I wanted to tell her no, to say that she was too young, too innocent, that she deserved a life without this darkness. But I knew better. Innocence doesn’t survive in this world. And if Faith was willing to take on this burden, then maybe—just maybe—there was hope left for us after all.
“Then prepare yourself,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “It’s going to hurt. More than you can imagine.”
But as I saw the resolve in her eyes, I knew she was ready. She would fight, and she would carry on the legacy of the queen, even if it meant sacrificing everything.
And I would be there, as I always had been, to guide her through the darkness that lay ahead.
I could still hear his voice in my head, gravelly and worn, like old leather stretched too thin. The old man had tried to explain it to me
