I didn't know how long I slept before I heard the voice. It was a whisper, but it was enough to wake me up from slumber. I sat up on the bed and looked around, gulping. For a second, I thought I had imagined it when I heard the voice again.
"Sera."
It was a female voice, so soft, like a caress on the body. A lullaby from the owner would put even the strongest-willed to sleep.
I got down from the bed and clutched my robe, looking around frantically for the owner of the voice. Oddly enough, I didn't feel scared about it. I felt a certain calm and familiarity.
"Sera…" The voice came again. This time, it came from the door. I walked towards it, holding on to my gown as my feet stepped softly on the floor. I didn't bother with my shoes, as the floor was warm.
"Sera…"
I stepped to the door and ripped it open, expecting to see the woman standing at the other end, but there was no one. The hallway was empty.
"Sera…"
With the call came a soft wind that ruffled my hair. I gulped and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door gently behind me.
"Sera…"
It could be the deserted hallway or how soft the voice was, but I could tell the direction it was coming from.
I followed it, hope blossoming in my chest at the thought of meeting someone else. Staying with the kings had made me sort of crave the presence of someone else, a woman, most importantly.
"Sera…"
The voice led me down the hallway, past the many doors and the places I had gone around with Athan, until I reached the enormous throne room door.
I frowned, wondering if I heard right. I expected the voice to come from one of those locked rooms, but not here. Certainly, I didn't —
"Sera…"
Undoubtedly, the voice came from inside the throne room. It was louder this time, not just a whisper calling me to its location.
I looked around, expecting Ethan to show up, as it was still dark out there, but there was no one around to stop me. I tried the doorknob, surprised when it opened.
I had half expected it to be locked like it was when Athan ghosted on me, but it wasn't. I turned the doorknob and pushed it open, stepping into the throne room.
Goosebumps materialised on my skin at the coldness of the room. It felt like I was standing outside, a sharp contrast to the warmth at the other end of the door.
"Sera…"
I whipped my head towards the sound, frowning when I didn't see anyone. The throne was the only thing in the direction the voice came from.
"Where are you?" I asked at last, speaking for the first time since I woke up to the call of the voice. "Show yourself."
I stepped fully into the room, still looking around. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you." I lifted my hands in surrender. "You can say I'm harmless," I added with a chuckle.
"Sera…"
There was no mistaking it; the voice came from the throne. Puzzled, I walked towards it, recalling how Athan had blocked me from going closer to it that first day.
The nearer I got to the throne, the colder the room became. My teeth chattered, and my hands felt stiff. I rubbed my cold palms on my arms as I continued towards it and up the short flight of stairs to the raised dais.
"Sera…"
The closer I got, the louder the voice became, and this time, I was certain it came from the tree throne. There was no mistaking it.
I paused, frowning.
Why would someone be in there?
"Come along, Sera…" For the first time, the voice said something else aside from just my name. "Touch me."
I felt my legs move against my will, and my right hand shot out to touch it. I was so near, almost a few —
The door opened, clattering hard on the wall from the force the person who entered used on it. I turned my head, gasping when I saw Ethan standing on the threshold.
"Don't touch it," he said.
"Sera… Go ahead, touch me. Don't you want to know their secrets?"
I turned to stare at the throne, gulping. The offer was enticing, but I couldn't ignore the alarmed expression on Ethan's face.
"Don't touch it," he said again. "Don't go near. It will suck your life force. Please don't."
"You are the chosen one, Sera. Touch me."
I was torn between the two. I wanted to reach out and feel the throne, to know what the hell it was referring to, but Ethan's words created a fear in me.
I gulped, stared at the throne once more before I stepped down.
"Sera…"
This time, when it was called, there was a hint of disappointment in its tone.
I didn't turn to look at him as I closed the distance between me and Ethan. Oddly, he hadn't moved a step since he entered the throne room. It seemed like there was a barrier in front of him, keeping him from coming close to him.
When I finally walked up to him, he exhaled in relief and leaned back on the door, looking at me.
His expression was hooded. I couldn't tell what he was thinking as he watched me without saying a word. I had to break the silence when it became uncomfortable, and his stare got hotter.
"What was that?"
"The throne?" He lifted a brow.
I nodded. "Yeah, the throne. Why was that? Why did it call me?"
"I don't know." He shook his head, looking at the throne with a dark look.
"You don't?"
He exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck before he drew away from the door. "If you had touched it, it would have sucked your life force and killed you instantly. It has done that to five women. You would have been the sixth."