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I’m still clutching the rose.

My hands are numb, all except the pressure of thorns. My blood goesdrip, drip.Part of me wants to panic, and part of me… wants to let go. My knees wobble.

Drakon shifts, and releasing my hands, he picks me up. I tremble.

“What’s… happening?” My tongue slurs over the words.

My vision tunnels around him as I watch his lips move.

I shouldn’t have touched the rose, the rose, rose, rose…

Drakon’s words find me. “The Maledictum blessed you.”

Maledictum. He means the rose. A blessing? I’m cursed.

Wisp led me here. She’s guided me. She’s in the fireflies.

Sensations stabilize, and distress becomes familiar.

This is the transformation I’ve been waiting for.

Transformation isn’t meant to be comfortable.

Within the chaos, I accept the isle’s support.

I inhale, and the fireflies enter my lungs.

My eyelids grow heavy with surrender.

I barely hear them, the other voices.

“Drakon, what have you done?”

Drakon

“Scorpia,” I say, bowing my head, acknowledging my aunt.

I’m holding Reina to my chest. She clutches the Maledictum, and her lifeblood mixes with Wisp’s, smearing across my chest before it drips to the floor. Now that the fireflies have faded, all that remains is the evidence of my sins.

Reina’s scent fills the air, informing every resident of our island that the Blessed One has arrived. Our third and final attempt to break our curse has begun.

Everything happened so fast. I’ve done what I can to comfort her, and now that unconsciousness has taken her, she will not feel the pain. Her cheeks are flushed, her breaths coming in pants. I shift toward the makeshift nest and settle her into it.

The Maledictum has started doling out its blessing, and the process will continue until Reina’s transformation is complete.

She needs security, rest, and time.

I face my aunt. “I did nothing.” In truth, I’m furious this happened under my watch. Kaliyah has locked the Maledictum away for decades, and we failed to anticipate Wisp having the power to move the rose at will. “Wisp chose her,” I justify.

Scorpia isn’t swayed. “Kaliyah was wrong to trust you with such an important matter.”

“What’s done is done.”

She tilts her chin, trying to look down her nose like she did when I was a faeling. “Fine. As you say, Wisp has chosen. But remember this,” she begins her threat. “If shedies, the blood is on your hands. If she dies, I will destroy you.”

“Agreed.” There’s no reason to deny her this vengeance, but if Reina dies, Wisp will smite me before Scorpia has the chance. I’ve already sworn my oath to the divine land.

Deconstruction