“I don’t understand,” Millicent said, her wide-eyed gaze darting between Callum and our mother.
“What is it that you don’t understand?”
“Everything,” she seethed. “Everything about what just happened.”
“You mean what could’ve happened to you if you hadn’t been a failure?” Callum countered, and Malik shot forward, blocked only by Casteel, who was simply faster. “You would’ve bled for him, and he would’ve rewarded you greatly for it.”
Millicent drew back, her skin paling under the mask. Her stare hit mine, and suddenly, I understood. Mouth dry, my gaze fell to Malec. “That was supposed to be me, wasn’t it?”
“You succeeded where she didn’t,” Callum said. “And I’ve been waiting a long time for you. He’s been waiting for the sacrifice. The balance the Arae always insist upon. Waiting for the one born of mortal flesh, on the verge of becoming a great Primal power. You arrived as promised, but…” He extended his arm. “But you weren’t the only one. As long as both shared the blood of the Primal of Life and were loved, it would restore him. She just needed you—someone of his bloodline—to find Malec. We all know that Ires surely wouldn’t have done that. We’d have had to free him. And, well, he’s kind of…pissy, to say the least.”
“What in the hell?” demanded Naill.
Callum cocked his head. “I just didn’t think she’d do that. Not until she asked for him. And even then, I truly didn’t think she would go through with it, to be honest.” He laughed. “I thought it would be a fifty-fifty shot on who she chose. You. Or Malec.”
Heart pounding, I pressed my hand to my chest as clouds appeared over the sea, darkening the night sky. I was on the verge of becoming a Primal, and it struck me, finally, the why now of it all. Why Isbeth had waited until this time to exact her centuries-old plans. She’d had to wait until I entered the Culling so she could… I stared at the altar. So she could kill me. But she had…
But it wasn’t me on that altar.
Malec wasn’t the True King of the Realms as we believed. This really had nothing to do with him or even me. We were just pawns.
Suddenly, I thought about the prophecy. “‘The Bringer of Death and Destruction,’” I murmured, and Casteel’s gaze flew to mine. “Not Death and Destruction, but the bringer of it.” My hand lifted to my mouth. That godsdamn prophecy… “And I did just that.”
“Fuck,” Malik growled.
“This is not the right time,” Casteel said under his breath, “but I just want to point out that I always said you were not death and destruction.”
Kieran shot him a look because it really, really wasn’t the time, and because while Malik’s reluctance to give Malec to Isbeth may not have been rooted in knowledge of what was to come, if we had listened to him…
No. If we had known, we wouldn’t have stopped. We wouldn’t have risked Kieran. Right or wrong, it was as simple as that.
“Then what is this?” Millicent demanded. “Who is the Harbinger?”
“She is the Harbinger.” Callum’s head swung to her. “The warning.” His eyes widened. “What did you think, dear? That she was the one who would destroy the realms?” He glanced at me. “A Primal born of mortal flesh? Her?” His laugh echoed through the valley. “Seriously?”
I stiffened. “At any other time, I would find that kind of rude.”
“No offense meant, Your Highness,” he said with a mockery of a bow. “It’s just that it would take eons for you to become that powerful, and that was if the power didn’t drive you mad first.”
The limp, flat hair flew about Millicent’s face as she shook her head, while Isbeth continued sobbing—as the dread grew and grew. The last part of Callum’s comment was something we’d have to worry about later. “No.”
“Yes.” Callum tipped his head back as he eyed me. “It should’ve been you on the altar. That was the plan. That is what all of this has been about. You.” He pointed to Millicent and then to me. “And you. Yeah, we’ll have to deal with you later.” Callum winked. “But now, it’s time.”
“Time for what, you silly fuck?” Kieran snarled, grasping the hilt of his sword.
The Revenant’s eyes closed. “Time to bow to the one True King of the Realms.”
Casteel stepped toward him. “And who is that supposed to be?”