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I hover over Emyr’s unconscious body as blood drips from his nose. I’m afraid he isn’t breathing. However, after a few seconds, I slowly see a faint rise and fall of his chest. “Emyr,” I whisper. “Wake up.” The prince doesn’t stir. However, in my haste, I dropped the Crógemma in the snow behind me.

Tiernan picks up the diadem, twirling it in his hands. “He’ll be awake in a couple of hours. Plenty of time for you and I to disappear, my darling,” he coos.

“So that’s how you keep your power and how you’re able to speak into my mind? You steal abilities from the blade’s victims?” I seethe, standing to my feet.

Tiernan offers a mocking bow. “Correct, my darling,” he beams.

Fresh tears slip down my splotchy face as the king walks toward me.

“Now, no more fighting, my darling. I’m a forgiving king, and I did in fact make a deal with you. So I offer a new one now. Help me to release the father of the Abyss, and I’ll bring your family back. Not only that, I’ll allow you to rule by my side as the queen of the new realm.”

I scoff, clenching my jaw, as another wave of anger rolls through me.

“Think of all we could accomplish with our power,” he continues, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “I just need you to say that you freely give me the power of the Crógemma, and we’ll be on our way. We’ll be unstoppable and no one will ever harm us again.”

I always suspected that his intentions for the Na Fíréin were wicked, but to release the vile creature responsible for the most despicable of demons will be the end of Celestae.

The world my parents died to protect would be gone.

I lean in close, hardly a breath from his mouth.

His eyes roam over my lips, as his lust for my power wafts from him.

I reach for his arm, stroking it soothingly.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline,” I whisper. In his moment of shock, I snatch the Crógemma from his grasp, pushing him away. The pull of my abilities hums in my chest, finally reunited.

The king’s soft smile fades as malevolence replaces it.

His eyes are wild as his movements become jerky.

“You truly believe that you have a choice?” he snarls.

“Do you believe there’s a corner of this realm that I won’t destroy in order to find you?

You’ll never escape me. You’re mine , Maevriana.

Why can’t you see that?” He rubs a hand down his face, a sardonic laugh escaping his lips.

“You’re going to help me, even if I have to wrench every last drop of light from your corpse. ”

“At least I won’t die a monster,” I retort.

“A monster?” Tiernan gasps. “Oh my darling, you’re so na?ve.

You don’t even recognize that the darkness within you calls to me, even now.

Even if you deny it, I’ve already ensured your spirit is broken.

Despair wafts from you as the darkness lurks just beneath that pretty little heart of yours.

Admit it, my darling. You’re just as dark inside as I am—dreaming of vengeance and war. ”

A part of what he says is true. There is darkness that wishes to destroy all that dare cross me.

It called to me on the day I killed those soldiers.

It whispered to me when I was drowning in my sorrow.

The dark promised me all could be righted if I listened, yet each time, I felt more empty than before.

Even now, there’s a pull within me to allow my grief to control my choices, but the wisdom that Amelia shared with me long ago—on those darkest of nights—always comes back to mind: For the darkness can never fully distinguish the light.

Darkness is a companion, but never a friend.

Darkness is a solution, but never the resolution.

From the ashes, life can be brought forth from the embers that scatter.

In the withering plants, new blooms blossom if only the plants are pruned of the death that lingers.

In life, we can find the light in the darkest of days…

because the light can only be hidden—never extinguished.

This is something the king will never understand.

My starlight twists along my fingertips as the ground beneath me trembles. “You’re correct that some darkness dwells within me,” I reply. “Perhaps you’re right that joining you will bring an end to my suffering. However, there’s just one problem with all that you’ve stated, my king.”

The king clenches his jaw as his steely gaze bores into mine. “And what is that, my darling?”

As the thrum of my starlight grows, I become weightless as I allow my ability to take over. My body hovers over the snowy landscape, and for the first time I see a tinge of fear in the king’s eyes. “You didn’t break me,” my voice echoes. “You awakened me!”

Then, I channel all my grief and pain through my starlight. It travels at lightning speed into the king and his Scythe, throwing them backwards. The assault continues as I strike them for every person that their wickedness has stolen from me:

For my parents.

For the Cales.

For Cahir.

For Virgil .

For Emyr.

For myself.

I unleash it all until I’m sure that they’ll never be able to rise again.

I allow my fury to fuel into my reserves, calling forth more starlight until I dim like a burning star.

As the tiniest of dregs draws back to me, I fully expect to see black ash in their place.

To my horror, instead of turning into ashes, the deadly duo stand unscathed.

H-How? How are they not dead?

They should be dead.

Tiernan’s shadows snake from him as his eyes glow like golden bronze. “You’ve been naughty, darling,” Tiernan seethes. “You’ll see things my way.” He pauses, as his shadows draw closer to the Cadre, “Once they’re dead.” Tiernan’s shadows curl around the three men tightly.

“No!” I yell. I call to my starlight, but only a small flicker emerges—having burned through my reserve. I’m about to charge forward when a horrendous roar bellows across the sky.

Get down, Na Fíréin, Saoirse screams.

I fall flat on my face just as the searing blast of fire radiates from Saoirse, drawing a sharp line between the king and his Scythe, and the Cadre and me.

I glance up to find Saoirse’s luminescent silver and gold scales hovering above me.

One of her scales is roughly the size of my entire body.

Her paws land with a resounding thud, causing the ground to quake beneath her touch.

She’s just as magnificent now as she is in my memories.

Then, she roars ferociously, and the ground rumbles as if the earth were to split open into a chasm.

“You can’t have her, Demon King,” she snarls.

Her voice causes me to flinch from its magnitude.

Saoirse’s long neck leans down, staring at me, hiding beneath her legs.

Hello, my dear, she beams.

I release a strangled sob. Saoirse, I sniffle. You came.

I’ll always come when you call, she answers.

Her piercing eyes watch me as I walk out from beneath her abdomen.

Her three horns curl high upon her brow as her glistening golden wings extend from her back.

Her lipless mouth curls into a grin. Saoirse lowers her head until she’s eye level with me.

Climb on! The flames won’t hold them for long, she cries.

My gaze shifts between her back and the ground, as I fear the height. Seeing my hesitation, Saoirse chuckles. You won’t fall to your death, my dear. Your brother had a saddle made for you. Now, climb up before I gather you in my claws.

I hurriedly climb over her scales, being careful not to scratch the Crógemma, since I’m unsure of its abilities.

When I reach the curve of her back where her wings meet, there’s a saddle sitting squarely along her shoulder blades.

It’s the most beautiful saddle I’ve ever seen, made of gold and emeralds.

As I straddle it, I grip onto the horn tightly, securing my feet in the stirrups.

“Let’s go!” I shout.

What about the Cadre, my dear? Saoirse asks into my mind.

As I look down at the three unconscious soldiers, a vengeful part of me desires to leave them to rot in the hands of their king.

However, I vowed to help them start over.

Despite everything, I care deeply for the Cadre, even if their devotion to me was potentially all a farce.

Though I know I can’t allow them to walk free, I refuse to leave them to die in Tiernan’s hands.

They come with us. I won’t leave them behind, I reply.

Yes, Na Fíréin, she answers. Once I’m secure, her glorious wings expand outward as she levitates. I clench tightly on the saddle horn as she scoops up the unconscious Galrosans in her front paws before rocketing toward the sky.

We rise through the air at such high speeds.

My skin feels as though it could peel off at any moment.

I feel free as the wind rushes through my hair, kissing my cheeks.

As I look down to the ground below, I see an angry king shaking his fist, his shadows rolling from his body.

He’ll never stop looking for you, Saoirse warns.

No, I reply. But next time, I won’t be the one left in the dark .

Saoirse roars her approval, then soars higher until the ground and the wicked king are no longer visible.

So, who are we going to see? I ask after several moments.

The words that come from my beloved dragon cause my heart to soar.

The Crowned Prince of Malvoria, Cahir.