‘Maybe they’ve earned it,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Maybe I should bring the barrier down. This kingdom is founded on lies.’

She clenched her jaw when she realized that was what Ashes had been warning her of all along.

Hours passed. The moon still ruled the sky when she began making the trek back to Astral, but her feet took her in another direction, and before she knew it, the Viottos’ cottage was before her.

The windows were darkened – no one was awake inside – and she felt another roll of nausea as she remembered her trembling footsteps when she had first arrived here. She was no longer that scared girl, but she was just as broken.

Hoisting herself on to the stone roof, she moved to the window she knew belonged to her friend and tapped on it gently. The window was thrown open a few seconds later, a sleepy and worried Evera standing there.

‘Sapphire? What are you doing here?’

‘I need – I –’

Evera stepped to the side to allow her entry into her room. Sapphire had hardly taken two steps before she collapsed into Evera’s tiny frame. Devastation rocked her to the core. Evera held her tightly, rubbing her back. The girl asked no questions as she escorted her to her bed.

‘Did they hurt you?’

Sapphire shook her head.

‘Sapphire, what did they do to you?’ Evera’s voice was tight with worry, and Sapphire finally met her gaze.

She couldn’t lose the girl in front of her. She couldn’t handle that. If Evera walked away … she feared she might come entirely undone. She needed – reassurance. A promise that Evera would remain by her side even if Sapphire wasn’t who the girl thought she was.

‘I need your word. I need you to promise you won’t abandon me – that you’ll still be my best friend.’

Evera frowned. ‘Of course. Nothing you could tell me would change that.’

Sapphire nodded, but she feared Evera would change her mind when she knew the terrible truth.

‘Have you heard of the prophecy?’

Evera looked confused.

‘A prophecy?’

‘One exists within the Shadow Witch community. A thousand-year-old prophecy spoken into the world by Ryvinika, the woman they consider the original Shadow Witch, and the most powerful ever to exist. She revealed the prophecy as the Elders sealed her behind the barrier.’

‘OK,’ Evera said warily.

‘It is said that a child will be born to bring justice to the Shadow Witches.’ Sapphire took a shaky breath. ‘And the coven believes that I am that child. That I am – a direct descendant of Ryvinika.’

‘But how would that be possible, seeing that you are –?’

Sapphire cut her question short. Words spilled from her as she told her friend everything, from the visions in the fire to Ryvinika coming to life, a spitting image of herself. She told her about the offerings, the promises, the admiration.