A short while later, the carriage stood ready outside the manor gates.
Jasmina climbed inside.
To her surprise, Onxy followed.
“I thought you were staying home,” she said.
“And let you leave without annoying you one last time?” he replied.
“Not a chance.”
Despite everything, Jasmina smiled.
The carriage rolled through the city streets.
Neither spoke much during the journey.
Both knew this was not an ordinary goodbye.
Soon the great council hall appeared before them.
Its towering stone walls rose above the surrounding buildings like a fortress.
Candidates chosen for the mission were already gathering near the entrance.
Jasmina’s stomach tightened.
The moment had arrived.
The carriage stopped.
Onxy stepped down first and offered her a hand.
She accepted it.
Together they walked toward the bottom of the great staircase.
The chosen candidates slowly began moving toward the entrance.
Some appeared excited.
Others looked terrified.
Jasmina felt somewhere in between.
A royal horn echoed across the square.
The massive doors of the council hall slowly opened.
“The chosen are summoned!” a guard announced.
Jasmina froze.
Everything suddenly felt real.
Onxy crossed his arms.
“I still hate this.”
A small laugh escaped her.
“You’ve made that very clear.”
“You shouldn’t be going.”
“It isn’t my choice.”
His jaw tightened.
“I know.”
Silence settled between them.
Then Onxy reached into his pocket.
“Here.”
He placed a small shell charm into her hand.
The shell was smooth and pale blue.
Jasmina recognized it immediately.
“You still have this?”
“Of course.”
When they had been children, they had found the shell together on the shore.
They had sworn it would bring them luck.
Jasmina smiled.
“I thought you lost it years ago.”
“I was saving it.”
“For what?”
“For today.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Jasmina stepped forward and hugged him.
To her surprise, Onxy hugged her back immediately.
“Be careful,” he said quietly.
The usual teasing tone was gone.
This was simply a brother speaking to his sister.
Jasmina nodded.
“I will.”
“Throw them into the sea?”
A grin appeared on his face.
“Exactly.”
They both laughed.
The sound eased some of the fear inside her chest.
Another horn sounded.
The guards called for the chosen candidates once more.
The time had come.
Reluctantly, the twins stepped apart.
Jasmina turned and began climbing the long staircase toward the council hall.
Each step carried her farther from everything she had ever known.
Halfway up, she glanced back.
Onxy was still standing where she had left him.
Watching.
Waiting.
Protecting her in the only way he could.
He raised a hand.
Jasmina smiled and waved in return.
Then she turned and continued forward.
The great doors swallowed her from sight.
They closed with a deep, thunderous boom.
Onxy remained standing at the foot of the stairs long after she had disappeared.
A strange unease settled within him.
For the first time in his life, he could not follow his sister.
For the first time, he could not protect her.
And deep within his heart, a quiet voice whispered that the path before Jasmina would lead to dangers none of them yet understood.
Above the city, dark clouds drifted slowly across the morning sky.
Far beyond the kingdom, beyond the sea and beyond the horizon, fate was already waiting for her