Chapter 93 The Prophecy
"Are you sure it's a good idea to expel Solange from the castle?" Kael asks, with a worried look.
We were in the library. I was leafing through the books of the ancient Elyrions, trying to find some explanation for my power to absorb dark energy and why the baby was adapting so well to it.
"Solange promoted division and even imprisoned the queen of the kingdom in a cell that could have killed the future heir to the throne. This is treason, and no king should tolerate it, regardless of kinship."
Conrad speaks with a firm posture, behind me. Conrad had refused to leave my side since the prison.
"I know, my King," Kael says respectfully. "But still, everyone was on her side. I fear this could trigger a rebellion."
"Kael is right," I say, feeling Conrad tense beside me. "Everyone is panicking and many are fleeing the kingdom. The few who are restoring it, who are preparing for the war to come, need to feel that at least their leaders are standing firm. Turning us against each other will only increase the despair."
"You yourself confirmed that Solange is using dark magic and that puts you and our baby at risk. I won't let my mother hurt you again."
I sigh wearily, understanding her feelings. But still, I knew what was right.
"Can you leave us alone for a few minutes, Kael?" I ask, and he promptly leaves the library.
I stand up and join my body to my companion's. Conrad wraps his arms around my waist possessively and buries his head in my neck, breathing in my scent.
"I don't want Solange near our baby either. For a moment, a very short one, but still terrifying. I can't feel our baby." My confession made Conrad look at me, his eyes full of concern. "I thought we had lost him and that would destroy me."
I confess, letting a tear fall, and Conrad immediately wipes it away.
"Forgive me, my love." I see regret in his words.
I show him a smile full of love and kiss his lips. Home and peace. That was the taste of his kiss. Almost as if years had passed without that feeling.
"It wasn't your fault, my king. But now is not the time to act on emotion. We may be giving Solange exactly what she wants. Not to mention that, while Solange is on the castle walls, we can follow her every step. We don't want to make things easy for them. And I also know that Solange is not alone; there is someone else with her. Solange will guide us to that person."
Conrad remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes fixed on mine as if trying to find some loophole in my logic—or perhaps some weakness in my resolve. He found none.
His fingers slid down to my stomach with an almost sacred reverence, his thumb making slow circles over the fabric of my dress.
"You're asking me to let a traitor walk free inside my own fortress," he said, his voice low, heavy with tension. "A woman who tried to kill you... and our child."
"I'm asking you to trust me," I replied softly.
His jaw tightened.
For a moment, I saw the king. The alpha. The man who would crush entire armies without hesitation if it meant protecting me.
Then his shoulders relaxed, just a little.
"I hate it when you're right," he murmured.
I smiled.
"You don't."
"Yes, I do."
"You don't."
A breath of laughter escaped him, short but real, and it warmed something inside me. As much as the world was crumbling, there were still small moments of normalcy between us.
But the relief didn't last. A strange pressure coursed through my abdomen.
It wasn't pain.
It was... energy.
My whole body stiffened.
Conrad noticed immediately.
"Maya?"
Before I could answer, a wave of heat swept through the library. The candles on the walls flickered violently, as if an invisible wind had passed through.
Then the flames... changed.
The fire grew higher, more intense—and began to move.
Not chaotically.
Consciously.
The flames lengthened, snaking along the stone wall behind the main table. Old books vibrated on the shelves, some falling to the floor with dry thuds.
"Stand behind me," Conrad ordered, already drawing energy into his hands.
"No," I whispered, unable to look away.
The fire wasn't out of control.
It was... responding.
To the baby.
My heart raced when I felt a small movement inside me—strong, deliberate, as if our child were trying to reach for something.
The flames condensed.
And then they formed words.
Not written with ink.
Written with living fire.
An ancient language, but one I understood instinctively, as if engraved on my soul.
Conrad stopped beside me, the shock evident in his eyes.
We read together.
"When the moon bleeds upon the broken throne,
will be born one who belongs to no side.
Son of the light that devours the darkness,
heir of the shadows that swallow the light.
His blood will break ancient chains,
and his breath will awaken forgotten powers.
Neither king nor monster—but both.
If he lives, kingdoms will fall.
If he dies, the world will fall.
For in him dwells balance...
and the end."
The silence that followed was absolute.
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure Conrad could hear it.
"Our son..." He murmured, his voice hoarse.
The flames began to slowly die down, as if the message had served its purpose. Only black marks remained on the stone—burn scars that would never fade.
My hands trembled.
"He controls... both sides," I whispered. "Pure magic... and shadows..."
Conrad turned his face to me, his golden eyes now mixed with something I had never seen before.
Fear.
Not for him.
For me.
For our child.
"That means everyone will hunt him," he said, the realization hitting him like a blade. "The kingdoms. The sorcerers. The clans. Everyone."
I swallowed hard.
Because I knew he was right.
But I also knew something else.
I placed my hand over his, pressing it against my belly.
The baby moved again.
Strong.
Alive.
Powerful.
"Then let them try," I said, feeling a fierce determination growing inside me. "Because no one will touch him while I breathe."
Conrad rested his forehead against mine.
"Not even while I breathe," he promised.
And, in that moment, a certainty flashed through my heart like lightning:
The war that was coming...
It wasn't just for the kingdoms.
It was for our son.