Chapter 69 Reflection of Ruin
SERA
Another version of me was trying to kill my daughter.
The thought would not leave. I stood in the vault where dangerous things were kept and stared at my reflection in polished black stone. Looking for signs. For corruption. For proof that I could become whatever that other version was.
"You are not her," Kael said behind me.
"How do you know?"
"Because you are here. Worried. Questioning. She stopped doing that." He moved beside me. "Whatever that other version became, she chose it. You are choosing differently every day."
"What if I am not? What if the only difference between us is time? What if eventually I become exactly what Nyx saw?"
"Then I will stop you before that happens."
"You would kill me?"
"I would save you. Like you saved me. Like we saved each other." His hand found mine. "But it will not come to that. You are too stubborn to fall."
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to think that love and family and choice were enough to prevent corruption. But I had seen what power did. What fear did. What loss did.
And I had lost so much already.
"We need to find her," I said. "This other me. Before she helps Daemon destroy everything."
"Lyra is searching. Every known entry point into Nocterra. Every passage. Every gate." Kael's jaw clenched. "If she is here, we will find her."
"And if we do not?"
"Then we prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
A knock interrupted. Theron entered looking grim. "Mira left for the gathering. She is wearing a blood tracker. We will know if something happens."
"Good. What about the festival preparations?"
"On schedule. But I increased guard rotations. Positioned loyalists at every entrance. If Daemon tries anything, we will know." He hesitated. "Your Majesty. About the poisoning. How do we counter it without alerting him we know?"
"We do not counter it. We let him poison the wine. Then we switch the barrels before serving." I looked at Kael. "He expects us dead by the third course. Instead his allies drop. His plan fails. And we have him for attempted mass murder."
"That requires perfect timing."
"Then we practice until the timing is perfect."
Theron nodded and left.
I found Nyx in the library later. Surrounded by books. Old books. Forbidden books. Things that should not be in a child's hands.
"Where did you get these?"
"The restricted section. I picked the locks." She did not look up. "I am researching alternate timelines. Trying to understand how someone crosses over. How they stay. How they hide."
"Why?"
"Because if there is another you here, maybe there are others. Maybe more are coming. Maybe" She stopped. Closed her eyes. "Maybe I am not the only Nyx either."
The thought hit like ice water. "What do you mean?"
"In the vision. The corrupted version of you. She was talking to someone I could not see. Called her 'daughter.' Called her 'my perfect weapon.'" Nyx looked at me. "What if there is another me too? One who chose differently? One who became what everyone fears?"
"That is impossible."
"Is it? We have alternate timeline versions of you. Grandmother Arianna came from a dead timeline. Why not me too?" She stood. "I need to know, Mother. I need to know if somewhere out there is a version of me who chose destruction. Who proved the prophecy right."
"Even if that version exists, she is not you."
"But she could be. That is what terrifies me. I am one choice away from becoming her. One mistake. One moment of losing control." Her hands shook. "How do you live with that? Knowing you could become a monster?"
"By making different choices every day. By having people who love you enough to stop you if you fall. By being brave enough to be afraid." I pulled her close. "You are not alone in this. We carry it together."
She held on like I was the only thing keeping her anchored. Maybe I was.
"Mother? If I ever become that other version. If I ever choose wrong. Promise me you will stop me. No matter what it costs."
"I promise to love you. That is all I can promise."
"That is not enough."
"It will have to be."
That night Mira returned from the gathering. She looked shaken. Wrong.
"Report," Kael ordered.
"Daemon is moving faster than we thought. Not twelve days. Seven." Her voice was hollow. "He has support from nine houses now. More than half the court. They meet tomorrow night to finalize plans."
"What plans?"
"The poisoning is just the beginning. After we die, they will hunt down everyone loyal to you. Systematic purge. By dawn they will have eliminated every obstacle." She pulled out papers. "I copied their lists. Names. Families. Everyone marked for death."
I took the papers. Read them. Felt my blood turn to ice.
Everyone we trusted was on these lists. Theron. Lyra. Rowan and his people. Even servants who had served us faithfully. Hundreds of names. Hundreds of deaths.
"They are not just taking the throne," I breathed. "They are wiping us out completely."
"Daemon calls it cleansing. Says the realm needs fresh start. New blood. No corruption." Mira's hands clenched. "He will kill my entire household too. Even though I am his sister. Says family who supported you are traitors."
"Did he suspect you?"
"Not yet. But I cannot go back. He is watching everyone now. Testing loyalty. One wrong word and I am dead." She looked between us. "I need protection. Need to disappear. Need"
"You have it. Lyra will hide you until this is over." Kael studied the papers. "Seven days. Not enough time to evacuate everyone. To warn them."
"Then we do not warn them. We end it now." I looked at him. "We know where Daemon is. We know his plans. We take him tonight. Before he can act."
"That is assassination."
"That is survival. He moves in seven days. We move now. Cut the head off before the body can act."
"And if we miss? If he has backup? If this is exactly what he wants us to do?" Kael's voice was sharp. "We attack rashly and we play into his hands."
"We wait carefully and we die in seven days."
We stared at each other. Two different strategies. Both dangerous. Both necessary.
"We vote," Kael said finally. "Everyone affected decides. We do not make this choice alone."
He called council. Every loyal house. Every person on those death lists. Showed them the evidence. Told them the timeline.
"We have two options," he said. "Strike now. Take Daemon before he takes us. Or wait. Let the festival happen. Counter his poisoning and catch him in the act."
"Striking now is cleaner," Lord Theron said. "But riskier. We might miss allies. Might not get everyone."
"Waiting is safer legally," Lady Isabeau added. "We have proof of attempted murder then. Clear justification. But more people might die in the attempt."
"I say we strike." Rowan stood. "I have lost too many people to careful planning. Sometimes you have to hit hard and fast."
Others agreed. Others disagreed. The room divided.
Finally Nyx spoke. "We wait."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Striking now makes us look desperate. Scared. Like we are attacking first because we are weak." Her voice was calm. Certain. "But if we let them poison the wine. Let them think they succeeded. Then we show we were ten steps ahead. We look strong. Prepared. In control."
"We also risk actual deaths," I said.
"We risk deaths either way. At least this way we control the narrative." She looked at me. "Trust me, Mother. I saw this in the vision. If we strike now, we fail. If we wait, we win."
"You saw that?"
"I saw possibilities. Many futures. The one where we wait has the highest success rate." She turned to the council. "Seven days. We use them to prepare. To position loyalists. To ensure when Daemon makes his move, we are ready."
Slowly the council agreed. Nodded. Accepted.
We would wait.
The next six days were chaos. Preparing. Planning. Testing every detail. We switched wine barrels. Positioned guards. Made sure everyone loyal knew the plan.
Mira stayed in hiding. Lyra kept her in a safe house with protection. But something felt wrong. I could not name it. Just instinct screaming danger.
"You are worried," Arianna said. She had returned early from the Shadowlands. Sensed danger.
"I am always worried."
"More than usual." She stood beside me on the balcony. "What is it?"
"Too many pieces in motion. Too many things that could go wrong. And this other version of me. She is out there somewhere. Watching. Planning. And I have no idea how to stop myself."
"You do not stop yourself. You understand yourself." Arianna looked at me. "I am you from a failed timeline. I know what it is like to become corrupted. To choose wrong. To lose everything and let it poison you."
"How did you come back from it?"
"I did not. Not really. I just learned to live with what I became. To accept that I made mistakes and could not undo them." She touched my hand. "But you can prevent it. By staying connected. By letting people love you. By not isolating when it gets hard."
"What if that is not enough?"
"Then nothing is. But you try anyway."
The day of the festival arrived.
The palace was packed. Every noble family. Every house. Hundreds of people dressed in their finest. Celebrating harvest. Celebrating life.
Celebrating their last day if Daemon succeeded.
I stood in the throne room beside Kael. Nyx between us. All of us in formal clothes. All of us armed underneath.
"Ready?" he asked quietly.
"No. But I am doing it anyway."
Daemon entered with his people. Nine houses. All smiling. All friendly. All planning mass murder in three hours.
"Your Majesties." Daemon bowed. Perfect manners. Perfect mask. "Thank you for this celebration. The realm needed joy after so much darkness."
"We all need joy," Kael said. Voice neutral. "Please. Eat. Drink. Celebrate."
Daemon smiled. "We intend to."
The feast began. Course after course. I watched Daemon's people. Watched them relax. Watched them drink from their own wine. Not the poisoned barrels.
They knew. They knew which wine was safe.
"Something is wrong," I breathed to Kael.
"I know. They are not drinking from the marked barrels."
"Which means they knew we would switch them."
"Which means someone told them our plan."
My blood froze. "We have another traitor."
Before he could respond, screaming started.
Not from Daemon's people. From ours.