Chapter 19 A God’s Mark
“Sienna, it’s not just a collar.”
The words were quiet, barely a whisper, but they rattled her bones like a thunderclap. Harvey’s voice had been tight with unease when he said it. They were standing in the middle of the empty room now, the soft, golden light from the chandelier casting shadows on the walls, as if the very air around them was thick with the tension of what he was about to reveal.Sienna glanced down at the silver collar that rested snugly around her neck, feeling its cool weight against her skin. It had been a constant presence since she’d first come into contact with it, the first tangible piece of this cursed inheritance, this ancient legacy that she couldn’t outrun.The collar felt like a mark, as if it was branding her, reminding her of the truth: that she wasn’t just a part of this world, she was tied to something older, darker, and far more dangerous.
“Then what is it?” she asked, trying to keep the tremor from her voice.
Harvey didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took a step back, his hand brushing the worn edges of a leather chair as his gaze lingered on the collar. His eyes were narrow, calculating, as though he were considering how much to tell her, how much she could handle. He’d already given her so many pieces of this puzzle, but now, it seemed, the picture was growing even more complicated, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it.
“Let me show you something,” he finally said, his voice low and dangerous.
Sienna nodded, though she was unsure of what he meant.
“This collar is a symbol of your bloodline, Sienna. It’s not just an heirloom or some relic. It’s tied to something far older. Something divine. It’s a mark of power.”
The words echoed through her, and Sienna felt her pulse quicken. She wasn’t sure if it was the collar or something else that was causing her heart to race like this. her fingers brushing the cool metal, but the moment she made contact, her vision blurred.
She saw flashes of an ancient temple, stone pillars etched with strange symbols, shadows moving along the walls. Figures draped in cloaks stood in circles, A woman’s face, beautiful and fierce, powerful filled her vision, the First Queen.
Sienna gasped, stumbling back. She gripped the collar tighter, trying to steady herself. “What was that?”
Harvey’s face was grim as he moved to her side, steadying her with a firm grip on her shoulder. “That, Sienna, is the power that you’re tapping into. Your bloodline, your heritage, it connects you to the First Queen. To her blood. And that collar? It’s a direct link to the divine power she once wielded.”
Sienna shook her head, disoriented. “This can’t be real. It can’t, ”
“It is real,” Harvey interrupted, his voice unwavering. “You don’t understand yet, but you will. Your mother knew this day would come. She knew you’d find this collar. And when you did, everything will change.”
Sienna looked at the silver collar in her hands, its faint glow like a heartbeat. It felt alive, like it was attuned to her very soul. She swallowed, trying to gather her thoughts. “Why me? Why am I the one it’s calling to?”
Harvey’s eyes softened with pity. “It’s not about why, Sienna. It’s about what. This power, this curse, it’s tied to you because of your lineage. Your blood runs through the veins of the First Queen. You’re the heir, the one who can either break the curse or seal the fate of this world.” so the decision is yours
Sienna could feel her chest tighten, She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it hadn’t been this. It hadn’t been a divine inheritance, a godly curse, and the weight of something ancient bearing down on her.
A sudden pulse of energy radiated from the collar, sharp and unyielding. Sienna cried out, her body jerking as the raw power coursed through her veins, leaving a trail of heat that burned beneath her skin.
Harvey reached for her, panic flashing in his eyes. “Sienna, stop! You can’t let it take over!”
But it was too late. The collar had already begun to do its work, and the connection between her bloodline and the divine power had become too strong.
She tried to push the collar away, but the moment her hands brushed against the silver start again, making her cry out in agony. Her body was on fire, every nerve alive with the power surging through her body. The room spun as she tried to focus, tried to make sense of what was happening.
Harvey’s voice broke through the fog in her mind, but it sounded distant now. “Listen to me, Sienna!You have to fight it, Don’t let it control you”
.It was so tempting, so overwhelming, that she could almost forget about the danger, the warnings, the curse itself.
Her vision went black for a moment, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself kneeling on the floor while she was scared , gasping for breath. The glow from the collar had dimmed, but the air was still thick with the part of the power she had just unleashed itself. She felt drained, like she had given something away, something essential.
Harvey knelt beside her, his hand on her shoulder. “You have to be careful. You’re not ready for this kind of power, Sienna.It’s ancient. It’s dangerous .And if you allow it control you, anything might happen.”
She looked at him, feeling a mix of fear and anger. “Then how do I stop it? How do I control it?”
Harvey hesitated, his gaze flickering to the collar around her neck. “You can’t control it by yourself. Not yet. But there is a way, there’s a ritual, something your mother started. But it’s dangerous. It could kill you if you’re not prepared.”
Sienna stood up, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Then tell me. I need to know. I’m not running from this. I won’t.”
Harvey looked at her, a deep sadness in his eyes. “You might not have a choice.”
Sienna’s chest tightened as she realized that the path she was about to walk down could lead to her destruction. But there was something else, too. The collar wasn’t just a curse. It was a key. A key to unlocking everything she admired
And as much as she was scared, she knew deep down that she had no choice but to follow where it led her.