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When the skies are blackened, in the end of days

The Veil will fall.

The tide will turn when her blade is drawn.

A dawn of fire and blood.’

An awed silence washed over the revellers.

Queen Reyna gestured to the night sky. ‘The Moonfire Eclipse will turn these tides of fate. This is no ordinary eclipse – it lasts only a matter of seconds, and is the first of its kind in a century. And it will ensure that we find peace in our lands again. This celestial event is a blessing sent from the Furies themselves. May it give us strength and power in its triumph over darkness.’

Wilder felt Thea stiffen in front of him.

He leant in to say something – what, he wasn’t sure; he just wanted to reassure her, to be closer to her, so that the ice around his heart might thaw.

But gasps sounded, and awed whispers echoed across the crowd.

All eyes were fixed on the sky as the darkness began its slow journey across the face of the moon, casting an eerie shadow over the frozen landscape. As the eclipse progressed, the world around them grew darker and darker. The snow-covered trees became silhouettes against the darkening sky, and the once bright white snow now took on an orange hue. It was as though a spectral hand had cast a veil over the glowing orb of the moon, transforming it from a radiant beacon of white into a globe of blood red, draping the midrealms in obscurity, blanketing the lands with an unsettling stillness.

Wilder inhaled the icy air, pulling Thea to him and holding her close. He had yearned to hold her like this for so long, a year of want, of need unmet. Now, he didn’t want to let her go. The stars seemed to dim in deference and a sense of ancient magic permeated the world around them. He wondered if she could feel it too, if the storm within her would wake from its slumber and rise in the presence of otherworldly power.

But there was no hint of a storm, no crackle of lightning in her touch, only her breath clouding before her face in the frigid night air.

Wilder took in the people around them: the warriors ablaze with desperate fervour, the royals and their smug expressions, the people on the streets below, wide-eyed and hopeful… He knew that, whether by the Furies themselves or not, the event occurring before them all was a pivotal moment in the tides of fate. He knew that further out in the villages, despite the cold, the common folk would be standing outside in awe of the spectacle, some whispering prayers to their gods, others simply marvelling at the strange beauty of the eclipse.

Beneath the might of the blood-red orb, the air grew even colder, settling deep into his bones. He, like the rest of Vios, waited with bated breath for those seconds to pass, for the shadow across the moon to recede, for the world to be bathed in light once more.

Only the light didn’t come.

Close by, a gasp sounded.

Commotion followed, shock rippling through the crowd.

Thea still in his arms, Wilder craned his neck to see, noting the guards with their hands on their weapons, forcing their way into the throng.

Someone screamed.

Thea whirled towards the sound, her hand inching her dress up to reveal a dagger strapped to her thigh —

Suddenly, all around the silk slippers, tulle skirts and marble floors, darkness surged. It swept in like a tide, lapping at people’s feet, flooding the balcony and bleeding into the ballroom inside. It split into vines, crawling up the walls of the domes, wrapping around people’s ankles.

Shrieks of terror filled the air.

The royal guard fought through the crowd, ready for battle.

Above, the red moon lingered as darkness descended.

And still, the light did not come.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

THEA

Aroar ripped through the night and a wind as sharp as daggers whipped through the throngs of people, slamming windows shut, causing the whole dome to rattle. Thea and Wilder were suddenly caught in the wave of desperate people fleeing the chaos, trampling one another to get away, their faces etched with terror and desperation.

Thea’s heart was racing as she tried to find the source of that roar. It was no reaper, no shadow wraith, but something else. She saw nothing but the clawing of limbs and the wide-eyed panic of the nobles around her. Wilder tried to brace her against his chest and shield her from the onslaught, but she pulled him with her, ducking into the masses. They stood no chance against the tide of terrified people. They had to move with the throng, if only to stand their ground within it.

The candles inside had been snuffed out, and the unending eclipse beyond the glass walls illuminated no sign of the creature that had caused the mayhem. Thea tightened her grip on Wilder’s hand, not willing to be separated yet, not when he had no means of defence, and she had only her throwing stars andher dagger. He seemed to have the same thought, scanning the space around them for a makeshift weapon.