Say My Name
1686 Words
“And only the Queen remains.”
Solara disappeared.
Her final words didn’t.
They hung in the Hall, stuck between the faceless statues and the black smoke spreading across the cracked stone.
Darius held Luna against him.
“No.”
His voice was quiet, final.
Luna looked toward the corridor beyond the shattered statue. Somewhere below, something slammed into the lower gate again.
The floor shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Alden stared at the fading golden symbols Solara had left behind.
“Twelve minutes,” the Keeper said.
Darius turned on him.
“She isn’t going.”
Alden’s face tightened.
“Then Lucian gets to the Book first.”
“Find another way.”
“There isn’t one.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. This Hall was sealed against rulers. If Solara said the Heart Chamber will reject you, it will.”
Darius’s eyes flashed gold.
“Then I’ll break the seal.”
“And if it destroys the Book?”
“I don’t care about the Book.”
Luna pulled away.
Darius caught her hand.
She looked at their joined fingers.
“You should.”
“No.”
“If Lucian gets those names, he controls every bond in the supernatural world.”
“He does not get you.”
“That isn’t the only thing that matters.”
“It is to me.”
The admission hit her hard.
Darius Blackwood didn’t do anything halfway.
The Hall shook again.
A deep metallic groan rolled through the corridor, followed by a crack of something ancient failing.
Alden looked into the dark.
“The first lock has broken.”
Mason moved forward, sword drawn.
“How many locks?”
“Three.”
“And when the third breaks?”
“The lower gate opens.”
Mason glanced at Luna.
“So roughly eleven minutes until the ancient tyrant gets access to a book that can erase free will.”
Evelyn muttered, “That sounded worse out loud.”
“I wasn’t going for reassuring.”
Luna turned to Darius.
“I have to go.”
“No.”
“You promised not to let fear make every choice.”
“I promised to try.”
“This is the trying part.”
“No. This is you asking me to watch you walk somewhere I can’t reach.”
His grip tightened.
“That isn’t trust.”
“What is it?”
“Cruelty.”
The word silenced her.
Darius stepped closer.
“You felt what happened when the poison took me. You went into that darkness because you couldn’t stand outside it.”
His voice roughened.
“Now you expect me to stay behind while Lucian erases you.”
Luna’s anger softened.
“I don’t expect it to be easy.”
“I don’t care.”
“I know.”
“You don’t.”
His wolf pushed against the bond.
It wanted to take her. Lock every door.
Darius hadn’t acted on it.
Yet.
Luna touched his chest.
His heartbeat thundered.
“I know you want to protect me.”
“Want is an understatement.”
“And I love that about you.”
Darius stopped breathing.
The Hall went still.
Even the darkness paused.
Luna realized what she’d said.
Love.
Darius stared at her.
The gold in his eyes faded.
“Say that again.”
“I love that about you.”
“That’s not what you said.”
“It’s close.”
“No.”
His hand lifted to her cheek.
“Luna.”
She covered his hand.
“I love you.”
The truth settled in her.
Terrifying. Certain.
Darius stared.
“You can’t say that right now.”
“I just did.”
“You’re about to walk away.”
“I’m coming back.”
“You can’t know that.”
“No.”
Her throat tightened.
“But I don’t want to leave without telling you.”
Another crash shook the Hall.
“Seven minutes,” Alden called.
Darius didn’t look away.
His thumb brushed her cheek.
“You have terrible timing.”
“You love my timing.”
“I tolerate it.”
“That sounded affectionate.”
His mouth almost curved.
“I’ve waited a thousand years for you.”
“You didn’t know.”
“Some part of me did.”
The bond opened.
Luna felt everything.
The wolf recognizing her. The loneliness. The fear of losing her.
And something steady growing every time he chose her freedom.
Darius lowered his forehead to hers.
“I love you.”
No audience. No Hall. Just them.
“I don’t know when it started,” he said. “But I’d choose you without the bond.”
Luna’s eyes burned.
“One life at a time?”
“One life at a time.”
She kissed him.
No restraint. No hesitation.
The bond flared gold.
The black smoke recoiled.
For one heartbeat, the Hall lit up.
Names covered the walls.
Then it faded.
Darius broke the kiss.
“You don’t go alone.”
“Solara said you can’t cross.”
“I’ll reach the threshold.”
“And then?”
“I wait.”
Luna touched his face.
“That’s going to be hard.”
“It might kill me.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
The third impact hit.
“One minute,” Alden said.
Darius turned.
“Mason, secure the entrance. Evelyn, stay with Alden.”
“And you?”
“I’m taking Luna to the Heart Chamber.”
He gripped her hand.
“Stay with me.”
They ran.
The corridor shifted as they moved.
Statues turned their broken faces toward Luna.
Golden light revealed a path.
Behind them, the lower gate broke.
Black smoke poured through.
Something howled beneath them.
Luna ran faster.
Darius stayed beside her.
“Do you know where we’re going?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s concerning.”
“It’s a pattern.”
They turned.
The floor dropped.
Darius caught her and carried her over it.
“Show-off,” she breathed.
“You were falling.”
“I had it handled.”
“You were horizontal.”
“Briefly.”
A shadow rose ahead.
Darius shoved her behind him.
It swung a spear.
He caught it, ripped it free, and shoved the creature back.
“Go!”
Luna raised her hand.
Golden light shattered it.
“You could’ve done that first.”
“You moved first.”
More shadows formed.
They ran.
The Heart Chamber appeared: a circular room, golden pillars, and a floating white book.
The Book of Names.
A silver barrier sealed it.
Darius touched it and was thrown back.
“Darius!”
He tried again.
Black veins crawled up his wrist.
“Stop.”
He ignored her.
Luna pulled his hand away.
The darkness vanished.
Behind them, shadows closed in.
Darius cupped her face.
“You take the Book and come back.”
“I know.”
“You don’t answer voices.”
“I’ll try.”
“You don’t touch anything else.”
“Fine.”
“If Lucian shows—”
“I run.”
“You call me.”
“You can’t cross.”
“I don’t care.”
He kissed her forehead, then her eyes, then her mouth.
“Say your name.”
“What?”
“If he tries to erase you, say it.”
His hand rested over her mark.
“Remember who you are.”
“And if I forget?”
“I’ll remember for you.”
The shadows reached the bridge.
“Go.”
Luna stepped through.
The silver light swallowed her.
Darius’s hand slipped away.
The bond stretched.
She entered alone.
Silence.
Luna could see Darius fighting outside but couldn’t hear him.
“Get the Book,” his voice seemed to say.
She turned to the pedestal.
The Book floated, pages turning.
Names filled every page.
She reached for it.
The pages stopped.
SOLARA AURELIS.
Then:
LUNA VALE.
Her breath caught.
The Book knew her.
She touched it.
Memories hit.
A palace. Lucian before corruption. Kael. Solara. War. Loss.
Then a boy.
Ethan.
Her brother.
A voice spoke.
“You were always distracted by love.”
Luna turned.
Lucian stood there.
Not smoke. A man. Crown split in black.
Darius fought outside the barrier.
Lucian smiled.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I was never a king,” he said. “Only the man a queen refused.”
“What do you want?”
“My name.”
“It’s in here?”
“Every name is.”
“Then take it.”
“The Book doesn’t recognize what I became.”
“So you need me.”
“I need Solara.”
“I’m not her.”
“I know.”
He stepped closer.
“You carry her memories.”
“Not all.”
“Her guilt.”
Luna’s jaw tightened.
“There she is.”
“You wanted control.”
“I wanted peace.”
“You wanted obedience.”
“I wanted a world that couldn’t betray itself.”
“Love creates betrayal.”
“No.”
“Fear does.”
The Book flared.
Lucian’s smile dropped.
Black threads wrapped her wrist.
“Say your name.”
The Book began erasing names.
Luna’s knees buckled.
Outside, Darius struck the barrier.
Luna.
Her name snapped back.
“Luna Vale.”
The Book glowed.
Lucian pushed harder.
The Queen rose inside her.
Luna felt Solara.
But she held on.
“My name is Luna Vale.”
The Book slammed shut.
Lucian staggered.
His true name burned across it:
LUCIAN VESPER.
Fear flickered.
“Leave.”
White light exploded.
Lucian vanished.
The shadows collapsed.
Darius broke through the barrier and caught her.
“You came back.”
“I said I would.”
“What is your name?”
“Luna Vale.”
He kissed her.
The Book moved again.
It opened.
ETHAN VALE.
Luna froze.
“My brother.”
A final line appeared:
CURRENT BEARER OF THE BROKEN CROWN.
- Writer
