A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 118 | Cornered By The Devil

"Mama?" It was a memory from her earliest years, one that flickered in and out of focus. She remembered kneeling in the courtyard of their home on the moon, her mother distraught and abandoned by the palace guards.

She was young, maybe six or seven, but she knew it was a memory—one of the few times she saw her mother cry. An old teacher once told her that memories were often influenced by the emotions experienced at the time, making them particularly vivid and enduring.

This memory stuck with her, and she never knew why, perhaps because of what her mother had said, or maybe it was the moment she decided she would never love someone the way her mother loved her father. Whatever it was, deep down, she never wanted that heartbreak.

"My little ladybug," her mother cried, tears streaming down her face. "It's the things we love the most that destroy us. Love... it can be a beautiful thing, but it can also tear you apart, piece by piece. Your heart can be shattered, and the pain... it feels like it will never end."

She remembered the tightness in her own throat, the confusion and sorrow that came from seeing her mother in such pain. Her tiny hands had reached out, wanting to comfort but not understanding how. The intensity of her mother's grief was overwhelming, and it etched itself into Eko's young mind.

"Promise me, my little one," her mother continued, her voice trembling. "Promise me you won't let anyone have that kind of power over you. Guard your heart, protect it. Don't let love be the thing that destroys you."

As she watched her mother cry, a seed of fear took root in Eko's heart. She promised herself she would never let anyone have that kind of power over her. She would never allow herself to be so vulnerable, so exposed to the devastation that love could bring.

Especially when there was war around them, especially when the crystal in her heart tugged at her, guiding her to do devastating things, beautiful, horrible, devastating things.

This memory, this raw, painful moment, shaped her view on love and relationships. It built walls around her heart, walls that she thought were impenetrable. But now as she was drifting through her memories, she realized how those walls had been slowly crumbling since she met Matthew.

"Sera," her mother wept, her eyes red-rimmed and filled with a sorrow that seemed to echo through the ages, "we have a war to fight. Do not fall in love. He will never be like you, and you will not be able to protect him from death. You are not a god. Love will only weaken you. It will destroy you, just as it has destroyed me."

***** ****

The explosion ripped through the air with a deafening roar, sending shockwaves that hurled Matthew and Eko backward like ragdolls. Their bodies twisted and turned in the sky, fragile and helpless against the violent force. As they plummeted toward the upheaved sandstone ground, their survival instincts kicked in. Desperation fueled their powers, and they summoned a shimmering protective shield around themselves.

The impact was jarring, shaking them to their very cores. The heat from the scorched earth seeped through their barrier, a reminder of the inferno's relentless pursuit. Despite the agony coursing through their bodies, they gritted their teeth and forced themselves onto their knees. Debris rained down around them, the blistering winds clawing at their exposed skin. With every ounce of strength, they shielded their heads with their arms, bracing against the relentless onslaught of destruction.

Amid the chaos, Eko's heart thundered in her chest, panic seizing her as she frantically scanned the surroundings for any sign of Matthew. The world around her was a nightmarish blur of destruction and flames. A towering firestorm raged around them, a tornado of swirling flames and ash, its furious roar drowning out all other sounds. The air itself seemed to burn, filled with the acrid stench of smoke and charred earth. Each second without sight of him amplified her fear, the swirling inferno making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.