Welcome to the Empire. Where the Prophecy is law, and betrayal is the only way to survive it.
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Two thousand years ago, the Prophecy of Fire and Light foretold the coming of the...
Sleep was harder than usual for Treyan that night.
He finally had a plan and it made him restless. Awake, he stared at the ceiling, and often found himself thinking of Alex. Was she, too, lying awake? Was she thinking of him as he thought of her?
He was aware nothing he could do or say would make anything better, so he gave her the space she needed, and left her alone.
Even as he knew it would eat at him from the inside out.
But this plan—he would need to speak to the Councillor about it as soon as the suns began to rise, and once their light shone over the horizon, he rolled out of bed and began dressing for the day.
This would work, he convinced himself. He also knew there would be objections, but they had to trust him.
He was tying his boots when there was a knock at the door.
"Enter."
Mallia stepped in and his heart skipped a beat. He had asked the Mistress to keep an eye on Alex in his stead, and she did so honorably until Alex sent her away. But now, upon Mallia's arrival, Treyan had to wonder if Alex had sent for him.
But Mallia entered quietly, her head bowed. "My prince, the Councillor has asked for a moment of your time."
No, not Alex. It was hard to hide the disappointment from his face as Mallia remained standing at the door, waiting for a response.
But an invitation to see the Councillor would do just as well.
He cleared his throat. "Please advise the Councillor that I will be there momentarily," he informed her with more formality than required.
"Yes, my prince." She bowed and moved to close the door behind her.
"Mallia," he called out before she could depart, stopping her.
Treyan moved toward her, closing the space between them. "I'm sorry for what happened with Alex. That she dismissed you."
The Mistress looked at him with a sadness behind her eyes, but nodded, her voice soft. "We all wanted what was best for her, Treyan. I wouldn't have agreed if I didn't believe the same."
The door to his room closed before he could ask anything more.
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He did all he could to keep from sprinting to the Councillor's chambers.
Once he arrived, he burst through the door, but the Councillor already had an audience. He paused once Treyan entered, his attention focused on the chair closest to the door.
Treyan's heart skipped a beat.
"Alex."
She did not respond, but remained seated, her eyes upon the Councillor as he stood at the other side of the room.
