POV: Iris
— The Throne of Shadow demands its queen. The king has returned among us...
The words escape me before I even realize it.
I can feel the eyes on me, but I can't tear mine away from those sentences, written in black ashes, in a language I'm not supposed to know.
How could I read a language I don't know?
How is such a thing even possible?
A buzzing fills my ears, my hands tingle, and my whole body feels like it's about to shatter apart.
I feel someone pulling me back, but my eyes remain locked on the corpse.
I walk, lost in my thoughts, while they make me get into the car.
Demon and Ryan take their seats too.
The car starts immediately.
— How could I read that language? I ask, turning to them.
No answer.
I sigh and shift my gaze back to the landscape flying by through the window.
Lost in thought, one question keeps hammering my mind: who killed that person? And why? How do I know that language?
The drive unfolds in silence.
Suddenly, the car brakes brutally, almost throwing me forward — Demon catches me just in time.
His arms wrap around my waist, and a strange warmth spreads from that touch, setting my whole body ablaze.
But as soon as he's caught me, he pulls his hand away, as if I had burned him.
— What's going on? asks Ryan to the driver.
— There's someone on the road, sir, the driver replies.
Ryan growls, opens the door, and steps out. Demon follows him.
I hesitate for a moment before joining them.
Outside, a swirl of wind rises before us, lifting clouds of dust.
Then, at the center, a veiled woman appears, dressed entirely in black.
I squint.
— Alpha of the Northern Lands, and of the Blood Fangs, says the woman.
I have come to deliver you a message.
Her voice echoes in the air.
— The King of Kings of all lands will soon be here. And he demands what is rightfully his, she adds.
Give it back to him... or die in unspeakable agony.
I glance at Ryan and Demon, who seem as lost as I am.
The woman then raises her hand and points at me.
— It is time to return to the one you have always belonged to, she says.
I frown.
— Come to me.
Her voice bewitches me. My body moves against my will. I take a step forward.
A hand suddenly grabs me and pulls me back — Demon.
— The one who stands in the Great King's way shall die, says the woman, her voice like ice.
Then she begins chanting in an ancient tongue:
> — ᚨᛚᛁᚷᚾᚨ ᚱᛟᛋᛟᚾ ᚠᚢᚾᚨ ᚲᚨᚱᚨᚾ...
A cloud of dark smoke bursts from her hands and rushes toward us.
But as soon as it reaches our direction, it vanishes into the air.
— How is that possible? whispers the woman.
— You just signed your death warrant by showing yourself to us, says Ryan, his voice dark and menacing.
That was the worst mistake you could have made.
The woman bursts into a crystalline laugh.
A black mist envelops her. She slowly rises into the air, scattering leaves and dust around her.
— You've chosen death, she says. So be it!
Then she vanishes — as if she had evaporated.
I remain frozen, eyes fixed on the spot where she stood.
How... how is that possible?
This must be some kind of twisted joke... one Ryan and Demon are playing on me... yet it felt so real...
A sharp pain on my wrist pulls me out of my thoughts.
Demon is gripping my arm tightly. I wince, turn to him — he seems distant, lost.
I tug at my arm. He finally realizes he's hurting me and lets go.
The rest of the ride unfolds in heavy silence.
Since I arrived in Atlanta, everything has been slipping away from me.
Things I can't explain.
First, Demon's eyes that glowed.
I told myself it was fatigue, grief...
Then my father.
And now... that corpse. That woman.
No. I can't keep ignoring what's happening.
My mind desperately tries to find a rational explanation, but nothing comes.
The car finally stops.
Still lost in thought, I get out without a word, without looking back, and go straight to my room.
I lock the door twice.
I go to my suitcase, pull out the clothes I had folded just yesterday.
I can't stay here.
I fold them hastily, pack them back in, and close the suitcase.
I reach for my phone to call my aunt.
But no answer.
After several attempts, I give up.
I exhale, exhausted, and fall back onto the bed.
I'll leave tonight. As soon as they're asleep.
I close my eyes and let out a sigh.
Coming to this city... was a mistake.
A noise at the door makes me jump.
— Iris, sweetheart, can I talk to you for a second? asks Hayler's soft voice.
I don't answer. I can't let her suspect I'm leaving.
— Iris? Are you all right?
Still silence.
Then, after a moment, I hear her footsteps fade away.
I let out a long sigh of relief.
I don't yet know how I'll leave, or where I'll go...
But I have to.
I must have dozed off.
When I open my eyes, night has already fallen, plunging the world into darkness.
I get up, stretch, and tiptoe to the door.
I listen.
Nothing. Complete silence.
I grab my suitcase and slowly descend the stairs.
The hallway is lit by a few candles, the living room swallowed in shadow.
My heart is pounding wildly.
Just a few more steps.
I reach the living room, breathless.
I set down my suitcase, step toward the door — and bump into a flower pot.
It wobbles. I catch it just in time.
I let out a trembling breath and reach for the handle.
Freedom is there, at my fingertips.
But before I can turn the knob,
a cold, firm hand closes around my shoulders.
My heart explodes in my chest.
I turn slowly...
And come face to face with two silhouettes, their eyes gleaming in the dark.
— To me, they say in unison.