Semua Bab TWO FATES, ONE THRONE.: Bab 21 - Bab 30

CHAPTER 22 DAMIEN’S POV I had the intention of training throughout the day—not because of the assessment but because I was confused and upset. Raven said someone summoned her last night, and I was summoned as well. The only time two people are summoned together is when the Moon is trying to join two people together, or when someone is practicing black magic. The Moon brought mates together or those that were destined to be nebular allies. Raven and I can’t be either. I can’t be her mate because we are cousins, and Raven and I can’t be nebular allies. We had no friendship of any form towards each other. So I was sure someone was practicing black magic. But who could it be, and why bring both of us down to the kitchen. I needed to handle this on my own. Notifying the Council of Elders would not be right. They already saw me as not fit enough to rule. I got into the training grounds and I saw Rowan and Raven talking. Rowan and

CHAPTER 24DAMIEN’S POVOphelia finally came up to her room, and Raven had to leave to meet her. Still, it was nice to have here just smiling with Vera and me—Like nothing had happened, and we didn’t still have a throne to fight for. Rowan’s words from earlier on stayed with me. He has been revealing a lot to me lately—things I hadn’t expected him to notice, let alone understand.Rowan was one of the quiet ones, the kind you wouldn’t question if you heard they’d been listening to your conversations. He blended in easily. He was the loveable kid, so it was easy for him to get information from people either from speaking directly to them, or simply by passing by unnoticed.I needed to see a healer. One that didn’t work for the palace to have Vera thoroughly checked. I couldn’t believe Rowan’s words. I wasn’t going to accept that Vera was one of the weak links. I didn’t even know how it was possible that she would be a weak wolf when she was born from tw

CHAPTER 26DAMIEN’S POVRaven didn’t say a word after I told her I couldn’t accept her. She just left. I couldn’t tell if I didn’t like that she didn’t give a reply to what I had said, but my wolf definitely didn’t like it.He wanted her in the room longer. Being close to Raven made my wolf quiet, grounded—and that terrified me. I dressed my wound neatly after she left. The wound was something else entirely, something I couldn’t put a name to.How had I gotten cut?The smoke figure had been in a wolf form. I didn’t know if it was black magic, but something was definitely happening and Raven was a big part of it.The whole situation dragged my thoughts back to what Rowan had said.Whoever was doing this knew exactly who—and—what Raven was, and I still couldn’t figure out who she was.I couldn’t lie. My wolf felt some kind of surge around her, one I couldn’t name.I wanted to ask Mima about Aunt Lyra—about when Raven was born. What was it

CHAPTER 28DAMIEN’S POVI looked across the table to Raven. We hadn’t seen each other since we ran into each other in the slums.I have been avoiding her—and places I knew she might be lurking. I didn’t want her to see the truth I tried so hard to bury.I didn’t want to let her know that all I could offer those in the slums was food. Shame gripped me whenever I slept on beds thick enough to swallow exhaustion while those in the slums slept on the cold grounds.It was time for the feast before the assessment, and we were all seated. Every single contestant was seated at the table, dressed in ceremonial black and silver I hated this tradition, because for some of them, it was going to be their last meal.There were going to be trials that tested bone and blood, spirit and sanity. Some would leave broken. Some wouldn’t leave at all.The trials were always into three section and that meant there was going to be two more feast like this.The tabl

CHAPTER 30DAMIEN’S POVThe contestant started to separate to find the moonstones. Rowan and I were the only ones paired; the rest were willing to work separately—which meant they didn’t mind killing each other.Rowan and I decided to go north in search of the moonstones, but a part of me wanted to go in the direction Orion went.I might need to survive alone, but I didn’t want nor need Orion wining this assessment, because that meant he would have another reason to be close to Raven.We found water near midday—a narrow stream winding between moss-covered stones. We drank as much as we could because we didn’t know when next we would have a chance to encounter water.By afternoon, the first sign of danger appeared.A scream.It echoed through the forest—sharp, terrified, cut short far too quickly.Rowan and I froze.“That came from the west,” he said.I clenched my fists. “Someone’s already down.”We didn’t move toward t