The dragon castle buzzed with chaotic celebration. Word of the bone forest victory had spread faster than wildfire, and the once empty castle now roared with thousands of rebel souls filling every room, corridor, and courtyard. The great hall had been transformed into a warrior's paradise, lit with floating lanterns, enchanted tapestries shifting with real time battlefield memories, and music from magical instruments that played themselves when the rebels broke into song.
At the center of it all was a massive table conjured from ancient dragonbone and obsidian, etched with glowing runes. Seated at the head was Rhiannan, flanked by her five mates, each looking both smug and satisfied after the passionate chaos earlier with her vampire lover. But tonight wasn't about just pleasure...it was about uniting an army.
On the other end of the table, Zaiya Bloodrage, the towering, dreadlocked goddess of destruction and undisputed rebellion leader, stood tall and intimidating. Her lightning crackled in her silver piercings as she clinked her tankard and bellowed, "To our goddess, the one who threw down kings and raised the dead with a scream!"
Cheers erupted.
Next to her sat Barrik Stonevein, arms like tree trunks, already three ales deep and grumbling about the seating. "This table ain't dwarf built. Fuckin' wobbles like my first wife's morals."
Kazra "The Red Bitch" Voralis raised a crimson goblet, her eyes gleaming like lava. "I want her dress. And the next battlefield. Let's see who burns faster, the queen or her little pet priest."
Nico lounged half across the table, a half eaten roll hanging from his lips. "So, like, does the goddess do birthday parties? Asking for a friend."
Nimra just grunted and sharpened her dagger on the underside of her plate, glancing at Rhiannan like she was considering worship, or murder. Maybe both.
Mother Tazzhra, coiled and coiled and still coiled beneath the table, sipped something ominous and hissed, "Their castle's walls whisper lies. The queen bleeds poison now. We should've fed her to the forest."
The six, Rhiannan, Kaleb, Elisha, Sable, Liam, and Arwen, mingled with the leaders, exchanging stories and information. Rhiannan shared a toast with Zaiya, the two fierce women locking eyes in mutual respect.
"You're the real deal," Zaiya muttered with a smirk. "They'll follow you into hell."
"I might take them there," Rhiannan replied, clinking her glass. "But we'll be the ones lighting the fires."
Elisha and Barrik exchanged notes on building the new courtyard marketplace and training halls. Arwen joined the twins for a mini dagger game that definitely broke at least one table leg. Kaleb and Kazra argued about werewolf stamina versus hellspawn endurance. It got weird.
Eventually, after full bellies and far too many drinks, the six slipped away to their chambers. Outside, the rebel camp partied on, fires lighting up the night sky, chants of the goddess's name echoing into the stars.
But within the castle walls, the real planning had only just begun.
The rebellion was ready.
And the realm?
It was on notice.
🌑 Vision of the Bone Seer 🌑
The room goes ice cold.
Rhiannan's breath fogs in the air, and a low hum pulses behind her ears. Her magic crackles, unsettled. The candles blow out, one by one, and the shadows move.
She blinks.
And suddenly, she's standing in the middle of a black swamp. The water is still. Too still. The air smells like rot and ancient secrets.
From the mist, a skeletal figure emerges, draped in tattered crimson robes, her hands stained with dark ink and bone dust. Empty eye sockets glow faintly. The Bone Seer.
"You should not have returned, child of starlight..." the seer rasps, her voice layered like it's echoing from every tomb that ever existed.
The water beneath Rhiannan's feet begins to ripple with whispers.
"He watches through me. He feeds through me. You think you've won. You've only awakened the old blood."
Suddenly, the seer's skin peels away in smoky wisps, revealing a mouth where her ribs should be, gnashing teeth, black as sin, laughing.
"I see you. I see them all. And I will rip them from your side one by one until you beg to forget again."
Rhiannan screams...
And wakes in a cold sweat, gasping, the echo of that final sentence still rattling in her bones.
When she opens Faenet, there's a trending hashtag...
#WhereIsTheBoneSeer
#WatcherInTheBones
#TheSeerStillSees
And one disturbing new post from an unknown, unverified account, timestamped only seconds after her dream...
👤@anonymous 💬"I see you, Goddess. And I'm coming."
Rhiannan took a deep breath and shivered violently. Whatever the fuck this was, she wouldn't be alone. She had her mates. Her family, by her side.