Page 129 of The Orc's Captive Bride
Another heavy silence before the green-eyed woman spoke. “You’re the one from the prophecy.”
Thea blinked. “What?”
“The prophecy.” The woman’s voice was distant and uncertain, as if she were speaking words she didn’t fully understand. “A queen from beyond the veil. Bearing knowledge of the old ways. Who will come when the curse reaches its breaking point. Who will either save the orcs or damn them utterly.”
Prophecy. Of course there’s a prophecy.
Because her life wasn’t complicated enough already.
“Lyric,” Egon said gently. “What are you saying?”
Lyric—the green-eyed woman—blinked and focused. “I don’t know. The words were just there.” She looked at Thea. “You’re her. The woman from the prophecy.”
“Do you remember anything else?” she asked cautiously. “Any other details?”
Lyric closed her eyes. “She will stand between darkness and light. She will choose to heal or to destroy. And in her choice, the fate of two worlds will be sealed.”
Great. No pressure then.
She forced herself to breathe. “I don’t know anything about prophecies. And I’m not a queen.”
“But you do know about the curse and the magic behind it.” Lyric stepped forward eagerly. “What did you bring with you? Can I see them?”
Thankful to move away from the idea that she might be the subject of a prophecy, he pulled the leather satchel from her shoulder and started extracting the carefully wrapped scrolls.
“Of course. I also have copies of the most relevant passages, along with my translation notes, in here.”
Lyric gave the scrolls a reverent look. “These are very old.”
“They are.” She carefully unrolled one of the scrolls. “And there are elements that suggest they’re based on even earlier writings.”
Lyric bent over the scroll and breathed in sharply. “This is beautiful.”
“It’s also terrifying. Look at the marginalia. Someone—probably a Veilborn priest—added notes about the corruption. About how the power was being redirected.” She pointed to specific passages. “If we can decode the ritual structure, we might be able to reverse it.”
“Might?”
“I need more time. More resources. But yes. I believe it’s possible.”
They bent over the scrolls together, Lyric eagerly offering suggestions, and Thea felt some of the crushing weight lift from her shoulders.
Someone else who understands. Who could help. She wasn’t alone in this anymore. Did that mean they were safe now?
But then Ulric’s voice cut through the discussion. “Khorrek.”
Everyone fell silent as Khorrek stepped forward, his face expressionless.
“Your Majesty.”
“The last time we… encountered one another, you still vowed to follow Lasseran. What has changed?”
“I’ve changed.” His voice caught as he glanced at her. “I found a reason to truly question what I had been trained to believe, and I discovered that it was all lies.”
“And now?”
“Now I want to stop him. I want to protect my mate and keep her safe while she tries to find a solution. I want to save my brothers from his plans.”
The silence stretched out as the king regarded Khorrek, his expression was unreadable.
