I’m weary to the bone as I walk into the throne room, hoping that at last I’ll receive a letter from Elaine. I’ve spent days reviewing my father’s documents and speaking to his advisers. My father always seemed so certain of himself that I’m surprised to find how much of a mess Althea is in. We’re spending coin we barely have on things that do not matter. Just last year, my father spent half the coin that came in on events and renovations, when that money should have gone toward rebuilding our economy. With the new trade routes Felix has opened up for us, we’ll be able to recover quicker, but there’s a lot of work to do, and I need to find someone capable of doing it. My intentions haven’t changed. I can’t stay here. Someday, I’ll make my way back to Eldiria.I breathe in shakily as I sit down on my father’s throne. For days now, Pythia has refused to answer my calls. If not for the fires I can still feel burning deep within, I’d go mad with worry. I suppose, in that sense, the mess Althea is in has been a welcome distraction.“I compiled the reports you asked for and identified our most profitable exports,” my sister says as she walks up to me, handing me a stack of papers. I smile at her before browsing through them. Serena appears to have taken my words to heart. I can tell that it pains her to see Father imprisoned, but not once has she questioned my decision. If anything, she’s shown a great depth of understanding.“This is good, Serena. Tell the treasurer to invest in supporting the merchants with our most profitable exports. There are more routes for them to explore now.”She nods and hands me another report. “These are the industries I believe have great potential for growth, provided we have the funds to support them. I believe investment in our people could help Althea grow, and in turn, we could become more valuable to Eldiria, resulting in further support and growth.”I take the report from her with a smile on my face. Though I don’t dare reveal my hopes just yet, I envision her as Althea’s future monarch. She has a lot to learn, but she has it in her. The work she’s put in from the moment I took over from Father has proven it. She has tremendous insight and a strategic mind that rivals Elaine’s. All she needs is some training. I’m blessed to have witnessed Elaine and Felix performing their respective duties, learning a great amount from each. Once my sister has been given similar opportunities, she could become the kind of monarch my father should have been, if she so chooses.I look up when I see gold shimmering from the corner of my eye, and I rise from my seat when an envelope appears at the other end of the table, the papers I was perusing falling to the floor as I take a trembling step forward.My hands shake as I pick up the letter with Elaine’s handwriting on it. At last. I’ve been worried endlessly. My heart races as I tear the envelope open impatiently and unfold the parchment inside it.Dear Arabella,Following your confirmation, I questioned Theon about his ability to keep the curse at bay within the palace. From what I understand, he has been able to contain the curse to the east wing using alchemy, displacing every hint of ill intent, but that does not explain how you were able to see the former empress in your bedroom. I have spent several days attempting to unravel this development of the curse, but was unable to do so.I was told that the palace’s enchantment developed over the years and was fully in place by the time Theon reached age ten. I have never felt malicious intent from it, so I failed to recognize it as part of the former empress. In doing so, I have failed both Theon and you.Theon and I both assumed that the palace’s enchantment was part of the balance that must be part of everything we do; we assumed it was the remnants of positive magic being trapped in the palace at the time the curse was cast.It worries me that she sent you away, for I do not know what her purpose is. From the moment you left, the curse has been haunting Theon in a way it never has before. The curse has never before attempted to leach Felix’s magic, but it is doing so now. I believe removing the curse from the lands has weakened it sufficiently for it to act in an attempt to preserve itself, but it appears it has chosen Theon as a target, attempting to concentrate around him in an effort to inhabit him. Once before, it succeeded in doing so for several moments before Theon was able to push back. He still has bruises on his temple from the way the curse clung to his body in black tendrils, as though it became personified. If the curse were to find a host, the results would be unimaginable, and I fear Theon would be forever lost to us.I have asked Pythia to show me Theon’s future and mine every week for years now, in the hope Raphael might appear in either. Neither of our futures has changed in as long as I can remember, but yesterday Theon’s did. It changed for the worse, Arabella.I’m uncertain how to proceed, or what to say. Pythia warned me not to say anything to Felix lest it accelerate his new fate, but I cannot keep this from you.I plead that you reply at your earliest convenience, so we may reevaluate the choices we made. I fear that you leaving has condemned us all. I fear that we played into the former empress’s plans. I cannot ask you to return, for I know what the cost would be, but I need guidance, Your Excellency.I await your reply,
ElaineI clench the letter in my hand as I turn and rush toward my bedroom, my thoughts spiraling. I, too, felt no ill intent from the apparition I saw. But then again, she’s had years to mask her energy and match it to the palace’s. Was I sent away for a reason?I pick up the mirror with trembling hands and sit down on my bed. “Pythia,” I say. “As your empress, I command you to appear.”The mirror turns milky white, and after days of silence, she finally appears, her expression carefully blank.“Show me Felix’s future.”She appears to hesitate before she nods, and the mirror turns milky white once more before visions flash through it.I watch as darkness attacks Felix, turning his skin black, until at last his eyes are fully black, too. His posture changes, and it’s clear that the man looking back at me in the mirror is not Felix. Not anymore.The figure tenses and looks down, the black color draining away from Felix’s eyes as his white shirt rapidly turns red, a sword pierced through his chest.“No!” I yell, unable to keep my agony contained. I watch as he drops to the ground, blood rapidly staining the wooden floors.The mirror turns milky white before clearing, and I shake it in desperation. “Pythia!” I yell. “When does this happen? Tell me when!”“I cannot tell exactly when this will be, Your Excellency.”Pythia disappears, and I find myself staring at my own reflection. When I saw Felix’s face just now, he had a bruise on his temple, similar to what Elaine described. The visions I just saw must be coming to pass soon.I grab the mirror and slip it into my cloak as I head out the door, my heart strangely calm as I pause in front of the throne room. My sister looks up when I walk in, her brows rising.“What’s wrong, Arabella?”I shake my head. “I must return to Eldiria at once. While I’m away, I’m leaving Althea in your hands.”noveldramaHer gaze is searching before she nods. “I won’t let you down.”“I know you won’t.” I take in my sister, knowing this might be the last time I’ll ever see her. “I love you, Serena.”She bites down on her lip and shakes her head. “You’ll be back soon, won’t you?”I smile and turn to walk away. I don’t want the last words I speak to my sister to be a lie. Returning to Eldiria will cost me my life, but it’ll be worth it if I can save Felix’s life.