“Or you’ll be killed while they’re targeting her.” I let that sink in. “I didn’t come here for politics. I didn’t come here for alliances or trade agreements or diplomatic favor. I came to warn you because a prophecy revealed that the true queen would be murdered. That’s it. That was my only purpose.”
“Until you saw Daciana,” Astra says.
“Until I saw Daciana,” I confirm, my voice becoming rough. “Now, I have a stake in this. I cannot allow this prophecy to be fulfilled. At any cost.”
Lucian’s eyes narrow.
“Can prophecies be changed?”
The question surprises me. Most people accept prophecies as immutable fate. But Lucian is asking if they can fight it.
“Yes,” I say carefully. “But it’s not easy. Prophecies are like rivers. They have a natural course they want to follow. You can build d
