Page 104 of The Princess of Nothing
He was killed for you. You have destroyed us.My father’s voice echoed in my head.As punishment, your soul will be shattered. You will no longer remain.
No,I pleaded.I had no choice. You were going to kill me. You both were. No. No.My soul trembled. I didn’t want to be obliterated out of existence, mere splinters of me left. I could hear the chanting still as I tried to escape, but it was no use.
They could almost touch me. Then everything faded to black.
“Winter.” Morgana’s bloodshot eyes were wild. “Winter, can you hear me?” she asked desperately, hovering over me. Joining her, Blaise, Cedric, and Licia looked down.
“Winter?” Cedric hesitated. “Can you hear us?”
My lips parted. All that came out was a slight groan.
Relief washed through their expressions. I noticed bones had been laid all over my body. What were they doing to bring me back? I noticed pixies had been brought in to heal my other wounds. They fluttered over my head.
My hands moved down to my stomach, but there was nothing there. “How?”
“You’re alive!” Cedric cried, pulling me into his arms. “You came back to us.”
I gulped. “How?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Morgana looked from me to Licia, her eyes glistening with tears, her cheeks puffy and red. “What matters is you are safe.”
I felt sick at the thought of my father and Edgar trying to punish me in the place between the spirit realm and our world. I didn’t know how I was alive, but I did know I never wanted to go back there.
“Cedric,” I managed to say, attempting to sit up.
Blaise didn’t say a word, instead moved to the back to make room.
“Careful.” Cedric helped me up. “You just died.”
“Yes.” It felt surreal, but something didn’t sit right. I didn’t feel quite myself. “I really did, didn’t I?” The memory of Edgar in the spirit realm came back. I turned toward Blaise. “You killed Edgar!”
He nodded. “He had it coming,” he said nonchalantly, although I could tell he’d been crying.
“We won,” I said slowly. “You all saved me, and we won.” I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. “I’m queen. Queen of Magaelor.”
Cedric kissed me, his salty tears fresh on his lips. “I’m never letting you go again.” His breaths were heavy. “I mean it. Never.”
