ReynaEvery nerve ending feels like it’s on fire. My vision is blurred, and it’s almost as if I’m looking through red cellophane– everything is crimson. Why does it taste like I’ve swallowed ash? “...na, listen to me, please! You don’t want to do this!”Hmm? That voice… I know that voice. Frowning, I turn my head from side to side to see where that voice is coming from and, as I take a step forward, I see him.On his knees, with his hands behind his back, is Rune. He’s peering up at me with wide, desperate eyes and as he moves to get on his feet, the sound of a whip snaps through the air and he grunts as he falls forward.I try to cry out and run toward him, but my body doesn’t seem to obey; instead I am rooted on the spot and watching as five more slashes come down on his back.“Enough! You’ve betrayed her, you know you have! Nothing you say will make her change her mind, not after catching you with him!” A voice filled with malice echoes to my left, and my body feels so heavy that
ReynaI don’t know what I manifested, but I am back in the forest dreamscape again. My heart thuds so loudly that I can hear it echo in my ears along with the crunching of dead leaves underfoot. I walk as if being pulled by a string, even if I wanted to walk away from this or wake myself up, I know I couldn’t. So I allow myself to be dragged to wherever I’m being pulled toward and as I come to a clearing, I see the beast with galaxies in its eyes again.It sees me and nods its massive head before looking off into the distance. I frown at this, not only because I am not stopping in front of the beast again, but because I am pulled toward where it’s looking.It’s a massive light in the distance, hidden in what seems to be a cave against a mountain.The glow intensifies as I approach it, and the brilliant blaze emits a sweet, smoky scent that fills the air. As I am led into the colossal cavern, I can’t help but notice the intricate patterns etched into the walls, resembling some sort of
ReynaWe’ve been travelling for a full day and half a night; the warmth of the previous land giving way to something far colder. While we make our way to the Frozen Throne, I am mesmerised by the scenery that surrounds us, a unique combination of icy coldness and vibrant life that seems impossible.The land here is like nothing I have ever seen before; trees growing right out of frozen ground and sleek ice, their trunks and branches intricately wrapped in layers of ice and snow. Yet, surprisingly, they don’t seem lifeless or dormant.Then there are the flowers—blooms in shades of icy blue, blood crimson, and lavender, shimmering in the sunlight as if kissed by frost. It defies logic, the notion that such delicate beauty could thrive in this arctic realm. Yet here they are, like tiny miracles scattered across the snow, as if sewn by the hand of some God or Goddess.My eyes widen as I notice movement in the distance. White, fluffy creatures, almost ethereal in appearance, dart between
MalachiThe moment we set foot in Boreas’ frozen kingdom, I can feel the chill cutting through my bones—yet it’s invigorating. I look around, and for the first time, I’m at a loss for words. It’s an awe-inspiring landscape, like stepping into a living snow globe. The sky above us is a crystal-clear blue, and the trees have an ethereal beauty, adorned with both snow and lively green foliage. Against this snowscape, ice sculptures stand as sentinels, shimmering in the sunlight, intricate and exquisite in their frozen elegance.I think Reyna would love it here, seeing as she loves lovely landscapes.Cassian nudges me, snapping me out of my reverie, and Rune gives me a look that can only be described as wonder mixed with sadness. We all know the stakes, and we’re fully aware that this surreal beauty masks an underlying tension.As we approach the castle, the giant, ice-covered gates open seemingly on their own, though I can sense the elemental power that commands it. Standing at the thre
RuneThe air around Embereign is thick with the smell of charred wood, molten rock, and despair. The once-glorious Kingdom of Fire had been gutted, like a hunter’s prey. It isn’t the fire of home and hearth, of passion and warmth, but the fire of destruction, of a kingdom on the brink of collapse. It clawed at my senses, but I pushed through as I walked with the men who have become closer to me than any brother. Nothing matters more than Reyna right now, and by the looks of things, Shae has already begun her manipulation.When we landed in Frozen Throne two days ago, I caught a whiff of what I thought was Reyna’s scent. But neither Cassian nor Malachi caught it. I was certain it was her, but why would she be in Frozen Throne of all places?I sigh as we walk ahead, trying to pinpoint where Reyna’s scent could be coming from, but nothing seems to be a clear lead. Fuck, I would do anything to hold her in my arms again, to tell her how much she means to me; to all three of us.But then
ReynaIt was the sound of three sets of footsteps crunching over the burnt earth that I heard before I could even see them. My body was screaming for me to end this dark and torturous puppetry by running towards them, but I stood there, frozen in fear. The will of Pyrra’s malevolent energy, like a wisp of nightshade, silences my desperate cries. It intoxicates me, fills me with a seething fury that was not my own. Pyrra whispers in the far recesses of my mind, “Stay still, Reyna. Let them come to you.”So, I waited, every muscle quivering like a taut bowstring.I saw Rune first, rushing into the clearing, his eyes widening as they met my gaze. Cassian and Malachi followed, their jaws clenched, tension radiating off them. They hesitated, only for a moment, as if weighing their choices. But I could see it in their eyes—their insatiable need to save me.Rune stepped into the flaming circle that surrounded me. The agony in his eyes almost broke me, almost tore Pyrra’s tendrils from my
ReynaThe world feels lighter, as if a dark veil has been lifted. The tension in the air is so palpable you could cut it with a knife, and I wonder how we came to be entangled in this web of darkness and light, of love and supposed betrayal.A snarl echoes through the air; Shae’s, and I remember how it all started.As they come closer, I notice the subtle changes that have settled over them during our separation. New lines of worry etched onto Rune’s forehead, Malachi’s eyes dimmer than I remember, as if they’ve seen too much, and Cassian, the usually poised leader, has a ragged edge to him now.But what hasn’t changed is the way they look at me: with a love so pure, it’s almost devastating. I’m struck by how that same love nearly got us killed, how it made us pawns in a game we didn’t even know we were playing.“Reyna, darling, are you—” Rune starts but hesitates, as if not sure how to phrase what we’re all wondering.“I’m me,” I say, voice thick with emotion, my vision blurring wit
ReynaWe’re standing in a cavern, much like the one from my dream, our eyes transfixed on the scene in front of us. High stone seats almost reach the ceiling, every seat filled by someone with a vendetta; someone who lost a loved one over the last fifty years because of her actions.But Shae doesn’t even look bothered about her pending execution; her face a mask of contentment and her heartbeat as calm as the sea. The four Elemental Alphas surround her as she’s on her knees with a silver contraption around her neck.“The council of Cardinaem sentences Shae Maddox to death,” my uncle declares to everyone present. “For the murder of my brother, Alpha Konrad, the destruction of an entire kingdom and its people on Aether, destruction of half of Embereign and the premeditated murders of Alpha Zephyrus, Alpha Terra and Alpha Alpha Boreas’ fathers; our previous Alphas.”Alpha Zephyrus steps forward. “However, the council of Cardinaem also permits any person sentenced to death to say their la