Liora Z
My best friend and I. A witch and a Fae from Whisperwood.
I have the blood of a Seer. My three rune bones can see a kingdom's rise and fall.
She's a gold-touched Fae. Born to attract wealth. One roll of the dice in a goblin casino, and she'd empty their vault.
When we were eighteen, we found a disgraced Grand Duke in the capital's slums. His stepmother had thrown him out. We saved him.
She amassed his gold. I spun his fate. We helped him claw his way back to the capital. He took back his land. His scepter.
The first thing he did? He asked my best friend to marry him. They had a son. A gifted heir.
I grew tired of the noble squabbles. I went back to my hidden cottage in the woods.
Ten years later, a little princess. Blessed by the Moon Goddess. Finally born in the Duke's castle.
He was ecstatic. Flew his griffin over the mountains that night. Begged me to come bless his daughter.
Of course, I agreed. I stood over the cradle. Drew a sacred blessing rune on the baby's forehead.
Before I left, I had a sudden urge. I tossed my three rune bones. A quick look into my friend's future.
But they hit the floor and turned to dust. Black magic choked the air. An omen of death. Her soul was gone.
Ice flooded my veins.
If my best friend was already dead...then who was the Duchess, smiling at me from her velvet chaise?