Every other time I have fainted, everything had been black. It wasn’t like sleeping, as there were no dreams involved. As a result, I was quite surprised that the moment my world had darkened, another image had taken shape behind my lids. The ballroom. It had been a while since I saw it, which meant only one thing: Kalen was visiting me again.

His smile was bright and happy when he saw me, his arms an open invitation. I wasn’t feeling very warm toward him and stayed rooted in my spot. Kalen cocked his head to the side, confusion written over his handsome face. It was like he didn’t know what he had done at all. He made sure of my death and now acted like it never happened.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice taking on a worried tone.

I couldn’t help it, I was still too emotional. “As if you don’t know!” I accused, my tone thick with tears.

Again, nothing seemed to register. “Did Andreas hurt you? Because I swear to whatever god is above that if he laid a finger on you in my absence…”

I stared at him. Why was he acting so clueless? “What? No! I’m not even with Andreas! You should know that! You told them to burn me!”

“What? Why would I ever do that?” he asked, his eyes wide. He shook his head once. “They are going to burn you? What the hell happened?”

I didn’t understand his lack of knowledge. I tried to read his expression. Was he trying to fool me again? Was he putting on an act? I couldn’t tell. He looked genuinely concerned and confused.

“I got captured by my parents and I’m going to be burned on the stake in a couple of hours all because you told them there was no doubt in your mind that I was a really powerful witch,” I said softly, my voice having lost its strength. I sunk to my knees and he was at my side in an instant.

His breathing was hard and anger radiated from him. “I’m gone for a week and you get captured? How did Andreas allow this to happen?” he bellowed. “Lana, look at me, please.”

I turned my gaze to him, our eyes locking in a familiar way. I felt safe with him, comfortable. Feelings I hated to have, knowing what he had done to me. “You signed me over to my death.”

“That’s not possible. I care about you too much, and I’m not even in the kingdom! I have been gone for a week on a lead regarding my parents in Gynae. I couldn’t have sentenced you to death. I would never! Someone is tricking you Lana!” I wasn’t sure if I could trust my own judgment anymore, because I believed him. No signs in his expression indicated he was trying to deceive me. But how?

“I don’t understand…” I said. “I saw you, just a couple of hours ago.”

Kalen pinched the bridge of his nose and looked back at me. He must have decided I looked like I needed comfort because instead of saying anything he threw his arms around me. “I just wanted to see how you were doing without me, since things were awkward between you in Andreas. I couldn’t have imagined this. How did he let this happen?”

“It wasn’t his fault,” I offered, defending Andreas. “John was in town… and he saw me.”

“How does John know you?” he asked, his eyebrows raised and then I know that the Kalen that sentenced me to death was not the Kalen before me right now. I had been tricked. Someone was impersonating him at the palace. How could I have been so blind?

I launched into the whole story about John, watching his face harden. I continued into how I got captured, not pausing to give him a chance to talk for fright of what he might say. I knew I should’ve told him earlier. Maybe I should’ve even mentioned having seen John after we dropped Izzy off. Perhaps if I had, he would have stayed and Andreas wouldn’t have gotten stabbed and I wouldn’t have kissed him and he wouldn’t have told me that he killed his parents and I wouldn’t have felt overwhelmed with split feelings and wouldn’t have run out to the woods to get air.

“You should have told me,” he said gently, “but I understand why you didn’t. I feel so helpless!” he exclaimed as he started pacing around the room. “I can’t save you, Lana,” he said, his voice breaking. “There is no way I can get to Eerea in time.” He snapped his eyes shut. “I will try to contact Andreas. If I could tell him what happened to you, he will save you.” He walked back over to me and planted a kiss on my mouth. I relaxed into it, thinking it would be the last time I ever get kissed.

“How will you contact Andreas?” I asked after the kiss had been broken.

“There is a spell I can cast that will allow me to contact him telepathically. I will simply use that and hope he decides to listen to me.” He was about to say something more, but the dream vanished around me.

There was a clanging against the metal as my eyes shifted back into focus in my cell. The fake Kalen was standing at the bars, a sly smile on his face. “I’m really sorry I had to do this to you, Lana. It was never my intention, or maybe it was. I knew since that first moment I saw you that you were the girl in the prophecy. I’m not ready to die, so you must.”

Knowing that he wasn’t the real Kalen meant his words no longer had any effect on me. “When exactly was the first moment we met?” I challenged, my voice unnaturally even. I rubbed at my head as a dull ache spread through it.

“In Andreas’ manor, of course, when I came to stay with him for a while.”

I smiled, knowing my trap had worked. No one else knew that Kalen and I had met before he showed up at the manor, even though he had put up a pretty good show of not knowing me. Only the real Kalen would know we had met in a dream. “It’s funny, that’s not the way I remember it. I’m almost certain there was a ballroom and dancing involved,” I replied, my eyes narrowed smugly.

The fake Kalen’s eyes widened. “No, that’s impossible.”

I shook my head. “It’s not. Don’t you remember it at all?” I questioned, my voice sickeningly sweet.

Fake Kalen frowned. “Why are you trying to prove I’m not Kalen?” he asked, his voice hinting at anger.

“Because I just talked to the real Kalen, in a dream. A common method of communication between the two of us. Something you would have known had you been the real Kalen. Now, who are you?” I demanded.

His façade dropped and before me stood a young boy that couldn’t be much older than me. “You caught me. My name’s Eric, a faithful Follower of Light, and I believe your time has come to an end. You were supposed to be Kalen and Andreas’ undoing, but instead you started caring for the both of them. Now, you must be eliminated. Let’s see how broken they are when they lose you.”

“I’m not the girl in the prophecy!” I yelled. “You are wrong about me!”

“No, we’re not. You are the only one with the power to break them.”