Chapter 16: Shadows of the Crown

The silence after the explosion was deafening. The clearing lay in ruin—trees scorched, the altar destroyed, and the runes once etched into the earth now seared in glowing embers.

Ivy coughed, struggling to rise from the shattered ground.

Everything felt… different.

The air pulsed like a second heartbeat—her baby’s heartbeat—but stronger now. Louder. Like it wasn’t coming from her… but around her.

Mira dragged herself from the underbrush, her face pale with disbelief. “What the hell just happened?”

“I don’t know,” Ivy whispered, staring down at her trembling hands. “But something woke up.”

Aiden stumbled forward, supporting Lilith, who was conscious again but barely standing.

Lilith’s voice rasped. “You’ve crossed the threshold. Your child is no longer dormant.”

“The power,” Mira muttered. “It’s… active?”

Lilith nodded grimly. “More than active. It’s awakened ancient magic—something older than the bloodline itself. And now, it’s seeking its throne.”

“But why now?” Ivy cried. “Why all at once?”

“You weren’t the only one chosen,” Lilith said. “The prophecy spoke of two crowns… one of blood, one of fire.”

Aiden’s brow furrowed. “Two?”

“There’s another heir,” Lilith said softly. “And I think they’ve just arrived.”

As if summoned by her words, a ripple of magic rolled through the air, and a figure stepped through the smoke.

Tall. Elegant. And unmistakably familiar.

Isla.

Alive.

Unburned.

And flanked by six cloaked figures bearing the same emblem Ivy had once seen carved into the side of the sacred dagger: a serpent devouring its tail.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you, sister?” Isla said coolly. “The throne doesn’t belong to you. Or your child.”

“You tried to kill me,” Ivy hissed. “You lied to me.”

“I told you the truth,” Isla said with a shrug. “You were never meant to carry the bloodline alone. You were born first—but I was blessed. The fire chose me.”

Lilith’s eyes widened. “No… no, the fire was sealed centuries ago—”

“Until now,” Isla cut in. “Your child may be powerful. But my followers? They’ve spent generations preparing for this. They’ve fed the flame, kept it alive in secret. The Council thought it was gone, but the fire never dies.”

“What do you want from me?” Ivy demanded.

Isla’s lips curved in a cold smile. “To offer you a choice.”

Behind her, one of the cloaked figures stepped forward. He lowered his hood to reveal an elderly man with glassy eyes glowing orange.

“She must surrender the child,” he intoned. “Or the fire will consume the realm.”

“I’ll never surrender my baby,” Ivy snapped.

“Then you doom us all,” Isla said. “The fire is ancient. Hungry. If it doesn’t have a vessel—it burns everything.”

Aiden stepped between them. “There has to be another way.”

Isla cocked her head. “There is. But Ivy must relinquish her claim to the bloodline. Step down as heir. Let her child be raised among the flames. As prophecy intended.”

Mira hissed. “That’s not a solution. That’s madness.”

“I’m offering peace,” Isla said. “A pact. You walk away. Your baby lives… and the bloodline survives.”

“And if I refuse?” Ivy asked, every word heavy.

“Then the war begins.”

For a moment, Ivy stood frozen. She felt the weight of two futures pressing down on her chest. One where she lost her child… and one where the world lost everything.

Before she could speak—

The earth shuddered again.

But this time, it wasn’t magic.

It was something else.

From the trees, the sound of metal echoed. Boots. Orders.

And then—

Gunfire.

Soldiers in black tactical gear stormed the clearing, weapons drawn and aimed at everyone—Isla, Ivy, Lilith.

Mira pulled Ivy down just as a bullet struck a tree beside her.

“Who the hell—?!” Aiden yelled.

A voice boomed from behind the soldiers. “No one move!”

A man stepped forward, dressed in military fatigues, his insignia etched with a crescent moon. His eyes locked on Ivy.

“Ivy Hale,” he barked. “By order of the Dominion Council, you and your unborn heir are hereby taken into protective custody.”

Isla cursed under her breath and disappeared into smoke.

Mira and Aiden were surrounded. Lilith raised her hands but never took her eyes off the commander.

“What Dominion?” Ivy shouted. “I don’t recognize your authority!”

The man ignored her and signaled his men.

“You are the Bloodbound Mother,” he said, approaching her. “The heir is waking, and the world is not ready. You must be isolated—contained—before this spreads.”

“No,” Ivy said, backing up. “You don’t understand—my baby isn’t a threat!”

“We’ll determine that. In containment.”

Soldiers moved to grab her.

But before they could—

A second heartbeat echoed through the clearing.

Then a third.

And a fourth.

And Ivy’s child—still unborn—spoke.

Not in words. Not in sound.

But in a psychic wave that hit every single person at once.

“You will not touch her.”

The soldiers froze.

Then… they dropped.

Unconscious.

One by one.

Ivy gasped, clutching her stomach. Her baby wasn’t just awake.

They were protecting her.

Lilith stared in horror. “The heir has already chosen a side.”

Ivy looked up, her voice barely above a whisper.

“And I think… it’s not mine.”