Heir of Broken Fate (HOBF Book 1)
Heir of Broken Fate: Chapter 46

The courts’ kings and queens accepted the meeting Knox requested at the queen’s grounds; everyone will be arriving at the castle in thirty minutes. Axel already left over an hour ago, wanting to ensure that everyone attends and stays there.

In the front foyer, I secure all my weapons for the flight, checking and triple checking that I’m prepared and ready. Aurora’s already suited up for flight as she waits on the front lawn, probably terrorizing Knox’s guards.

I turn my head, watching as Knox straps blade after blade to his immaculate body, his teeth biting his lower lip. He would never admit it, but he’s been a ball of nerves today, uneasiness coiling throughout his entire body. Once Axel left, Knox went into a killing calm, so sharp and focused no one could penetrate it. He’s completely transformed, allowing the trained warrior within him to take control, enhanced to a predatory level. I’ve seen Knox go into that warrior’s mind, yet today is different. He’s sharper, more aware, deadlier.

A warrior ready to fight for his people, his kingdom.

Knox snaps his head to the mantel clock in front of him, turning his predatory gaze on mine. “It’s time. Are you ready?”

I face Knox, feeling my own training take over my body, calm washing over me. “Ready.”

On the front lawn, Aurora is just as poised and ready, as if she can feel the energy crackling in the air, the intensity. I mount her, tilting my head to see Knox already airborne in the night sky behind me, waiting.

“We have one shot at this, Aurora. Let’s make it count,” I whisper.

She takes off into the sky, her booming wings filling the silence as we fly for the Tree of Life—as we fly for freedom.

I scan the beautiful details of Azalea below me, the city glowing with lights, twinkling as bright as a star. I take in everything as we fly—the mountains, the forest canopy, the ocean. I take in everything built within these lands and pray to any gods that will listen that I don’t destroy it tonight.

A horrible sick feeling slithers through my spine. I scan the night sky trying to replace its source, watching as Knox pauses, hovering midair—he can feel it too. He slowly turns, scanning, putting his back toward the very thing that he searches for.

A shadow darker than the night’s sky descends behind Knox, so large it makes my stomach sink. Its mouth opens to reveal rows upon rows of sharp white teeth glinting in the moonlight. Glowing red eyes snap open, illuminating the scaled horns atop its head as it aims for Knox.

Its dragon-like body is larger than those I saw at the aerial legion, but the dark shadows shrouding it tell me all I need to know—Emmalyn has summoned demonic dragons.

A scream leaves my mouth, piercing the sky with a warning, but it’s too late.

The dragon knocks Knox to the side, red light pulsing from the beast’s hands. Its black talons snatch him as he spins in the air. Light flares around Knox, his magic withering in the dragon’s hold, only to pulse, winking out completely.

The sight makes me explode.

I throw my hands in front of me, fire erupting from my palms, searing directly into the creature’s heart. My flames fly faster than the beast. It releases Knox from its claws as it roars in agony, the fire turning the dragon beast to ash within seconds.

My magic completely incinerates it.

Aurora lunges for Knox as he freefalls through the air. My heart doesn’t start beating until I see his wings flutter, relief coursing through me so strong I sag into Aurora. He disappears entirely before his strong arms wrap around me from behind, pinewood surrounding me.

“You weren’t supposed to use your magic!” he barks.

“You weren’t supposed to be in dragon talons!” I snap.

I lean forward, stroking Aurora’s fur. “Keep going,” I whisper. I slap my hands down on Knox’s arms as he begins to move. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Are you angry at me?” he asks incredulously.

“Yes! You could have died!” I scream.

A dark rumble of laughter floats into my ears as his chest shakes behind me. I swing my legs around, turning to face him. “Why are you laughing?” I ask through gritted teeth.

“Because you’re adorable and you have an odd way of showing you care about me.”

The adrenaline still coursing through my body makes me snap my mouth closed so I don’t spew nonsense at him.

He narrows his eyes. “How much did you use?”

I scoff. “Not much.”

He quirks a brow.

“I didn’t use a lot,” I amend. “But I can’t use any invisibility magic now.”

Knox’s chest visibly deflates on a sigh. “Let’s pray our plan works then.”

I twist around, facing forward again as Knox wraps his arms around me, and I don’t feel the least bit of shame as I cling to him. My heart is beating so fast I feel as if I might throw up. The image of him in the demonic dragon’s claws will forever be ingrained in my mind.

I close my eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to go back into a killing calm.

When my heartbeat returns to normal and my breathing is even, I open my eyes to replace the world on fire.

“Holy shit,” I breathe.

Flames blast from all directions, creating a circle around the Tree of Life, a cage and a prison for the guards. When one fire goes out, another alights not too far away, burning brighter than the very sun itself. The flames dance and sing as they climb higher by the second.

“I think Lenox is enjoying himself a tad too much,” Knox murmurs.

As we approach, I see most of the guards have left their posts to deal with the fires, threatening the very thing they’ve been compelled to protect.

I steer Aurora to an outcrop that we marked earlier. Lenox is under strict orders to not burn any fires near this area, to not draw any attention to Aurora and her hiding place. Thanks to her raven coat, she’ll blend into the darkness of the night.

Knox and I dismount as she lands. Wasting no time, I give Aurora a pat. “If you see anyone turn up besides Knox’s court, roar your heart out,” I say, placing a small kiss on her snout.

Aurora nudges me, urging me to go.

I huff out a small laugh, then follow Knox through the forest.

The fires surrounding the Tree of Life burn so bright we have to keep to the tree trunks, hiding in the shadows as to not alert anyone of our presence. Sneaking up the edge of the forest I see the few guards still lingering by the door are held down by vines and tree trunks sprouting from the forest floor, courtesy of Hazel. Knox pauses on the tree line, dipping into each of their minds.

“Now,” he whispers.

We take off running as fast as we can, Knox never leaving my side as I pray that no wayward guards catch us entering through the tree’s archway. Instead of feeling relieved as we cross through unnoticed, I gag, covering my mouth and nose with my hand. I place the other on my stomach, trying to ease the waves of nausea.

The entire core of the tree is rotted. Black sap drips from the walls, my boots sticking to puddles of it on the floor. The outside of the tree looks as if nothing has changed, revealing nothing about the absolute wrongness of its core. I’ve never smelt something so horrid in my life.

Knox gags. “How Emmalyn got away with all of this for so long is unfathomable.”

He takes my forearm, leading me through the halls of the tree. It’s similar to the beasts’ compound, except instead of stone walls is wood, though decomposing as dark magic infests its core. Like a parasite.

The further we walk the stronger the smell gets, each step intensifying as the rot encompasses our senses. Knox turns a corner, revealing faint white light glowing at the end of the hallway, obscured by shadows—

I gasp as I look around the circular area, disgust rolling through my stomach.

It’s the tree.

Utter shock makes me stumble back. Darkness suffocates the core of the tree, the heart of Aloriah’s magic. Faint white light tries to glow from between cracks in the sticky black sap, but the dark magic spell is completely suffocating the life of this very world, slowly killing everything and everyone in it.

I snap into action at the thought. Rushing forward, I square my shoulders, parting my feet into a steadying stance, preparing my body for the assault that’s about to begin.

“Take it one step at a time,” Knox says beside me.

His presence is comforting and soothing as he supports me.

Without another word I close my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I tunnel down into my magic, submerging myself into my well of power. Swimming to the bottom of its depth. I open my eyes as fire builds throughout my body, my eyes alighting with embers. I spear my power into the tree, feeling as if I’m wading through mud as I search for the pure essence of the tree’s core, the divine magic. The tether of its life force, nestled at the bottom, barely pulses with life as it’s devoured by the parasite of the dark magic.

I cling to it with everything I have as the world around me explodes. The floor beneath my feet shakes as the tree is engulfed with flames. The sap smells worse as it burns, as I burn it all to the ground, purifying and cleansing. The tether of life in my hands sighs as the dark magic erupts in flames, turning into nothing but ash swirling in the sky.

The kernel of life in my palms thanks me as I save it, thankful that I returned to it. That’s why its energy beckoned to me the first time I flew past the Tree of Life. It knew I could help it, save it, free it.

The wood surrounding us cracks and crumbles, then the deafening boom of the trunk falling shakes my very bones. The light from the fires around us bursts, the white glow of the moon shining through the cracks, burning my eyes as the tree begins to flutter into nothing but cinders.

I can hear Knox’s faint cough in the distance as the smoke becomes stifling. I make everything outside of myself and this tether of life disappear until it’s only me standing there with a small kernel, an orb of white glowing light—a seed to grow a new world.

Standing on a pile of ash, with nothing surrounding us but the night sky and the burning forest, I begin to build life once more. Pouring everything I have, everything that I am into this small tendril of life, my entire body glows as white light pours out of me and into the life force of the tree’s seed.

I have been dreaming about these lands and its people my entire life. My safe space was next to a veil of the truth the entire time. I have never been able to help my own people, but I was destined for this. I feel it in my very soul. I have lost and sacrificed what I love to be here. For this moment in time, I can help people, free them from their misery, from the horrors inflicted upon them.

My breathing comes faster, my chest heaving as I pant. Sweat glides down the nape of my neck as each drop of magic I pour into the seed begins to weigh on me.

Building its roots, the tree’s seven layers, the core to the heart of these lands.

The night sky starts to disappear around me once more. The trunk grows, encompassing me in its hollow inside. The weight on my shoulders becomes unbearable, as if I’m carrying its very essence—the weight of the Fae lands.

A guttural deep roar pierces the air around us. “No, no, no, I can’t—”

“Stop? What a shame,” a dark female voice coos, before magic as black as night slams into me.

I grit my teeth as wave after wave of unending dark magic slams into me. Knox’s protection shield buckles as it holds off the assault that Emmalyn throws my way.

“A protection shield, how adorable,” she croons.

Her greasy black hair flutters in the wind from the assault of her power, a sneer marring her face as hate-filled blue eyes glare at me. Where did Knox go? His shield surrounds me, wavering against the force yet holding strong.

He’s still alive.

As long as that shield holds, he’s still alive.

My feet begin to slide on the floor as every bit of my strength tries to hold onto the life force blooming from my hands while also holding off Emmalyn’s dark magic.

“What a clever human you are…or should I say Fae?” she drawls, cocking her head.

I don’t take my focus off the spell. The moment she pulls my attention away, she can strike, killing everyone I’ve come to care about. I’m so close, I can feel it. My bones are screaming with the weight of it, the sheer size and magnitude of power in the room as the Tree of Life becomes a phoenix rising, life birthing from the very ashes that destroyed it.

My breathing becomes shallow as my magic starts to fade, faster than the spell. I furrow my brows, shaking my head as I try to concentrate. Why does my magic feel like it’s escaping faster?

A roar fills the room as Aurora charges in, Knox leaping off her back as shadows and darkness blast from his hands. Knox’s power slams into Emmalyn as Aurora pounces, holding her down with all her weight, those sharp claws piercing Emmalyn’s skin. The scream that escapes Emmalyn isn’t Fae, isn’t human, isn’t of this world. The sound grates down my skin as it makes me want to shrivel away.

I blink rapidly as my vision starts to blur. I grit my teeth, my knees wanting to buckle as my power drains.

I’m not done yet. I shouldn’t be burning out.

Panic like never before overtakes my body as I realize why Emmalyn didn’t outright attack me. Her blasts of power were a distraction as she drained my magic.

Emmalyn’s a siphon.

My eyes water as my body collapses, stars exploding into my vision as I scream from the pain of my heavy bones hitting the floor. My chest heaves as I pour every ounce of strength I have left in me to finish the spell.

I can’t stop. I refuse to be the one to kill this beautiful world.

Even as my life slowly drains away.

My heart begins to slow, dizziness overtaking my mind and stars exploding into my vision. I slide my heavy eyes to Knox, taking in every last detail of him. I sigh with relief as Aurora latches her teeth into Emmalyn, tearing her limbs from her as Knox lifts his sword.

The last thing I see, that I’ll ever see, is Knox dragging it across her throat, black blood pouring out of Emmalyn as darkness pulls me under.