Zabina
I've made my decision. I'm leaving.
I'm leaving before the darkness stains my soul forever.
I'm leaving because I can't love or desire the man who murdered my mother.
I lean over the balcony, and the night air tousles my hair.
I look at my mother's gem.
Tears fall on their own, hot against my cold skin. I close my eyes, and all I can see is him: Abisai. His face, his hands, his voice… everything that once made me tremble now turns my stomach.
I let out a shattered scream and fall to my knees on the stone floor, my soul in pieces. A sob tears through my chest, and the crying becomes unstoppable.
Stupid! So stupid!
I should have let him die. I shouldn't have saved him. I shouldn't have gotten involved. I shouldn't have…
I scream again.
Then the angelic chorus returns, sharper and crueler than ever. Their voices stab like knives into my mind:
"Don't run…"
"Revenge. We want revenge."
I cover my ears tightly until my temples ache.
"Death to the emperor. Death to all his lineage."
"No…" I beg silently, trembling.
"Claim the throne, daughter of Thigner. Give us revenge… or you will not enter rest after death, traitor."
"Traitor. Traitor."
My ears begin to bleed. A warm trickle runs down my neck. The dark marks spread across my skin like living veins.
The chamber door bursts open. Rapid footsteps approach.
I lift my gaze. Vacul watches me, incredulous, and a slow smile draws across his lips.
"The bond… You and Abisai… After all, the oracle wasn't wrong. He was the chosen one."
I stand with difficulty. My hands are stained with blood.
"Do you know what the gems are asking for?" I blurt out.
He takes a step back.
"What are they asking for?"
"They want revenge," I whisper.
"Don't listen to them…" he pleads. "The prophecy is being fulfilled. For the first time in two hundred years, a true bond has been created. A real possibility."
"Don't talk to me about prophecies or bonds!" I raise my voice and point at him with a trembling finger. "All of you are murderers!"
"We had no other choice."
"There's always a choice! You could have faced the problem head-on, cowards."
"You must understand…"
I let out a scream of rage, and Vacul is thrown against the wall as if an invisible force had struck him. He falls to his knees, gasping.
"I'm not some stupid girl who'll let you manipulate me," I say, holding back tears as I advance toward him. "I am the daughter of Grace. Direct descendant of Shaul Thigner."
Vacul's eyes widen in horror.
"Yes, that's right. I have a right to half of this kingdom by blood, and I'm going to claim it." I bite out each word. "And I'm going to avenge my mother and my people. That's a promise. And you, Mr. Priest… you're first."
"Wait… you…"
I raise my hand and clench my fist.
Vacul brings his hands to his throat, as if an invisible noose is strangling him. His face turns purple, his eyes bloodshot. I don't loosen my grip. I just watch him. With rage. With tears. With all the pain consuming me.
I lean over him and touch his face, reading his life through his eyes.
"Good. Now I know everything."
I step back.
He falls to the ground, lifeless. I unclench my fist. I stare at him, not fully comprehending what I've just done.
But I did it.
I just murdered a black dragon.
And the worst part? I don't regret it. Not even a little.
I turn my back and look into the distance at the castle, imposing under the moonlight. Then I look at my mother's gem.
There's no turning back.
I shift. My wings unfold with a powerful crack. I spread them and launch myself into the void of the night.

Two years earlier
I enter the cabin and drop the firewood I gathered into a corner of the kitchen. Winter is approaching, and Dad is still sick. He's not getting better.
I stop in the doorway and watch him. He's lying in bed, paler and thinner than ever. His eyes meet mine.
"My girl…"
I smile and approach, trying to hide my worry.
"How are you feeling today, Dad?"
"Still alive."
"Don't joke like that, please."
"Daughter…"
His tone turns serious, and I freeze, my heart tightening.
"Your mother…"
I wrinkle my nose. I still haven't forgiven him for abandoning her.
He takes my hand with cold fingers.
"She was a direct descendant of Emperor Shaul Thigner. Therefore, so are you. Your gem is of royal blood, but not because you're noble. After her, you, my daughter, can claim half of the kingdom of Anwar."
"I would never do such a thing. I'd never enter that cursed kingdom."
"I hope you never have to. But you must know this before I die."
"Don't talk like that, Dad," I complain, my voice breaking. "You're going to live many more years."
"When the breach breaks… and one day it will… When the silver demons come out and try to tear the gem from you, reveal who you are. Claim your right over Galgoth and rule them…"
My heart beats wildly.
"The black dragons don't understand. They never have… The bond is the only thing that can destroy the demons, but that would mean betrayal to our own… to your mother… to your lineage…"
"Why are you telling me all this now, Dad?"
"Because you don't know the twists of life, Zabina. Because what I want most is for you to never have to leave this cabin. For the black dragons to never discover you. But if it happens… don't forget who you are."