ter

l

silence and

nt safety. Now, they o

ll, carrying neither the salt breeze of the coastal winds nor the warm scent of Vareth's cypress trees.

orced travel in chains. But her mind was sharp. She remembered everything: the fall of the gates, the

o had stared at her like sh

bed. Her bare feet sank into a thick rug d

s color. Her f

ncidence,

rniture, even a small hearth that had been kept alight. On a nearby table sat a

trus

he pressed her ear against it. Faint footsteps shifted on the ot

arred, faced a northern cliffside and distant forests. The wind howled faintly through the cracks

dnight blue, along with a silver pin to fasten it. Elira ran her

made her s

en spared-she

above the basin. She barely recognized herself. Her hair was tangled, her ey

t broken.

right. Before she could answer, i

linen cap. Her hands trembled only slightly as she carr

e murmured, b

Elira said, steppin

u are alive. That makes you v

her eyes. "Va

beside the basin. "Lord Kaelen sent these. H

ome," Elira hissed

action. "He is cursed. And he i

d left, locking th

a long moment, heart

ed.

been whispered about in hushed voices, kept to distant forests and never allowed within city w

Kael

still lingered, dark and wild, sharp like pine and steel. She hated how her body

fear didn't settle behind her ri

bread free, and bit into it like it owed her

o neede

nting steps. Seventeen from bed to the fireplace. Nine to the door. A tape

soften her. That warmth and silen

't know h

window bars. Elira couldn't sleep. Her skin itched beneath the sheets, her breath coming

ess, frustrated by

echoed in her mind. Not words-just presence. Power.

eir own accord, and

ele

fr

ll was happ