AFTER THE CEREMONY, focus shifted to the dining hall for a massive feast. The room had been decorated for the coronation. Extravagant gold metalwork lined the alabaster walls. Chandeliers dripped with glittering diamonds hung above the long, narrow table that stretched from one side of the room to the other. The table itself was decorated with a mixture of multicolored wildflowers and brilliant evergreen foliage. A golden plate sat in front of each chair, complete with matching golden silverware.

Ravenna found herself seated opposite from Eoin, surrounded by women — all wives and daughters of various lords and noblemen. Each one wore luxurious silks and furs. Their hair was styled fashionably and their necks glittered with jewels. They all eyed Ravenna cautiously, with cheerful smiles plastered to their faces. It made her nervous.

Women of high status could be vicious, whenever they please.

The two closest to Ravenna leaned in closer to her. One sported beautiful turquoise silks and her dark hair was pulled back into an elaborate braid. The other wore bright red silks and a massive ring on each finger. Her hair was the color of sunshine.

"I suppose the pressure on you must be intense now," the noblewoman with dark hair said. She smiled warmly at Ravenna and added, "At least, considering that there is no immediate heir to the throne currently. In fact, I'm sure that any day now a pregnancy announcement will be made!"

Ravenna forced her lips to form a smile. "Ah, well we only just got married," she said. Her nerves were evident in the sound of her voice. The last thing that she wanted to think about was becoming pregnant with Eoin's child. "We have some time before it comes to that."

The other noblewoman laughed loudly. Her hand pressed flat against her chest, her many rings glistening against the candlelight that flooded the hall. "Oh my,'" she managed to snort out. "That is quite amusing."

The dark haired woman laughed as well. They both laughed and laughed — and watched her intently, their concern growing noticeable when Ravenna did not laugh with them. "Surely you are joking," one of the women mused.

Ravenna smiled at them kindly. "What do you mean?"

"Oh dear," they both chimed in unison and shared a frown. The women leaned forward slightly, closer to Ravenna.

The woman with many rings spoke first. "Naturally, producing an heir to the throne is the Queen's duty. It is your sole purpose for existing," she explained, so matter-of-fact. "It is essential to the survival of our kingdom. You were created with the sole purpose to birth our future ruler. The entire kingdom is counting on you."

"You obviously will not be alone during the process," the other woman added. She shifted around in her seat slightly, her turquoise silks almost flowing around her body like ocean water. She smiled kindly and touched Ravenna's hand. "You have an entire palace at your disposal. As queen, you have access to the best of the best."

"Oh absolutely!" the other woman bellowed. She shook a ring covered finger at Ravenna. "Tutors, nursemaids — anything that you could possibly desire is just a mere command away. You will hardly even have to touch the child."

The other woman cut in quickly, "However, it is recommended that you spend some amount of time with the child. There have been studies that show that quality parental time can be quite beneficial."

"Ah," Ravenna said meekly. "I see."

The noblewomen prattled on, undeterred by Ravenna's obvious hesitation and nervousness. She did her best to nod along and smile pleasantly. She did not want to engage fully in the conversation — she did not want to misspeak. The last thing that she needed was to say the wrong thing and these women spread it throughout the kingdom.

As the night carried on, her nerves grew more and more intense. Eoin gave several speeches. Ravenna was required to stand and smile at everyone for each one. Glasses of mead and expensive wines clinked together.

The higher that the moon rose into the sky, the drunker Eoin became.

It became unbearable. Ravenna felt sick, watching him sway. Despite being so far away from her, she could still hear his shouts — his boastful gloating about Ravenna and her body. The moment she could, she politely retired for the evening. She felt uncomfortable being surrounded by so many happy people celebrating and Eoin's drunken behavior.

It especially unnerved her considering the object of their celebrations would die soon enough.

Smiling and bidding everyone a wonderful night, Ravenna made her way from the dining hall to her bedroom. She hastily shooed Alyss away for the night and shut the door behind her.

Sucking in a deep breath, she sat down gingerly on the edge of her bed. Her fingers curled around the edge of the mattress, skin taut over the bones of her knuckles. Her thoughts were scattered. A small sliver of guilt stabbed at the base of her throat. Within just a few days time, Eoin would suffer the same fate as his father. The kingdom would mourn again.

She pulled her talisman free from her dress and held the glowing pendant in her palm. Her lips moved around a whispered spell. Eoin's blood-doll appeared in her empty hand. She let the talisman drop. It hit her chest with a muted thump.

Her finger lightly stroked the blood-doll's chest. A heartbeat pulsated through the doll's glowing core, pounding against her skin.

A soft sigh escaped her.

The bedroom door burst open and her head shot up. Her hands worked quick to hide the blood-doll beneath a pillow. Eoin stumbled inside the room. His fingers were curled around an almost empty mug of mead. He waved it at her and said, "You left me."

"You are too drunk," she retorted. She stood and folded her arms across her chest. "I am not fond of your drunken company. Please leave."

Eoin moved closer to her. The mug slipped from his hands and shattered against the ground. It did not phase him. He simply abandoned his drink, allowing the mead to seep deep into the alabaster stones beneath him. He staggered toward her. Ravenna scowled at him. "What are you doing?" she asked him. He loomed over her, his expression dark.

Something unreadable swam within his emerald eyes.

He shoved her backward. She grunted as her back slammed into the feathered mattress. His lips pressed sloppy kisses against her neck. Ravenna squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to remain in control of her emotions — of her magic. "Get off of me now," she hissed.

Eoin ignored her and his hands pulled at her dress. "I am your husband," he grunted. "Your body belongs to me."

Her hands pressed flat against his chest. She pushed, hard. Glowing ice danced across the tops of her knuckles. He rolled backward, hitting the edge of the bed, and bounced onto the floor. A startled huff escaped his lips upon impact. "Owe," she heard him groan.

Ravenna hastily stood and adjusted her dress. Her talisman scorched the skin of her chest. Anger inflamed every cell within her body. She glowered down at him, magic pirouetting in between her fingers.

His body was sprawled out across the floor, half hidden beneath the bed itself. He moaned in pain and slowly pulled himself into a seated position. One of his hands clutched at his head. The other reached out toward the bed. "What is this?" he murmured under his breath, more to himself.

Her heart stopped as he lifted his free hand toward his face and tried to examine the jelly-like consistency in his hands. The blood-doll flopped around lifelessly as he attempted to hold it. Confusion plagued his facial features. "What is this?" he repeated, louder.

"It is nothing," she tried to assure him. She held her hand out. "Please give that to me. You could easily damage it, especially right now. You are too drunk."

Eoin stared at her for a moment. He pointed halfheartedly at her head and squinted. "What is that?" he asked. His words were still heavily slurred.

Ravenna paused. Her hand gingerly touched the top of her head. All she felt was hair. "What do you mean?"

"That!" Eoin pointed more dramatically at her head. "That! Your head!"

She lifted both hands to the top of her head. Her fingers probed her tousled hair, searching for whatever Eoin saw. Frustration bristled through her. She pressed against her temples, her patience nonexistent.

Then she froze. Her fingers brushed just slightly upward, stroking the jagged edges of a crown. The crown wrapped across her forehead, melted into her skin — just like the magic ice crown she'd accidentally created. The crown that was supposed to be hidden away, thanks to Vyses's spells.

Her jaw clenched. She was running out of time.

Ravenna squared her shoulders and scowled, shaking her head at Eoin. "You are too drunk," she snapped at him.

He growled at her and fumbled to his feet. As he moved, his fingers curled tight around the blood-doll in his hands, squeezing it slightly. His free hand clutched at his chest. A pained gasp tore through him.

"W-What?" the raspy word fumbled past his lips. He took a stumbling step forward and then doubled over in pain. "What is this?"

Ravenna stepped in front of him. She reached out, her hands clamping down on his shoulders. She steadied him. Then she held her hand out. "Give that to me," she ordered.

Eoin squinted at her. He swayed slightly on his feet. His gaze dropped to her expectant hand. He scowled and held up the blood-doll. "This thing? What is this?"

"Just hand it to me," she tried to coax him.

He turned away from her. The blood-doll glowed bright in his hands. He squeezed it again, momentarily mesmerized by the doll's core. Pain shattered through him. His knees cracked against the hard stone floor and he clutched violently at his chest, gasping for air.

The blood-doll dropped from his grasp and bounced like jelly atop the ground. It rolled a bit toward Ravenna's feet.

Eoin's gaze remained focused on the blood-doll. His expression was suddenly ice cold — and sober. His fingers absently scratched at his chest, at the skin and fabric that shielded his heart. A cough escaped him. It rattled through his body and he sank lower toward the floor.

Ravenna watched him carefully. She knelt down and gingerly lifted the blood-doll from the ground, cradling it in her hands. As she stood again, her gaze shifted toward him. His eyes pierced right through her.

"Is that how you killed my father?"

~

hey there friends! 

I hope that you are doing okay so far this week! I totally forgot to post a chapter last week (I'm so sorry!) so I will post double this week again to hopefully make up for it! I think it kind of works out though because this chapter ends on quite the cliff-hanger! 

The next chapter is definitely going to be a wild one. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this book! I really appreciate your continued support. You all mean so much to me! I hope that you have an awesome day!! ❤

ash ❤