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Nik grasped my hand and led me back towards The Stone Palace. The other Shades returned to their homes or returned to the castle with us, where we would hold a memorial banquet that would last well into the night.

As we passed the stone archway into the castle foyer, I could sense the energy of the Shades simmering under my skin as if it were a tangible thing. There was sadness, but beneath that, there was also hope.

My last thought as I grabbed a goblet of wine from Tess was that I prayed Tyr and Isaac were with the Mother—wherever that was—and that one day I would see them again.

The banquet had, in fact, lasted well into the night. Nik and I had called it quits by midnight and returned to our quarters to curl up together. We stayed in The Stone Palace for another few nights while we got things in order before traveling back to Siraleth. I was anxious to leave Akra and return home to start anew, but each night, right as I was about to fall asleep, a flash of memory crossed my vision.

Donika, with piercing blue eyes.

In her last moment, I had seen a glimpse of the humanity that still remained, buried so deep there was no hope in pulling it back out. She had shown a moment of humanity during the War of Siraleth when she had spared our mother, but that had been fleeting. Who knew how many dark spells she had performed over the last decade, letting her soul darken little by little until it could no longer be saved.

Each night, I wondered if I had done the right thing. If there truly was no way to peel back the layers of darkness that encased her in order to set free the lonely girl that lay beneath. In the end… I knew it had been the only choice for Istmere.

But that didn’t make it easy.

A seed of regret was growing deep within me that I hadn’t honored her during the burial ceremony. She might have been the reason for all of this, but beneath the layers of dark magic and cruelty there was merely a girl who had never stood a chance. Not once she had slipped into the shadows that would claim her. I snuck out to the burial ground, and though her magic had returned to the earth once more, I could still sense the energy emanating from where she had been buried.

I rubbed my arms against the chill in the night air, the only thing covering me was the nightgown I had been wearing when I went to bed. Beneath the stars, alone on the burial ground, I whispered her name into the darkness.

She would be remembered by everyone in Istmere as the cruel and malicious queen, but she would be remembered by her family as something far more complex. It only felt right to whisper her name, if nothing else, to release me from the nightmares that plagued me and the guilt that had settled in my core. There was no doubt in my mind that whether I had snuck out here tonight or not, for better or for worse, Donika would be remembered. When I returned to bed Nik was awake, but he said nothing. He had likely felt my stirring emotions through the bond. I think he knew where I had gone, and what I knew I had to do.

He wrapped his arms around me, caressing my neck with his lips until I fell back into a fitful sleep. I hated staying in The Stone Palace, but now that I was queen, it was one of the many sacrifices I needed to make to ensure a smooth succession. I kept having to remind myself that it would only be a few more nights.

That was the first night I didn’t dream of Donika.

The following morning, we prepared to leave for Siraleth. The army of the resistance was now the queen’s army, and some of them were staying behind in The Stone Palace to clear it of any trace that Donika may have left behind. They would also care for the prisoners who refused to submit to my rule.

Siraleth had fallen in the war where Donika had initially gained her power, and it only felt right that we planned to restore the capital city. Siraleth would be restored to its former glory, and I was anxious to return there and begin building a new castle.

A fresh start.

We had planned an ordinary, yet comfortable stone castle where I would rule. Atop the hill where Nik and I had shared our first kiss.

Annelise and Zion would be returning to the cottage where they had raised us when we were young. Tess and Puck would be joining us in the castle, as would Kenna and Saanvi.Amiyah was set on returning to the far shores of Prins, her seaside cabin calling her home. She promised to visit often, and I did too. There was a peace I couldn’t explain about her home that faced the Myrene Sea in all its solitude, waves softly crashing against the shore.

Alastir was insistent on returning to his shop in Dragon’s Hollow and his family home in The Shadow, despite our protests. He wanted to keep a close eye on Phineas, and I couldn’t fault him for that. His whereabouts remained to be seen, and we all thought it awfully suspicious that he had conveniently not chosen sides and stayed out of the battle. I could understand Alastir’s unwillingness to leave him behind just yet. He had raised one of the realm’s most dangerous thieves, after all.

By the time we left The Stone Palace, I had regained most of my strength, and the passage to Siraleth was a breeze as we made our way on foot. I was filled with a sort of optimism I wasn’t sure I had ever experienced before. Things were already looking brighter for the realm, despite things still needing to settle down. It was all so fresh and so new.

I was thankful that the building site of the castle in Siraleth was also close to the portal to the mortal realm. I could go back to the other realm to visit Mom and Jake whenever I wanted.

To think I had almost lost Annelise right when we had begun repairing our relationship…

I shook my head, approaching the ruins atop the hill where Nik and I had first kissed. First danced in the rain. The first storm I had created with my own magic. I could sense theswell of my bound powers deep within my core as I stepped forward, towards the stone table that lay in fragments beneath the cracked ceiling of the old building. I pulled the grimoire out of my satchel, placing it atop the stone and stepping back.

The grimoire was home, too.

It felt odd, in a way, to simply leave it here. There was no longer the fear that it would be stolen and used for evil. It was quite the discerning book—and had only just begun to allow Annelise to use it once again. Sparingly.

It favored its queen.

I stepped back, the sun glinting off the gem in the center of the leather binding. I exhaled deeply through my nose as Nik approached me from behind. He didn’t turn me, instead placing his hands against my shoulder blade, massaging the taut muscles there.

“You’ve got another thing coming if you think this is the end of our training.” I could hear the smile in his voice, and imagined he had the left corner of his mouth lifted up in asmirk.

I shook my head, a piece of auburn hair falling in front of my shoulder. “Never.”

“Good,” he murmured into the skin at my neck, placing a chaste kiss at the junction where my shoulder met the column of my throat.