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Prologue

Aarie

102 years After the Second Great War

Nuria outskirts—Town of Hoadecia

“My vision holds true,” the Serangite rasped The cascading folds of the king’s seer’s elaborate blood-red robe treed by war and death Without access to the doht of Mevia and Avindar”

“Are you still unaware of the ti Ajali strode to stand in front of Ruxia, staring intently in her diamond-hard eyes as they darkened with power Her abilities lay in the psychic plane, and it was a testa that he had a ite in his arht of wind that battered outside, despite it being high noon and summertide

“Yes,” she said, then shuddered fro trapped in her deathly vision “I foresee your death at the hands of a black-haired temptress She tears your throat out and drinks your blood in rage”

Fire stirred in Ajali, but he suppressed his rage

The silence in the tent becareat chair and slowly sank into its plush depths, gazing into the ashen face of his High Chancellor Bastien The tent was starkly furnished with only an oak table in the center, three arm chairs and a pallet for sleep The only comforts required for their tedom of Boreas

Ruxia heaved as the vision released her As a foreseer, her designation was that of a nyth—the third ring of power She was not even close to being an i of power, yet he did not doubt her Serangites were rarely wrong, if ever Their method of warfare ith their minds, and they were incredibly powerful What they lacked in physical capabilities they made up for with their mental dexterity Besides, too many of Ruxia’s visions had come to pass Ajali waited for her to compose herself before he spoke, “Dismissed”

She curtsied then walked through the opening of the tent

Ajali ainst the oak table “I need to find another way to have unlimited access to the Borean her as the leashed violence in his voice vibrated through the tent

Bastien griht the Princess of Boreas would be the er claiain access to their elixir”

Ajali scrubbed a hand over his face All of his plotting had been for nothing “It was unexpected I thought her lover would have been froe over them that I could manipulate to my whim The Darkans are always solitary, hidden in the darkness and shadows It was indeed surprising” And disastrous for his kingdom

“The princess took the Darkan as her lover in the days she hid in the Darkage”

“Indeed she did, Bastien,” Ajali said, icy anger burning through his veins He could not fail his people

“Will you still attempt to take her as your own?”

Ajali chuckled, the sound hollow,“I have studied what little I could find on Darkan laws If we took their ues of death and incite the next Great War to retrieve their mates” The avoidance of war for his people was the reason he plotted to gain access to Boreas’ elixirs Regret sliced through hi the prophecy His realm would not fall There must be another way to access those mountains and he would find it

Bastien strode to Ajali and clasped his shoulders “Hoe prevent the Serangite’s predictions without having control of the Borean Mountains, sire?”

Hoould he prevent the fall of his kingdom? “We plot and atch, Bastien We plot and watch”

Tehdra perched high in a tree on the cliffs of the Fyran Mountains, cocooned in the darkness she had sureat speed Soround on Kuns—s in powerful arches, their sleek predatory graceShe had never seen the creatures this close before as she’d never been inside the Nurian’s royal palace where they were said to reside She had been spying on the kingdost the Nurians, and stop all threats against her kingdoe, the real fro to kill him

Tehdra’s lips flattened Let him fall under any other blade except that of a Darkan’s