of a troubled past, etched with both wisdom and malevolence. His eyes, like shards of obsidian, held a depth that hinted at the vastness of his arcane abilities and the darkness lurking within.
As our gazes interlocked, I felt a surge of conflicting emotions—fascination mingled with trepidation, curiosity tempered by an ominous, instinctual warning. In that moment, I knew that crossing paths with Malachi had set into motion a fateful collision of destinies, one that would forever alter the course of my own.
