Page 95 of Queen of Thorns
Caelynn
Come,he purrs.Come claim the power you seek.
I close my eyes, heart racing, stomach in knots. This is it. This is what I must do, or everything will have been for nothing. If I don’t kill them, defeat them—he’ll win. My heart and soul and body will betheirs.
There’s nothing worse than knowing you’ve done the bidding of something evil.
They can’t win. I won’t let them.
The beckoning of the Light King pauses. I can feel his curiosity, his surprise like a spark in the air around me. His power dominates this place.
I pass the irons doors of my once prison, but I refuse to look at them. Twice I’ve been put behind those bars but never again. Today, I will live or die—free.
There is no sign of Drake down here. “He is tricking you,” the book hisses, but can I even trust it? “He did not come down to the Light King.”
Anxiety curls in my gut, a constant ache these last few hours.
The king’s magic purrs, welcoming me as I follow it, but the tune has changed. Has he somehow already realized that his assumptions about me aren’t entirely true? I seek his power, yes, but not for myself.
Past the prisons and their stale sewage smell, I find the hot spring Kari brought me to a while back, except it appears to have been drained. Now, only a few inches of water sit at the bottom of the massive stone basin. Colorful crystal still lines the ceiling, but most of the water and all of the warmth are absent. A tiny white light flutters in the center of the room.
“Come,” the voice calls, this time aloud, with the power I’ve felt from previous ancients. Rumbling the very core of the planet.
“Caelynn,” the book hisses. I consider dropping the bag and moving on without it because despite my fear, my mind is made up. I’m going in. I’m going to talk to the Ancient of Light. I’m going to figure out what I must do to gain his aid because I’m done playing these games.
It’s the only way to win this fight.
The sound of crashing waves greets me as I take my first step into the shallow frigid water of the once hot spring, and then all at once, I am blinded by white light. Searing pain shoots through my eyes. I whimper and cover them, but it’s a pointless endeavor.
I am fully exposed and blind. And that is exactly how the Ancient King wants it.
“I wasn’t sure you were ever going to come.” The voice reverberates through the open area. I know we were just standing in a cavern, in the empty pool of stone, but now I can see nothing. For all I know, we’re in a different world. There is only light, the sound of distant waves, and his voice.
“Everyone that cares for me feared you’d kill me the moment I approached you.”
“I considered that,” he admits. The water trembles at my feet.
I swallow. “But I knew I would make it here eventually.”
“Did you?” His voice pitches high with amusement.
I try to force my eyes open, but it’s too bright. I wince and cover them again. It doesn’t stop the burning pain clawing into my head, but I hold my eyes tightly all the same.
“You are my only chance to defeat an enemy much greater than myself. An enemy that has trapped and tortured me and will continue to do that and worse to those ruling this realm if left unchecked.”
“You think yourself noble,” he says. It’s not a question. “Yet, I have heard many rumblings through this palace since my awakening. You are hated by many.”
