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Mist still clung heavily to the early morning air, and the scent of battle was tangible. It smelled of… hope. And fear. All mixed into one.

As we approached Prins, I could see the twin spires in the distance, and what lay beyond had me stopping dead in my tracks.

There were hundreds of Shades filling the planes of Siraleth.

No, not hundreds.Thousands.

I had never seen this many Shades in one place at the same time. My breath escaped me as if the air was physically pressed out of my lungs, my hand flying to my throat.

The resistance.

For all this talk of the resistance, we had scattered the numbers across the realm in hopes that we could keep pockets of us hidden. I had met many members of the resistance before, and fought alongside others, but I had never seen the force of them together before my eyes.

It was formidable.

Shades upon Shades filled the plains, leather gear adorning their bodies, blades strapped across their chests and at their waists. I recognized a few faces from the safe houses we had visited in Prins, and others from the battle. But the majority of the force I had never seen before, and I had no words for the amount of gratitude I felt seeing them in this moment.

Isaac and Zion at the head of the resistance had gathered a force that would rival Donika’s. A force that would fight for the rights of every Shade in the realm. I bit my lip and tilted my head back, pushing back the tears that threatened to spill over.

Isaac should be here for this. He should have gotten to see this force with his own eyes. This was his work, after all.

Tess came up beside me, looping her arm through mine and grasping my hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Every Shade before us had been wronged by Donika, or knew someone who had. Had either been tortured by her or had hidden for over a decade in hopes of escaping her notice. Among these numbers were Stormshades who could neverreveal their magic in their own home. There were Nightshades who had allied with the Stormshades in the War of Siraleth. There were Shades who were forced to pick sides or be murdered along with the others.

A sea of brown and black leather stood before me in the morning mist of Siraleth and I couldn’t help but feel completely overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude.

Zion came up behind me, placing a hand on my other shoulder opposite Tess.

“You should say something.” His voice was soft in my ear.

“Me?” My voice cracked as I turned towards him, eyes wide. “They don’t—they don’t even know me. I’m only a figurehead, something they could imagine when they thought of a better realm. A better life.”

Zion shook his head. “You are much, much more than that. You are their leader. Theirqueen. They will look to you to rally them into battle.”

“But they know you,” I argued, “I’ve never even met most of them.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Zion replied. “What matters is that you are here, and you have fought for their freedom as valiantly as they have. That you belong here, and that your blood is the rightful blood on the throne. Donika might be a Kotova, but she is not of the blood of Osiris. She is a usurper. You will usher in a new era in Istmere, one we have not seen in a long, long time.”

My gaze flitted to Tess who gave me an encouraging smile, releasing my arm and giving it one last squeeze.

“How do I—” but my words were cut off as Nik snapped his fingers and a stone dais appeared before us in the grass.

“Is that… ” I turned to him, brow raised.

“The dais from The Stone Palace?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders. “Shapeshifter magic. I had to take from somewhere, and it’s the only platform I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes. I figured Donika wouldn’t miss it.”

I shook my head at him, a soft smile on my lips.

A hand grasped my shoulder and turned me. I was face-to-face with Annelise, her hand extended towards me.

“A skin spell, for amplification,” she said, nodding at my forearm.

I nodded wordlessly.

She took my arm, rolling the sleeve up to my elbow before closing her hand around my wrist, a spell on her lips. When she opened her eyes and stepped away, a black rune marked my forearm. It quickly turned a charcoal color, then faded to grey. She nodded towards the dais and stepped back.

I steeled myself, inhaling deeply before slowly ascending the steps of the dais. I had never walked these steps before, but my blood had been spattered at their feet. Nik’s hands raised and his shadows slithered out into the crowd.