The King's Past

Lila stared at the tiny bird in the box, her hands shaking. Her mother was alive? How was that possible? She had seen her mother's body with her own eyes after the claimed suicide.

"It's a trick," Kael said, his voice hard. "Darius is trying to fool you."

But Lila couldn't take her eyes off the message. The red ink—blood—seemed to glow in the moonlight coming through her window.

"I have to know," she whispered. "If there's even the smallest chance..."

Kael gripped her shoulders. "We need to leave now, before the red moon rises. The Blood King will try to use your power tomorrow night."

A cold voice from the doorway made them both freeze. "I'm afraid it's too late for that."

The Blood King stood there, his wound bound but his eyes burning with an inner fire. Guards filled the hallway behind him. Kael stepped in front of Lila, but the king waved his hand. Invisible hands grabbed Kael and pinned him against the wall.

"Take him to the dungeons," the king ordered. Two guards entered and dragged Kael away.

"No!" Lila cried, trying to follow, but the king blocked her way.

"We need to talk," he said. "Alone."

"I have nothing to say to you," Lila spat. "You killed my mother."

The king's eyes flicked to the bird cage, and something like surprise crossed his face. "Is that what Darius told you?" He sighed. "Come with me. There's something you need to see."

Against her better sense, Lila followed him. Not because she trusted him, but because she needed answers.

The king led her up a twisting staircase she had never seen before. They climbed for what felt like hours, going higher than Lila thought possible. Finally, they reached a small door made of silver, similar to the one that had led to the Star Witch tale.

"This room has been locked for over five hundred years," the king said. He pulled out a key that glowed with a strange blue light. "What you see inside might upset you."

The door swung open, showing a circular room with walls covered in mirrors. But instead of showing Lila's image, each mirror showed a different woman—all with Lila's face, but wearing clothes from different time periods.

"What is this?" Lila whispered, turning in a slow circle.

"Your past lives," the king said softly. "Or rather, Selene's past lives."

Lila stopped in front of one mirror that showed a woman who looked exactly like her, dressed in a beautiful red gown with a silver crown. The woman in the mirror smiled sadly.

"Who is Selene?" Lila asked, though part of her already knew the answer.

The king walked to the middle of the room where a small stone table stood. On it lay a book bound in red leather, much older than the Star Witch history Lila had found.

"Selene was the first Star Witch," he said, touching the book gently. "She lived five hundred years ago, when I was still human."

Lila's head snapped up. "You were human?"

The king nodded, his cold mask slipping to show something like pain in his eyes. "My name was Elias then. I was a simple village healer when I met her."

He opened the book, showing drawings of a young man with the king's features, but warmer, more alive. Next to him was a picture of the woman in the red gown.

"We fell in love," the king continued. "But Selene was promised to another—to the real Blood King."

"The real Blood King?" Lila felt like the room was spinning. "You're not—"

"I killed him," the king said simply. "I killed him and took his place to save Selene. But I was too late."

He turned to another page in the book, showing a terrible rite. The woman in red—Selene—lay on an altar, surrounded by vampires with bright red eyes.

"The Blood King needed her power to keep the barrier between worlds strong. The barrier that keeps the darkness out. He drained her life force until she died." The king's voice broke. "I watched from the shadows, unable to help her."

Lila felt tears running down her face, though she didn't know why she was crying for a woman who died centuries ago.

"When I killed him and took his throne, I made a terrible discovery," the king continued. "Selene's death wasn't the end. Her soul was bound to the ritual. She would be reborn, again and again, only to die when the red moon rose."

He looked directly at Lila now. "You are her seventh reincarnation, Lila. Every hundred years, Selene's soul returns in a new body. And every time, I find her, trying to break the cycle."

"That's why you brought me here?" Lila asked, her voice barely a whisper. "To die for your barrier?"

"No!" The king's voice was angry. "I brought you here to save you. This time, I have a plan to break the curse."

Lila backed away from him. "Why should I believe you? Darius told me you're the one who wants to use me."

"Darius," the king growled, "is not who he claims to be. He doesn't want to save you—he wants to use your power for himself."

Suddenly, the mirrors started to glow, and the women inside moved. They all turned to look at Lila, their eyes shining golden like hers did when she used her power.

"What's happening?" Lila gasped.

"The red moon is rising," the king said quickly. "Your past lives are trying to warn you."

The woman in the red gown—Selene—pressed her hand against the glass. Her mouth moved, forming words Lila couldn't hear.

Then, all at once, the mirrors broke. Lila screamed, hiding her face as glass flew everywhere. But when she dropped her hands, she saw that the glass had formed a pattern on the floor—a map of the castle with the North Tower glowing red.

"The North Tower," Lila whispered, remembering the letter tied to the sparrow's leg. "Darius said my mother is there."

"It's a trap," the king warned. "If you go there during the red moon, the cycle will continue. You'll die, just like all the others."

Lila looked at him, seeing not the cold Blood King but signs of the human healer he once was. "What happened to you? How did you live so long?"

Pain flickered across his face. "I made a deal with darkness itself. My humanity for immortality. So I could find you in each life and try to save you."

A bell began to toll somewhere deep in the castle.

"Midnight approaches," the king said. "The red moon will reach its peak soon. You must decide, Lila. Trust me and stay here, or go to the North Tower and face Darius."

Lila closed her eyes, feeling split between hope and fear. If her mother truly lived...

When she opened her eyes, she had made her choice. "I'm going to the North Tower."

The king's face fell. "Then I can't stop you. But I won't let you go alone."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial filled with bright red liquid. "My blood. It will strengthen your powers, just for tonight."

As Lila took the vial, the king leaned closer. "Remember, Lila, things aren't always what they seem. The mother you seek may not be the mother you knew."

Before she could ask what he meant, a huge explosion rocked the castle. The floor beneath them shook.

"He's here," the king whispered. "Darius has breached the outer walls."

Lila clutched the vial of blood as another blast shook the tower. "I need to find my mother."

The king looked at her with old, sad eyes. "Then go. But remember, the truth you seek may be more painful than the lies you've been told."

As Lila turned to leave, the king called after her one last time. "Lila! If you see a woman with golden hair and blue eyes in the North Tower—run. Don't listen to anything she says."

"Why?" Lila asked.

But before the king could answer, the roof above them cracked. The last thing Lila saw was the king lunging toward her as the stones came crashing down.