"Can she win the fight against fate before the curse takes her life, or will the betrayals exposed along the way kill her first?"
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Important Characters/Terms
Ophelia Alabath - Daughter to the second in command.
Tolek Vincienzo - Best friend of Ophelia and Malakai
Jezebel Alabath - Ophelia’s younger sister
Bacaran Alabath - Ophelia and Jezebel’s dad. Second in Command of Mystiques
Malakai Blastwood - Ophelia’s boyfriend, son of Lucidius. Was always told he'd be the next Revered when his dad was gone.
Santorina (Rina) Cordelian - Human, owns the bar in town after her parents died in the war
Cypherion (Cyph) Kastroff - another BFF
Damien - Prime Mystique Warrior, Angel
Kakias - Leader of Engrossians. Giant Bitch.
Lucidius Blastwood - Malakai’s son; Revered Revered title - Leader of the Mystique Warriors
Undertaking - Ritual that Mystique warriors complete on their 18th birthday. They travel to the Spirit Volcano, they encounter challenges along the way, then when they get there, they throw themselves in, and have to pass three puzzles presented by three spirits, individual to the person. If they survive they become stronger and faster and ascend to a Warrior title.
Three Tattoos - Mystique warriors get 3 tattoos.
The Bond - first one to get upon completing the Undertaking.
The Band - shows your rank.
The Bind - A symbol of commitment to another.
Gallantia - their world, with the following territories/clans
Starsearchers
Soulguiders
Engrossians
Mindshapers
Bodymelders
Mystiques
SeaWatchers
Spirit Volcano
Damenal - the Capital where the Revered lives
Ophelia and Malakai have grown up destined to be together as the first born children of the First and Second in command of the Mystiques. Luckily for them, they are in love. Before Malakai leaves to complete his Undertaking, they break some rules and get The Bind tattoo together. This is supposed to be the last one you get but they decide to get it first to show their commitment to each other.
When Malakai leaves for the Undertaking, he knows he will not be coming home.
Why? I’m so glad you asked. Back story time!
Malakai's father, Lucidius, is actually half Engrossian and he would travel to Engrossian territory for diplomacy as a youngin’. He met and fell in love with Kakias. They knew they couldn’t be together fully but they formed a plan that spanned years. Lucidius would marry a Mystique, become Revered, then after a few years, his wife would die, and then he would propose a treaty to unite the two clans and he would marry Kakias. But nothing ever goes to plan. Lucidius accidentally had a baby with his Mystique wife which made an heir. But he also accidentally had a baby with Kakias too. So, new plan - create war between the two clans, then kill off Malakai, and somehow put his and Kakias’ son in charge of both Mystique and Engrossian territories. So this war…it also involved a Curse that Kakias placed on Mystique warriors during the war. Curse includes darkening of the veins, paling of the skin, red pupils, until they lose their minds, become bloodthirsty. Curse was carried in their blood - heredity and contagious.
What does this have to do with Malakai and the Undertaking? Well, Lucidius told Malakai that Malakai could end the war, by signing a treaty and disappearing. If not, they would target Ophelia. So he knows he won’t be coming home but he doesn’t know what exactly is in store for him. But he doesn’t tell anyone this. They all expect him to return home after completing the Undertaking. As the Revered, Lucidius suspended Mystiques from going through the Undertaking after Malakai leaves. Saying shit like it's because they lost a lot of people in the war, and because of the treaty with Engrossians. But really it was to keep the Mystiques weak and allow the Engrossians to become the dominant clan.
Now, back to the current story...
Ophelia does not take his disappearing well. When the book starts it's been two years since he left. Everyone else has pretty much accepted the fact that Malakai must be dead but Ophelia refuses to believe it. She also keeps training quietly with Jezebel since training is now prohibited.
Every night she goes to the bar that Rina owns and gets wasted. Her buddies - Cyph and Tolek - along with Rina try to convince her to not throw her life away, that isn’t what Mal would want.
On the eve of her 20th birthday, Ophelia notices black lines going up her arm - The Curse. Which confuses and worries her - the curse was supposed to be gone with the Treaty with the Engrossians, nobody has had it for the last two years. Also, she isn’t concerned for herself but she is worried that if she has it, it means it's in her blood, so she is worried about Jezebel.
The night of her birthday, she goes to bed but is awoken by the appearance of an Angel - Damien has appeared to her. Tells her that it's time for her reckoning, her future tasks will be trying but that she is strong. Then says “Thy deepest wish awaits thee, once thou claims thy destiny”. He keeps calling her the Chosen Child but doesn’t explain what that means. Before he leaves he says “If you succeed, you will right the wrongs you have staked your heart against”.
She has no idea what he means but she decides that he must mean that she needs to complete the Undertaking and maybe her deepest wish has something to do with Malakai.
Ophelia tells Cyph, Tolek, and Rina about what happened and what she plans to do. They shock her by telling her she will not be going alone, they will be going with her. Jezebel had been eavesdropping and says she is going too.
Along their travels to the Spirit Volcano they encounter many challenges. Engrossians who try to kill them. Animals that are behaving oddly that try to kill them. A Fae dude held a knife to Rina’s throat and said he didn’t mean any harm, that he was just trying to figure out wtf is going on in their land. As we read about them traveling, we also get to read what is going on with Malakai. He isn’t dead, just as Ophelia was hoping. But he is being held by Kakias and Lucidius and has been being tortured for two years.
When they get to the volcano, Ophelia throws herself in, and the others travel to where the warriors come out to wait for her. When she arrives at the bottom, she is greeted by three warriors - Hectatios, Glawandin, and Annellius. Annellius is Ophelia’s relative. She must pass three questions/puzzles presented by each of them. Hectatios asks her a logic question, Glawandin takes away her sight and then asks her a question, Annellius asks her a question about him. She finds out that Annellius has Angelblood and since he is her relative, that must mean she has some Angelblood. Annellius tells her no, because he failed, the Angels took their blood back. Side note - he has the same color eyes of Ophelia (magenta), that no one else in their family has. She then fell through some Spirit Fire which basically cleansed her, took her memories and then gave them back. She thinks that once she is done with that, she will wake up at the meeting place, but when she wakes up, she is still in the Volcano. She notices that she feels stronger, her sight is better, and the Curse is gone from her arm so clearly the Undertaking was successful. She starts wandering around and then she hears a voice call her name. A voice she hasn’t heard in two years.
She goes to Malakai but before she can get him out of there, his dad shows up. Lucidius tells her the whole story and also was like oh by the way, since my son isn’t full bloodied Mystique, you are actually the Revered Ophelia. SURPRISE. They fight but Lucidius knocks her out and then her and Malakai are in a cage. Guards come and take her and Malakai to where Kakias is waiting because she wants to kill them herself. Kakias tells Ophelia that all this precious blood is wasted on her and is planning on draining her. But then her friends show up. Ophelia questions Jezebel how they are there, Jez says that when Ophelia didn’t show up, they went back to the Volcano and the three of them (Rina is not a Mystique so she couldn’t go) jumped in. Kakias manages to escape. Lucidius shows up, him and Ophelia fight, and she ends up slicing his throat.
Ophelia tells them all they need to notify the Council, meetings will need to be held, they will need to host a Rapture and include all of the territories, they need to let their own families know what is going on, and that they won’t be returning home, but going to Damenal.
Ophelia and Malakai go off into a separate area to talk. Seems like a weird time but ok.
Ophelia is obviously upset with Malakai that he chose to leave, knowing he wouldn’t return. Now it's time for a personal opinion - HE DID IT TO SAVE HER LIFE. To stop a war! Also HES BEEN TORTURED FOR TWO FLIPPING YEARS LADY GIVE HIM A BREAK!
Okay…I think I have that out of my system.
After they fight, then they have make up sex. Even though I’m sure both of them are in desperate need of a shower.
The next morning, Ophelia gets another visit from Damien. He tells her that what she saw on her arm was not THAT Curse and she was never in any real danger, she saw/felt what she needed to.
All of them settle into the Revered castle in the capital of Damenal and await for the leaders of the rest of the territories to show up. The Rapture is basically a meeting where they will learn of everything that happened and vote on whether or not they accept Ophelia as the new Revered.
Epilogue is Damiens POV. I honestly have no idea what is going on here. Damien is talking to someone about how Ophelia has started on her path and now that she has undergone the Undertaking it should all happen faster now. Damien tells him that “We will soon reclaim what was taken from us. That and more.” Whoever he is talking to is his “master”, and Damien describes him as an “ancient beast”. The beast says that Ophelia must be “led blindly, for she cannot learn what lives inside of her yet.”
This beast is trapped in some way not able to unlock his full power.
And Ophelia has the power to free him.
Book 2 - The Shards of Ophelia available here