Page 54 of Heart of Dawn
Damien loosened his grip, but still held my arms, forcing me to turn with him.
“What is this?” he demanded.
Pink smoke curled around the edges of the tunnel in answer.
“Dawn’s already here,” I said. “It’s been here this whole time.”
Pink eyes flared in the dark, the guards calling for the intruder to halt.
“What is?—”
The undying fae lunged out of the tunnel, landing flat on her face. One of the guards immediately beheaded her, kicking the head to the side.
It rolled a few feet, coming to stop in a grim replay of me facing a talking head outside.
“Check for more!” the guard on the left boomed, pulling out a crystal shard. He clicked it on, casting a bright beam of white light into the darkness.
No sign of another. Yet.
Those pinks eyes remained vibrant, a black tongue licking black lips.
The king released me, shoving me away from him. “What is this?”
“Behold the rise of a god, silly king. Behold the greatest power. Behold me.”
“You’re talking to Dawn,” I confirmed.
His eyes widened, his guards coming to his side. “Talking to it?”
“Yes.”
“This can’t be true,” he countered breathlessly.
Pink smoke rolled from the base of the head, wisping across the ground. “I have been here all along. Waiting. Growing. A foolish king is blind to me. A foolish king will see my power.”
Damien paled, swaying on the spot. One of the guards came over to steady him.
“My people,” he rasped. “My people.”
Dawn chuckled. “Foolish king helped create me.”
Everything stilled for a few slow beats, Dawn’s words throwing me off. “What does that mean?”
This couldn’t be right…
“Fae blood to contribute to my making. A cure for humans, for fae, for all creatures. The silly king made deals with dirty fae blood. The silly king knew of the failed project, cherry fae. He knew. He knew. He knew.”
My pulse pounded in my throat as I faced the king. “You knew?”
“Stay back!” a guard snapped, holding up his sword.
The king needed the other guard’s support to stay upright. “I… I…”
Dawn pursed its lips and blew a stream of smoke directly at me. It struck me in the face, sinking into my skin. My bloodflared, pumping wildly in my veins, rejecting the pawing of Dawn, the violent attempts to take me into its thrall.
Nausea struck, my guts churning. I bent and retched, vomiting up a globule of black goo.
“Stars…” I breathed, wiping my mouth.
