Ican’t shake the deep unease I feel as I walk toward the east wing, the chilling wind cutting against my skin. It’s almost as if I’ve been existing in two entirely different universes lately, one of which allows me to lose myself in Arabella the way I wish I could consistently. She soothes my restless soul, and she does it with nothing but her wit and smiles. The more she gives me, the greedier I become, and the more I fear losing her to the curse.I draw a shaky breath as my eyes roam over the tattered canvases that I took a knife to many years ago, venom stealing away the remnants of peace waking up next to Arabella granted me. When I ruined them, I’d wondered if the palace would repair them, the way it does most other things of value. Part of me had been quite certain it’d want to preserve anything related to my mother, and this was, after all, her wing.The curse has mostly contained itself to this wing, almost as though it isn’t able to extend to other parts of the palace as easily as it’s spread through my empire. Whenever tendrils of darkness do spread, I often manage to send the energy back to the east wing. It’s at its strongest here, yet the damage I’ve done has not been undone.I grit my teeth as the Mirror of Pythia comes into view, distaste rushing through me as I take in the delicate floral golden ornaments. When Pythia appeared at my palace nearly fifty years ago, begging for refuge from the curse in return for a prophecy that could save my people, I offered her a binding spell, binding her to the mirror and the mirror dimension, and thus keeping her safe from the curse. Pythia sees different versions of the future, and in all but one, she saw herself succumbing to the curse. Offering me the prophecy in return for the binding spell was the only way she could keep herself safe. In hindsight, I wish she’d chosen anything but this mirror—the one my mother allegedly loved and had handcrafted.“Pythia,” I call, the usual dread rushing down my spine as she appears. “The plans Arabella and I have laid—will they succeed?”She’s silent for a moment, more trepidation in her body language than usual. “In every version of the future I have seen, you will fail to break the curse with this plan. It is, however, a necessary step you both must take.”I nod and look away, used to my attempts failing. I’d have been more surprised if she’d told me this was indeed how we’d break the curse. It’d be too simple. “Will it make the lives of the Eldirian people better?”I raise a brow when she seems to hesitate. As part of our binding spell, she is compelled to answer me provided her answers don’t negatively influence the future, but even so, she often tries to fight the compulsion. “Though it is a temporary reprieve, it is all part of a grander plan. Your efforts will inspire hope, and they will greatly and positively impact the lives of the Eldirian people, but it will come at a great personal cost.”My heart sinks as a new type of fear takes hold of me. I’ve never had anything to lose—not truly, but I do now. The thought of losing Arabella to the curse shakes me to the core, leaving me feeling true terror for perhaps the first time in my long existence. “Show me.”Pythia disappears, and a vision of me appears. Except my eyes are fully black, as though the curse has taken hold of me. Denial surges within me, and I grit my teeth as I vow that this will not come to pass. The visions she shows me don’t always come true—the future is fluid, and nothing is set in stone.“How long can I stay away?”Pythia appears. “It varies in each version of the future I’ve seen, ranging from weeks to months. It is your proximity to the empress that expedites your vulnerability to the curse.”I nod and run a hand through my hair. This means I’ll have to closely monitor myself. The second I begin to notice myself losing control over my own strength, I’ll have to distance myself from Arabella. I can’t ever let her see me turn into the monster I become when the curse temporarily takes hold over me, as it has on battlefields in the past. I can’t show her the bloodlust, the mania.noveldramaI clench my jaw and run a finger over the edge of the mirror, watching the ripples underneath, though the surface feels solid and impenetrable to me. “I will have to take you with me,” I warn her. “So I can continue monitoring the way the future changes as we lay pipes. I won’t risk my wife’s life.”“You’ve come to love her,” Pythia says, her tone both mocking and gleeful at once. “The wheels of destiny are spinning, and not even you can stop them.”I grit my teeth and slam my fist against the edge of the mirror, then use alchemy to remove all sharp edges from the shard I broke off. Pythia’s face blanches, and I grin, pleased to have caught the seer by surprise. With each year that passes, she resents me more, and I can hardly blame her. If not for me, she wouldn’t have to remain trapped in this mirror, and the curse wouldn’t have targeted her as it did. It must have known that she held a clue to breaking it, and as a result, her village was buried in an avalanche, taking her home and her family with it. It nearly killed her, too, but dying wasn’t what the Fates had in store for her. Not then. Not when she had a prophecy to convey.“Nor can you,” I remind her. “You will, however, help me attain the best future possible, and it will be one in which both Arabella and my people are happy.” I lift the mirror shard and watch the displeasure in her eyes as I let it slip into my cloak. “You will answer when I call, no matter where I am, and you will guide me. No harm will come to Arabella.”Pythia’s expression turns stormy for a moment before she disappears. I’m tempted to call her back, just to make a point, but I know better than to further aggravate a seer. She might be compelled to answer me, but the more I call upon her, the more cryptic and unhelpful her answers become.“Theon?” I look up when I find Elaine standing by the entrance of the east wing, as though she was waiting for me. “Tell me this will work.”I think back to Pythia’s words and nod. “It will greatly and positively impact the lives of our people,” I tell her, leaving out every warning Pythia gave me.Elaine’s shoulders sag in relief, and she stares up at me with such hope in her eyes that I instantly feel remorseful. I’ll need to do everything in my power to ensure this plan succeeds.