Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 44: Chapter 44
You are reading Princess Of The Skulls, Chapter 44: Chapter 44. Read more chapters of Princess Of The Skulls.
The memories hit me in waves, each one carrying the weight of a lifetime. I was Seraphina the First, standing against an invasion of shadow-demons in the kingdom's earliest days. I was Seraphina the Third, sacrificing her own life to seal a breach between worlds. I was Seraphina the Seventh, discovering the conspiracy that had shaped her bloodline and choosing to work with it rather than against it.
Each princess had faced the same choice I now confronted. Each had been offered power beyond imagination in exchange for accepting her role as humanity's defender against cosmic threats. Some had embraced their destiny willingly. Others had resisted and paid terrible prices for their defiance.
But through all the centuries, through all the different personalities and circumstances, one truth remained constant: the world needed champions capable of standing against forces that ordinary humans couldn't even comprehend.
When the visions finally faded, I found myself on my knees in the cathedral ruins, blood streaming from my nose and ears. Kael and Aldric were supporting me, their faces tight with concern, while Dorian watched with the satisfaction of a teacher whose student had finally grasped a difficult lesson.
"Now you understand," he said quietly. "This was never about political marriages or kingdom unification.
This was about preparing you for a war that's been raging since before human civilization began."
Through our soul-bond, I felt Aldric's confusion and growing alarm. He'd sensed the emotional impact of the memories but hadn't experienced them directly. The knowledge I now carried was mine alone to bear.
"The threats," I managed to say through the lingering disorientation. "They're real?"
"More real than you can imagine. And closer than you think." Dorian gestured toward the dragon's scattered bones. "That creature was merely a guardian, set to wake when someone with sufficient power began manifesting abilities that could threaten the seals we've maintained for millennia."
"Seals on what?"
"Things that should never be allowed to wake. Powers that would make your dragon look like a child's toy." His expression grew grim. "But the seals are weakening. They've been failing slowly for decades, and tonight's display of combined life and death magic has accelerated the process considerably."
The implications were staggering. If Dorian was telling the truth, then my actions tonight hadn't just awakened one ancient guardian—they'd potentially triggered the release of entities that could destroy everything I'd ever cared about.
"How long do we have?" Aldric asked, his political mind already shifting to damage control.
"Months, perhaps a year if we're fortunate." Dorian's tone was matter-of-fact, as if he were discussing the weather rather than a potential apocalypse. "But that's assuming we can properly train Seraphina in the arts she'll need to face what's coming."
"And if I refuse your training?"
"Then you'll face cosmic horrors with only the abilities you've managed to develop on your own." He shrugged. "Your ancestors all started with similar power levels. None of them would have survived without proper guidance."
The sound of armored feet echoed through the cathedral as Lord Cassius's soldiers finally reached the entrance. I could hear the lord himself shouting orders, organizing his forces for what he expected to be a final assault.
"Choose quickly," Dorian urged. "Accept my training and gain the power needed to protect your world, or face both Cassius and the coming darkness with only your current abilities."
Through our bond, I felt Aldric's steady presence. Whatever choice I made, he would support it. Kael's hand remained on my shoulder, a reminder that I wasn't facing this decision alone.
But ultimately, the choice was mine to make.
"If I accept," I said slowly, "what exactly are you offering to teach me?"
"The true arts of necromancy. Not the crude reanimation your grandfather practiced, but the ability to commune with death itself. To walk between worlds. To command not just the physical remains of the dead, but their very essences." His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "You could become death incarnate, child. A force of nature capable of standing against gods."
"At what cost?"
"The same cost your ancestors paid. Your humanity, slowly but inevitably. Power on that scale changes a person fundamentally. You would become something more than human, but also something less."
The cathedral doors exploded inward as Lord Cassius's forces finally broke through the last barriers.
Soldiers poured into the sacred space, weapons drawn and faces set with grim determination.
"Surrender, witch!" Lord Cassius himself strode through the entrance, his armor gleaming in the torchlight. "You've caused enough destruction for one lifetime!"
I looked at the approaching army, then at the dragon bones scattered around us, then finally at Dorian's expectant face.
My choice would determine not just my fate, but potentially the survival of everything I'd ever known.
Each princess had faced the same choice I now confronted. Each had been offered power beyond imagination in exchange for accepting her role as humanity's defender against cosmic threats. Some had embraced their destiny willingly. Others had resisted and paid terrible prices for their defiance.
But through all the centuries, through all the different personalities and circumstances, one truth remained constant: the world needed champions capable of standing against forces that ordinary humans couldn't even comprehend.
When the visions finally faded, I found myself on my knees in the cathedral ruins, blood streaming from my nose and ears. Kael and Aldric were supporting me, their faces tight with concern, while Dorian watched with the satisfaction of a teacher whose student had finally grasped a difficult lesson.
"Now you understand," he said quietly. "This was never about political marriages or kingdom unification.
This was about preparing you for a war that's been raging since before human civilization began."
Through our soul-bond, I felt Aldric's confusion and growing alarm. He'd sensed the emotional impact of the memories but hadn't experienced them directly. The knowledge I now carried was mine alone to bear.
"The threats," I managed to say through the lingering disorientation. "They're real?"
"More real than you can imagine. And closer than you think." Dorian gestured toward the dragon's scattered bones. "That creature was merely a guardian, set to wake when someone with sufficient power began manifesting abilities that could threaten the seals we've maintained for millennia."
"Seals on what?"
"Things that should never be allowed to wake. Powers that would make your dragon look like a child's toy." His expression grew grim. "But the seals are weakening. They've been failing slowly for decades, and tonight's display of combined life and death magic has accelerated the process considerably."
The implications were staggering. If Dorian was telling the truth, then my actions tonight hadn't just awakened one ancient guardian—they'd potentially triggered the release of entities that could destroy everything I'd ever cared about.
"How long do we have?" Aldric asked, his political mind already shifting to damage control.
"Months, perhaps a year if we're fortunate." Dorian's tone was matter-of-fact, as if he were discussing the weather rather than a potential apocalypse. "But that's assuming we can properly train Seraphina in the arts she'll need to face what's coming."
"And if I refuse your training?"
"Then you'll face cosmic horrors with only the abilities you've managed to develop on your own." He shrugged. "Your ancestors all started with similar power levels. None of them would have survived without proper guidance."
The sound of armored feet echoed through the cathedral as Lord Cassius's soldiers finally reached the entrance. I could hear the lord himself shouting orders, organizing his forces for what he expected to be a final assault.
"Choose quickly," Dorian urged. "Accept my training and gain the power needed to protect your world, or face both Cassius and the coming darkness with only your current abilities."
Through our bond, I felt Aldric's steady presence. Whatever choice I made, he would support it. Kael's hand remained on my shoulder, a reminder that I wasn't facing this decision alone.
But ultimately, the choice was mine to make.
"If I accept," I said slowly, "what exactly are you offering to teach me?"
"The true arts of necromancy. Not the crude reanimation your grandfather practiced, but the ability to commune with death itself. To walk between worlds. To command not just the physical remains of the dead, but their very essences." His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "You could become death incarnate, child. A force of nature capable of standing against gods."
"At what cost?"
"The same cost your ancestors paid. Your humanity, slowly but inevitably. Power on that scale changes a person fundamentally. You would become something more than human, but also something less."
The cathedral doors exploded inward as Lord Cassius's forces finally broke through the last barriers.
Soldiers poured into the sacred space, weapons drawn and faces set with grim determination.
"Surrender, witch!" Lord Cassius himself strode through the entrance, his armor gleaming in the torchlight. "You've caused enough destruction for one lifetime!"
I looked at the approaching army, then at the dragon bones scattered around us, then finally at Dorian's expectant face.
My choice would determine not just my fate, but potentially the survival of everything I'd ever known.
End of Princess Of The Skulls Chapter 44. Continue reading Chapter 45 or return to Princess Of The Skulls book page.