POV: QUEEN ISOLDE
Timeline: Same day, evening
Location: Isolde's Fortress
The mirror shatters against the wall.
Isolde stares at where it was, breathing hard, magic crackling around her hands.
"Twenty soldiers," she says quietly. " A Storm Goddess. A king. And we lost."
"They were more prepared than we expected," Daemon offers carefully. He's nursing his own wounds—cuts from Ravion's shadows, bruises from being thrown into a tree.
"Prepared?" Isolde's voice rises. "They were children! Untrained, scared children! And they defeated us!"
"They had help—"
"Of course they had help!" She spins to face him. "The Dark King and Sea God working together! Something that shouldn't be possible!"
"They've formed an alliance."
"I can see that!" She starts pacing. "Those boys have turned enemies into allies. Have created a family from chaos. Have—" She stops. "Have rewritten the prophecy."
"What?"
"The prophecy said they would save or destroy. Bring darkness or light. End or begin." She looks at Daemon. "But it never accounted for them choosing love. For them finding family outside blood. For them standing together instead of against each other."
"So what do we do?"
"We adapt." She walks to her throne, sits. "If they're stronger together, we separate them."
"We tried that. It didn't work."
"Because we used force. This time—" Her smile is cold. "—we use manipulation."
"How?"
"Kaelis is untrained. Powerful but unstable. We convince him he's dangerous. That his magic will hurt those he loves." She leans forward. "We make him afraid of himself. Make him leave voluntarily."
"And Kieran?"
"Kieran is soft. Emotional. Attached to his brother." Her smile widens. "We take Kaelis. But this time, we make Kieran think it was his choice. Make him think Kaelis wanted to leave. Break their bond from the inside."
Daemon nods slowly. "Psychological warfare instead of physical."
"Exactly." She stands. "I need new allies. Ones who specialize in mind magic. Illusions. Manipulation."
"That's expensive. And dangerous."
"I'm aware." She pulls out a crystal—dark purple, pulsing with malevolent energy. "I'll contact the Shadow Court. They owe me a favor."
"The Shadow Court?" Even Daemon looks nervous. "Your Majesty, they're... unstable."
"They're perfect." She closes her hand around the crystal. "They can create illusions so real you can't tell truth from lie. They can manipulate emotions, memories, perceptions." Her eyes gleam. "They can make those boys destroy each other without ever lifting a weapon."
"When?"
"Soon. I need time to prepare. To plan. To make sure this time—" Her hand clenches. "—there are no mistakes."
Asteria appears in a flash of lightning, looking furious.
"That was humiliating," she announces.
"It was a learning experience," Isolde says coldly.
"I was defeated! By Nyx! During an eclipse!" Lightning crackles around her. "I want revenge!"
"You'll get it. But not through force." Isolde explains her new plan.
By the end, Asteria is smiling.
"Mind games," she says. "I like it. Much more elegant than brute force."
"And more effective." Isolde returns to her scrying mirror—the new one, unbroken. "Those boys think they're safe. Think they've won. Think their love story has a happy ending."
The mirror shows Kieran and Kaelis, hugging goodbye, smiling.
"They're wrong," Isolde says softly. "This isn't over. It's just beginning."