Shadowborn Queen - G. Bailey Page 0,29

is silent, masking all the sounds from outside. I nearly scream as the ground shakes under our feet, nearly knocking me and Willow over, but we grab each other, holding on tight until the shaking stops. Out of nowhere, a voice fills my head.

"Take the key, royal blood,

accept the curse that awaits you.

Immoral life for a royal touch,

but no magic will ever be bound to you."

The man's voice leaves my mind. By Willow's wide eyes, she heard it too. The key appears in the middle of the room, a simple-looking key glowing a bright white colour.

But it's cursed. It had to be cursed.

"You can't touch that," Willow warns me, her voice urgent as she steps in front of me, blocking my view from the key.

"I knew when I started this, I would pay a price. No one saves the world and gets everything they ever wanted," I softly tell her, pulling her into a hug. Willow doesn't hug me back for a moment, but when she does, it's almost like she is giving in.

"You can't be the queen without magic. The Light Fae will murder you, and take the throne," Willow whispers to me. "I felt like I had to be here, not just for you, but to save you from yourself."

Willow shoves me away, knocking me to the hard ground. I only manage to kneel up as she reaches for the key and there is no way I can stop her from here.

"Willow! NO!" I scream, but it's too late.

Willow grabs the key and the white light blasts the entire room so brightly it hurts my eyes before it snaps off, leaving the cave in darkness.

My ball of light slowly burns once more, coming to life, and shining light on Willow, her body bent at an odd angle. "Willow!" I scream, rushing across the floor and picking up her head onto my lap. I will the light closer as I hover my hand over her mouth, relaxing a little when I feel her breath, but I still don't stop crying.

She did this for me...knowing the heavy price. Willow loves magic. Why would she do this?

I brush some hair from her face as I hear footsteps getting closer. I look up as the guys all rush in and Scott immediately kneels next to us, placing his fingers on Willow's neck.

"What happened?" Gold asks, covered in Light Fae blood much like the rest of the guys. Clearly they had fun with the guards.

"The key. The fucking key happened," I all but shout, not angry with them, but I'm sure it doesn't sound that way. I lift Willow's hand, seeing the key tightly grasped in it and take a deep breath as I pick up the glowing key. The second I touch it, pain fills my veins, and a picture flashes into my head.

A picture of my mum and my dad in front of a wall with dozens of glass stones at the bottom. They are both pointing at a hole in the wall, with a green symbol above it that I don't recognise. The picture disappears quickly and when I open my eyes, I'm being carried in Gold's arms through the forest.

"How long was I out?" I ask Gold, who pauses and looks down at me. His lips descend on mine, a kiss that is full of relief.

"Hours. We are nearly back at the house," he tells me. Gold sets me down, and I see Luke first, who softly smiles and then Axel. When I look at Scott, I only see Willow in his arms looking so small and pale.

"How is she?" I ask, my eyes filling with tears once again.

Scott meets my eyes. "In some kind of coma. Without medication and real equipment, I can't tell you much more. I tried using magic, but it doesn't work on her."

I repeat the words of the curse to them and we all fall silent, knowing the price Willow has paid is great. "I saw something else but I don't know it. Where the next key is, I think."

"Tell us, maybe we have seen it," Scott suggests.

"It was a wall and my parents were in front of it. It had lots of glass stones on the floor and green symbols on the wall," I explain.

"It's in Vasili. In fact, right in the middle of it," Luke states and Gold nods in agreement. "It's called the Treasure Grove."

"Off to the Light City then. We will wait for Willow to heal and then get the