Page 6 of A Cursed Heart
Velandra laughed. “Oh, no, I won’t.” She sobered, settling a glare on Dagda. “Tell me how to use the gem.”
My brother did not have long in this world. “Your blood. It needs blood. Then it will act.” I felt a tug in my gut. A loosening of the constraints around me. A final act from my dying brother.
The queen used a pointed nail to cut a finger, dripping blood onto the ruby. She startled, rocking back and knocking over a table, when I emerged from the gem beside her.
I only had eyes for my brother, waiting for guidance.
“Protect your queen,” he said, then with a shudder, he took his last breath.
All my rage. All my grief. Everything I felt was molten inside me. I turned that fire towards the queen, not my queen, never mine. As the owner of the gem, I couldn’t directly harm her, but I could do far worse.
I knew I would be lost to time. That I might never be free. That this place would become a tomb I would share with my eldest brother. It was worth it to take all of it, every ounce of my magic, and wield it on Velandra’s castle.
The rumbling began. Rocks fell, crashing to the floor. We were in the main hall, surrounded by massive towers. I brought them down on us, burying us under debris. On and on I tore the place down, turning it to dust, until only I stood, floating above the remains, my gem lost far underneath the destruction.
Then I used fire. Burned everything to ash, listening to the screams of the trapped demons within.
When Velandra died, I returned to my prison, content that I had done my duty and earned some of my freedom by protecting my true queen: Delaris.
Our kingdom mourned a great king, yet continued on in prosperity without the influence of the heart ruby for centuries after.
Me? Well, I was eventually found and taken far away. A rumor began that my ruby was cursed. Those unworthy of the power were doomed to die. While watching empires rise and fall, I remained trapped until I feared I would never be free.
