POV: KIERAN
Timeline: Same time
Location: Prison Cell
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I hear fighting.
Getting closer.
The sound of magic being thrown around.
They came.
Of course they came.
Into the trap.
Because of me.
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"Sounds like your rescue party has arrived," Mira says from outside the cell. "Right on schedule."
"Let me go." My voice is hoarse from screaming. "You have them. Let me go."
"Oh no. You're still useful." She smiles. "They need to see you. See what we've done to you. See what happens to people who defy Queen Isolde."
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The door to the prison bursts open.
Ravion and Kaelis.
My husband and my twin.
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Both covered in blood (not theirs, I hope).
Both looking furious and desperate and alive.
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"KIERAN!" Kaelis runs toward the cell.
"WAIT!" I scream. "IT'S A TRAP—"
Too late.
---
Runes on the floor activate.
A cage of light surrounds all three of us.
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"GOT YOU!" Mira laughs.
Ravion throws shadows at the barrier.
They bounce off harmlessly.
---
"Shit," he hisses.
"Language," I mutter weakly.
---
His eyes find me.
Relief and rage war on his face.
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"Are you hurt?"
"Define hurt."
"Kieran—"
"I'm alive. That's what matters." I try to stand.
Fail.
My legs won't hold me.
---
Kaelis is at the cell bars immediately.
"What did they do to you?"
"Torture. Illusions. Mind games. The usual." I try to smile. "Could be worse."
"It's about to be," Mira says.
---
The shadows behind her shift.
And she appears.
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Queen Isolde.
Our mother.
---
She looks different from the diplomatic visit.
This is her true form—dark magic swirling around her, a crown of shadow and bone, eyes glowing with purple light.
---
"Hello, boys," she says softly. "Miss me?"
"Fuck you," Kaelis and I say in unison.
She smiles. "Such language. I taught you better."
---
"You taught us nothing but fear," I spit out.
"Fear is useful." She moves closer to the cage. "Fear keeps you alive. But love?" She looks at Ravion. "Love makes you stupid."
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"Let them go," Ravion demands. Shadows writhe around him even trapped.
"Why would I do that? I have everything I want. Two prophecy children. A Dark King. And a Sea God being overwhelmed outside." She tilts her head. "This worked out perfectly."
---
"What do you want?" Kaelis asks.
"Power. Obviously." She raises her hands. Magic gathers. "You two are the key. The prophecy said you'll bring the end or the beginning. I choose beginning. My beginning. As the most powerful being in all realms."
---
"The prophecy doesn't work that way—" I start.
"Doesn't it?" She laughs. "Prophecies are just… suggestions. With the right magic, the right sacrifice, they can be rewritten." Her eyes gleam. "And you two are going to help me do it."
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The magic she's gathering is wrong
It feels like death and rot and everything horrible.
---
"What are you doing?" Ravion demands.
"Binding ritual. I take their prophecy. Their power. Their destinies. And I make it mine." She looks at us. "You'll die, of course. The ritual requires your lives. But it's for a good cause. My cause."
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"You're insane," Kaelis breathes.
"I'm ambitious. There's a difference." She starts the incantation.
---
The magic hits us.
Pain.
Worse than the torture.
---
It's pulling.
Trying to rip something from inside me.
---
Kaelis screams beside me.
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"STOP!" Ravion is throwing everything at the barrier.
Nothing works.
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"It's useless, Dark King." Isolde's voice is distant now. "This magic is ancient. Unbreakable. In minutes, your husband and his twin will be dead. Their power will be mine. And you—" She smiles. "—you'll get to watch."
---
The pulling intensifies.
I can feel myself fading.
---
"Kieran!" Kaelis' hand finds mine through the pain. "Stay with me!"
"Trying—"
"Don't you dare die on me!"
"You either!"
"Wasn't planning on it!"
"LIAR!"
---
We're both crying.
At least we're together.
Ravion is screaming.
Throwing shadows.
---
The barrier cracks.
"I'm sorry," Ravion chokes out. "I'm so sorry. I can't—I can't reach you—"
"It's okay," I manage. "Not your fault."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
---
The pulling reaches a crescendo.
This is it.
This is how we die.
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But then—
CRACK.
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Not the barrier.
Something else.
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The twin bond.
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It's been blocked this whole time.
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But now—
It EXPLODES.
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I can feel Kaelis.
Really feel him.
Like he's inside my head, my heart, my soul.
And he can feel me.
---
Together, his voice in my mind.
Together, I agree.
---
Our magic—his chaos water, my… whatever I have—combines.
---
The ritual trying to drain us reverses.
Instead of taking—
We're pushing back.
---
Pure power erupts from both of us.
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The cell disintegrates.
The barrier shatters.
Isolde's magic snaps back at her.
She screams, thrown backward.
---
The building shakes.
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"WHAT—" Mira gasps. "That's impossible! The ritual was perfect!"
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"You forgot something," Kaelis says.
Standing now.
Glowing with power.
---
"We're not just prophecy children," I add.
Also standing.
Also glowing.
---
"We're twins," Kaelis continues.
"Connected," I add.
"Bonded."
"Two halves of one whole," we say together.
"And you can't drain one without the other fighting back."
---
Our combined magic surges again.
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The building starts to collapse.
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"RUN!" Ravion grabs my arm.
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We run.
Next chapter coming tomorrow.....
Happy reading...