Page 34 of The Soulbond and Her Beloved

“Let’s focus on ensuring the people return home safely and quickly,” Daemonikai cut in. “Then we will be ready to receive her.” He glanced back at the glowing red star. “Knowing the Old Lady, the fortress will be her first stop.”

Vladya nodded, and they got to work.

***

Deep in the heart of Urai, where the land was wild and untamed, lay a strange, secluded cave no onedaredto venture near.

Birds had long since taken flight. The winds howled with an aggressiveness that could not be matched.

Churning violently, creating a swirling vortex that tore through the trees, tearing leaves from their branches. Lifting grasses from the ground and scattering them into the sky.

Inside the cave, darkness ruled.

Dust blanketed every surface, undisturbed for centuries.

The cave was vast and eerie, lined with ancient coffin-beds, their surfaces engraved with cryptic symbols glowing faintly in the dim light.

At the very center of the cave, one of the coffin-beds shifted.

The lid creaked, stirring the silence as it began to slide open.

Dust billowed into the air, and inside, a female figure lay. Her body perfectly still, as though frozen in time.

Her eyes snapped open, memories flooding her mind all at once.

Moving like a torrent, each image sharp and vivid. The eclipse moon night. The deaths of so many. The aftermath of that fateful night. The chaos, the wars, the heartbreak. It was all there, rushing through her consciousness, piece by piece.

From the moments of her sleep to events that unfoldedduringher long sleep. Everything she had missed.

Seven hundred years this time.

Her body moved slowly, muscles awakening. Rising from her coffin-bed, stepping out, her feet finding balance on the cold ground.

She extended her hand.

From the shadows, her staff flew into her grasp.

The ancient wood hummed faintly in recognition of its wielder. The Oracle gripped it firmly, curling her fingers around the familiar weight as itpulsedwith energy.

Her gaze shifted back to the coffin she had risen from. The cryptic symbols along its edges sparkled, then dimmed… fading entirely, leaving the surface bare.

A lot has happened while I was in you.

Chapter eight

THE ORACLE OF UREKAI

GrandLordZaiperwastrying hard not to freak out.

Tryingbeing the operative word.

While the rest of the people had scattered, their voices a low hum of joy and dread, Zaiper had slipped away to the back of the fortress. The cool air bit at his skin, but it did little to cool the racing of his heart.

The one person who could see his atrocities—every dark deed, every hidden sin—like a play acted out on stage was awake.

“Fuck,” he said under his breath.

His hands trembled.

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