That realization was the final blow, and she desperately reached for the anger that simmered in the pit of her stomach. She clung to it, afraid that if she felt anything else in that moment, she might remain there forever. Rooted to the very spot where Ashes had left her, returning to the ground that had birthed her magic.

‘I will end your life, witch. Mark my words. I will watch the life drain from your eyes before this is done.’

‘Then do it, Sapphire. Kill me.’

Sapphire’s hands shook as she looked from them to the witch. She could do it. She could. But all she felt were strong hands on her hips, shadows brushing her skin.

‘I will become the monster you made me.’ Sapphire stood a bit taller as she said it, pushing her hair out of her face. ‘I will haunt every waking thought and every dark path you take.’

‘I pray I will be so lucky, princess.’

Sapphire couldn’t quite understand what that meant.

Savina tugged roughly at Ashes’ arm, and Sapphire watched as they left. The witch took one last dead-eyed look over her shoulder, and Sapphire stared back. Unfaltering, unblinking, and unafraid, she pointed a finger at Ashes.

‘It’s the monsters you know.’ Her voice was strained and tired as she returned her attention to Ryvinika. The shadow creature next to her unfurled its huge, unnatural wings and took flight west, headed straight towards the castle.

She was a pawn.

A fool.

And she had played right into their hands.

Not her kingdom. Not her people. Not more blood on her hands.

From her days in Witrotean, she recalled the words of her vision. The words that had left her curious and confused. A message she could not decipher.

The storm is you.

She did not call upon the sky to aid her. Instead, she called upon the storm within her to reveal itself, and she watched in awe as lightning shot from her hand. She gripped the bolt, aiming directly for the shadow creature that travelled overhead, and it wrapped around the creature’s torso. A cry from another world filled the silence as she watched it fall, shaking the ground on impact. It fought, writhing in the dirt, and she tightened her grip until it stopped moving entirely – the shadows dissipating as if the creature had never been there.

She returned her gaze to Ryvinika.

‘If it’s a war you want, I will give it to you,’ the witch said.

Sapphire clenched her fist. Another bolt of lightning struck right in front of Ryvinika, causing the witch to stumble backwards.

‘You have not known war against someone like me,’ Sapphire choked out.

For a moment, Ryvinika dropped her usual smirk, and curiosity and hesitation were clear on her familiar features.

‘I can’t wait to see you try, child.’