Page 156 of Lethal Souls
I can’t believe she’s gone too. My heart still aches, especially when I remember she and I lost the same person. My brother.
I miss him so much, and I know she did too. I get why she didn’t want to live anymore. If it were Caz who’d died, I’m not sure I would’ve wanted to either.
I sense someone coming and look over my shoulder, spotting Milandra with the twins. They look much different now, Minka and Maia. They digested the seed last night, and though they were beautiful before, they’re ethereal now. Their skin is much more radiant, hair a silvery white, and their eyes are just as bold and blue as Hassha’s were when her power was activated.
Their eyes glow now as they walk toward us. Minka has her sword attached to her hip, and Maia has her bow strapped behind her, along with a few arrows.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to teleport you all there?” Caz asks, focusing on Milandra. “It’d take a few trips to get everyone there, but we don’t mind.”
“We don’t mind at all,” I assure Milandra when her gaze flicks way.
“I’m sure,” Milandra sighs. “I prefer taking the journey this way. It’ll give me the chance to think things through.”
Caz provides a nod. “Very well.”
The gangway opens like a mouth on the ship, ready for boarding.
“You ready to go back home?” I ask the twins.
“Not really,” Minka says.
“It’ll be different without Mum,” adds Maia.
“Yeah, I know. But you can always call on me and Caz. I promise we’ll be here for whatever you need.”
They smile, but it hardly reaches their eyes.
I look back at Milandra as she speaks to Asteria, who just approached.
That’s when I notice another person walking behind her, dressed like a member of the Kessel tribe. Who is that?
My brows pucker as she nears us. When Caz picks up on my thoughts, he points his gaze past them too. Then we both feel a hum beneath our skin.
I gasp, and Caz’s eyes drop to mine as a smile appears.
Milandra notices us staring past her, and her head turns. Carra gasps at the twins’ side, and they twist their necks to look too.
When they see Hassha, they suck in high-pitched breaths.
“MUM!” they scream, dashing from the sand to the grass. They clash into her while we jog to meet them. Milandra beats us there, staring wildly as Hassha crouches to hug her daughters.
How is this possible? How is she here right now?
“M-my queen,” Milandra utters in shock.
Hassha tips her gaze, and that’s when I notice the change. Her eyes remain the same, one sapphire blue and the other hazel, but they don’t glow. Her skin isn’t as bronze, but it’s still tan like it’s been kissed by the sun. And when she stands, the height difference is shocking. She’s much shorter, probably a head shorter than Milandra.
I can’t believe it.
She’s a?—
“A commoner,” Caz says, unable to look away from her.
Hassha opens her arms, and Milandra drops her spear to hug her tight. “Oh, my queen! I thought you were gone. I thought we lost you.”
“I know, I know. But I’m still here.” Hassha smiles over her shoulder.
Due to the commotion, the other women and children near the ship notice and rush our way. One look at Hassha, and elated gasps and murmurs swell around us.