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THE CROWN AND THE COST

Author: Cynera
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-07-10 23:56:34

*Chapter 24 –

: Embers Beneath the Throne

*POV – Commander Reyna*

She had smelled the smoke before the messenger reached her.

The heart-chamber was three wings away, hidden behind blood wards and flame-bound seals — but Reyna had led the Queen’s Guard long enough to know when fire changed. This wasn’t ordinary. This was *summoning fire* — the kind that didn’t just burn, but *chose*.

And Seraphine had stepped right into it.

Reyna stood just outside the sealed chamber now, arms crossed, jaw tight. The runes still glowed on the stone, flickering with residual power. The guards looked to her, unsure whether to be terrified or amazed.

Behind the doors, they said, the Reaper had been destroyed.

Behind the doors, they said, the queen had *risen*.

But Reyna… wasn’t sure.

She remembered the last queen who touched the crown.

She remembered how her eyes had changed.

> “Power always takes something in return,” Reyna muttered.

And the Hollow never gave back what it stole.

---

**\POV Shift – Serap
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