THE SOUL'S EXCHANGE

Sons of Fire and Magic

Sitara's body felt weightless as the world around her blurred, her consciousness pulling away from the sterile surroundings of St. Mungo's. Panic clawed at her heart. Desperately, she strained her ears for the sound-the sound she longed for-the cry of her newborn child. But there was nothing. No tiny cry to tell her her son was alive. Fear surged through her veins, and in that instant, she knew. She was drifting again, back into that limbo she'd encountered after the final battle at Hogwarts, after she'd been struck by the Killing Curse.

As the cold, surreal emptiness swallowed her, Sitara's soul materialized in a place all too familiar-a place she wished she would never have to return to. Before her stood Lord Death, or as he preferred to be called, Thanatos, his figure cloaked in dark robes that billowed as if stirred by an unseen wind. His presence was both imposing and strangely calming, but this time, Sitara did not feel calm. She felt fury.

Her hands balled into fists, and without hesitation, she slapped him. The sound echoed through the limbo, a rare, audacious act that might have startled anyone who witnessed it.

"What is the meaning of this, Thanatos?!" she shouted, her voice shaking with anger. "You promised me my son! You told me it was possible! Now, you're the one pulling me away at this critical time?!" Her voice rose with desperation, trembling on the edge of panic.

Thanatos tilted his skeletal head, his eyes-or what passed for them-seemed to regard her calmly despite the storm of emotion that raged within her. Slowly, almost gently, he placed a bony hand on her shoulder. The touch was cool, but oddly comforting.

"I did promise you your son," Thanatos said, his voice carrying an ancient calm. "And you shall have him. I would never dare separate you two." He paused, his tone softening. "If I did, I would have far too much paperwork to handle in the underworld."

His attempt at humor did little to ease her frustration. Sitara's chest heaved as she tried to rein in her emotions, her fury simmering beneath the surface.

"But," Thanatos continued, "you also have duties as my mistress. And the greatest of those duties is damage control."

Sitara sighed deeply. A plush chair appeared behind her, and she sank into it, her hands instinctively moving to her still-rounded stomach. A flood of relief washed over her as she felt the life within her. Her child-her precious boy-was still safe. She released a shaky breath and looked back at Thanatos, her brows furrowed.

"What duty now?" she asked, her voice calmer, but laced with frustration.

"One of your major responsibilities is, as I mentioned, damage control," Thanatos said smoothly, his tone taking on a more businesslike edge. "I will be sending you to an alternate universe, a different dimension, in fact. In this world, a man named Otto Hightower, in his pursuit of power, sent his daughter, Alicent Hightower, to the bed of King Viserys Targaryen. They later married, and Alicent has just now given birth."

Sitara listened, her irritation growing with every word.

"And?" she prompted, still annoyed.

Thanatos sighed. "Alicent Hightower's soul has just been pulled from her body. She is in the middle of childbirth, and she has collapsed. Your soul will replace hers."

Sitara's eyes widened, but Thanatos continued before she could interrupt.

"You are to stop the deadly conflict known as the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war between two factions of House Targaryen-Rhaenyra Targaryen, the eldest daughter of Viserys, and his children from Alicent: Aegon II, Aemond, Helaena, and Daeron Targaryen. You must prevent the war, do whatever it takes to stop the Targaryen dynasty from falling."