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The Queen extended an emerald encrusted sword towards him, and nausea flooded me.

The voices around me became deafened, muffled, as if I were sinking underwater. Through the haze, I heard someone calling my name, but it seemed to come from another world entirely.

The body I inhabited remained motionless as Laryk disappeared from view.

No!I begged the mouth to scream, begged the body to move, to stop whatever was happening behind me. But it wouldn't move. It wouldn't fucking move.

When Laryk returned seconds later, the pristine blade had been replaced with crimson, and something inside me shattered completely.

My eyes flew open to wooden beams inches from my face. Darkness erupted around me like a tempest, furniture splintering as my shadows tore through the cabin. Glass shattered, wood cracked, and somewhere beneath the chaos, I heard Aether calling my name.

I fell onto the bed, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my body drenched in sweat. Aether's hands found my face instantly, his touch anchoring me as tremors wracked through me.

"What happened?" His golden eyes searched mine, filled with concern.

I blinked, fighting back the sob threatening to tear from my throat. The image of Laryk's bloodied sword burned into my mind.

"War," I managed through hoarse lungs.

"We go to war."