Page 97 of Curse of Thorns
Caelynn
Soft moans—a mixtureof pleasure and pain—drift through dark the trees. The sun has set entirely now, leaving the space between the white tree trunks pitch black. I couldn’t see their haunting images even if I allowed myself to look.
But now, the voices are louder.
It seems the forest has shifted its strategy with less to show and more to tell.
Caelynn, a myriad of voices whisper. So many of them, calling to me.Lead us, Caelynn.Be our queen. Give us our power back.
I swallow.Not real.
“That’s why the Night Bringer gave me his power,” I say, running my new truths through my mind. “It wasn’t some benevolent act for a fae doing his bidding.” I take in a huge breath and hold it. This... this story is too much. It twists all the things I thought I knew into something entirely different.
“It all served a purpose,” my wraith agrees.
I let out my breath slowly. “If all of this is true...”
“You are the one they’ve been waiting for. They need you to free them.”
I shake my head. Yes, sure that’s true, but there’s more. Maybe in the grand scheme of things, it shouldn’t matter. Maybe the evil plot to destroy the world is more important, but my mind is caught on two important facts.
“It means I’m your great, great, great, great... granddaughter.”
The wraith grows still. “Yes,” he whispers.
“It means... it means I have royal blood.”
“Yes.”
I blink slowly. The Night Bringer once told me that if I did as he told me, I’d become Queen of the Shadow Court. All I needed was his power and the freedom to choose my own court. Those two things he would give me, and even without any more involvement, the Queen of the Whisperwood would name me her heir. The Shadow Court needs a strong ruler. And I would be the only one in the entire kingdom with the power to fuel it all.
So, the possibility of being the Queen of the Shadow Court is not new. It was never really a possibility because I was banished quickly after I earned my magic. But the thought, the vague hope, was always there. Since I was an adolescent.
But this... this is something different. This is destiny. This is a life that was taken from me.
I should have been a princess.
That throne isn’t just a vague possibility out of coincidence and convenience. It’s rightfullymine.
I shake my head as all the things I learned swirl through my mind. Wraiths are not traditionally very trustworthy allies—unless you’ve bound them to a bargain, which I haven’t. So, all of this could be bull shit. It could be more manipulation. God knows I’ve had my fair share of that.
But the forest’s images do not lie. So, I can trust that, somehow, I am part of his desires. And it’s very clear to me that this means a lot to him. This wraith feels strongly about this story. About me.
So, maybe it’s only partially true. But I don’t really care.
I take in a long breath, accepting everything he’s said as truth. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Yes! Now, you understand!” The wraith floats in the air, his bottom half swishing eagerly. “Rev must die so that you can live to restore the Shadow—”
“No,” I say. “I will kill the Night Terror. I will kill the Night Bringer’s mate so he knows what it feels like.”
He stops, eyeing me carefully.
“Rev will live,” I tell him. “He will be the hero the realm needs. And he’ll go on to be High King.”
