Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Echoes of the Past

The next morning came with no peace. A thick fog blanketed the palace grounds, as if the land itself sensed the encroaching danger. The silence outside was unnatural—no birdsong, no rustling of the wind—just a quiet so heavy it felt like a warning.

Liam was already up when I opened my eyes, standing shirtless by the fireplace, staring into the embers. His back was tense, his fists clenched. I could tell he hadn't slept.

"He was talking about me," I said softly. "About isolating me. Why?"

He turned to me, eyes shadowed with worry. "Because you're the key, Lola. Whatever prophecy binds this land… it centers on you. Maybe they believe that if you're alone, unprotected, the prophecy can't be fulfilled—or worse, it can."

I sat up slowly, wrapping the blanket around me. "Do you think this has anything to do with my past? My parents? My bloodline?"

Liam nodded slowly. "I've started to think that whoever you were before—whatever secrets your family kept—it's tied to the curse on SilverWood. That's why they want you isolated. That's why they fear you."

The word curse sent a chill through me. I had heard whispers since I arrived, murmurs of an ancient darkness that plagued the kingdom long before Liam took the throne. But I never thought it was more than folklore.

"Then we need answers," I said. "And there's only one person I know who might have them."

Liam looked up. "Who?"

"My grandmother."

He froze.

"You said she disappeared after the fire that killed your parents," he reminded me. "She hasn't been seen in years."

"But she's not dead," I insisted. "I've felt her watching me… even in my dreams."

Liam stepped forward, kneeling before me. "If you believe she's alive, then we'll find her. But we need to move carefully. We can't trust anyone outside this room—not yet."

—

Later that day, under the guise of a hunting expedition, Liam and I rode out into the forest, taking only one trusted guard—Marek, one of Liam's oldest friends and sworn protectors. The air was thick with tension, and every sound felt amplified. Birds scattered at our approach. Even the wind seemed afraid to follow us.

We followed the path that led toward the old borderlands, where the ruins of my childhood village still lay in ash and memory. No one came here anymore. Too many ghosts.

When we reached the clearing, the smell of burnt earth lingered despite the passing years. I dismounted slowly, staring at what was once my home. The stone chimney of our cottage still stood, blackened and cracked.

Liam came to stand beside me. "Is this where it happened?"

I nodded, tears pricking at my eyes. "I was only seven. I remember screams. Smoke. Someone carrying me out of the flames. I thought it was a dream, but…"

"But it wasn't," a voice said behind us.

We spun around.

A cloaked figure stood at the edge of the trees, her presence cloaked in shadows. Slowly, she pulled back her hood, revealing silver hair braided down her back and eyes so like mine it stole my breath.

"Grandmother?" I whispered.

She stepped closer, her face lined with age but her spirit still strong. "You've come at last, child. I've waited years for this moment."

I rushed toward her, but she held up a hand.

"There is much I must tell you. But not here. It is not safe."

Liam stepped protectively beside me. "Who is after her? Why now?"

The old woman's eyes narrowed. "Because her blood awakens the prophecy. And because one of your own is working to fulfill the curse, not break it."

My breath caught. "Garrick?"

She shook her head. "He is merely a pawn. The true threat… is someone far closer to the throne."

Liam's face paled. "No…"

"There is a second prophecy," she said, voice grave. "One that speaks of betrayal not by an enemy, but by the one whose hands cradle the crown."

My knees buckled. Liam caught me.

"You mean the heir?" he asked. "The rightful heir?"

My grandmother's eyes flicked to me. "The prophecy does not lie. The blood of the betrayed carries the power to either curse or cleanse this land. And she," she looked at me, "was born of that blood."

My head spun.

"Are you saying… I'm the heir?" I gasped.

She nodded. "You are the last true-born daughter of the royal line before the war. Hidden for your protection. The fire was meant to erase you. But destiny has its ways."

Liam stared at me, stunned. "Lola… this means…"

I turned to him, breathless. "I was never just a servant. I was hidden in plain sight. And now they know I'm alive."

"And they'll stop at nothing to destroy you," my grandmother finished.

—

We returned to the palace in silence, our minds reeling. The truth was too massive, too heavy to carry in one breath. But there was no turning back now. The traitor within the court was growing bolder, and I had a target on my back larger than ever.

That night, as we lay together beneath the silk sheets, Liam pulled me close, his body tense.

"I don't care who you were born to be," he whispered into my hair. "You are mine, Lola. My mate. My Queen. And I will kill anyone who tries to take you from me."

I looked up at him, heart aching. "And I'll stand beside you. But we're running out of time."

Outside, thunder cracked across the sky. Rain poured down in heavy sheets, drenching the kingdom in a storm that seemed to echo our turmoil.

And in the shadows of the east wing, someone watched us from the darkness, a wicked grin curling their lips.

The game had begun.

—