Chapter 30

Epilogue

There was gray mist surrounding all around the Sikiean realm; Celeste watched with piercing blue eyes as snow rained on the pillar of Haven. These were her people; she was a guardian to them, and already she could tell that they would be years of hardship.

“Jers,” she called to her companion, the snow lion she was always with, one she had found in her youth.

Most had the absurd notion that she’d tamed Jers, but that wasn’t the case. They had a relationship based on respect and compromise. The snow lion was no ordinary one. He was a powerful guide, and any attempt at control would not end well, even for her.

“Watch over the boy,” she instructed, patting his fur. He yowled, rubbing against her, then leaped out of the veil that hid their realm. She watched him disappear after the horse riders fled the kingdom with its future strapped around one of their chests.

She walked away from the scenes toward the wall of Ilysian crystal. Placing her hand on