Nyra's POVThe wind felt different in the late evening. Cooler, slower, like the forest had finally let out a long breath.Dinner was quiet and easy. Simple in a way that felt like a gift. Auren told us about his magic rock with the bright excitement only kids have. He turned an ordinary river stone into something special in his mind. He asked if we could go back to the river next week. His small hands are still dirty today. Draven said they would find a better tree to climb next time. Maybe one with thicker branches that would not make noise. Auren's eyes lit up, and I smiled, thinking about his laughter by the water.The boy was different today. Lighter. More like himself than I had seen him in weeks. The careful way he usually held his shoulders was gone by the river. Instead, he moved easily, like a child who felt safe enough to just be.Now, the manor halls were quiet with a golden glow. The servants had finished their evening work and most had gone to their rooms. Even the kitc
Nyra's POVThere are days when the world feels like a fraying thread, pulled too tight, stretched too thin, and I wake up wondering how much longer until it all snaps.And then there are days like today.Still, Warm.Heavy with the scent of pine sap and river mist, with nothing urgent clawing at the windows. Nothing burns. No blood or curses. Just silence, blessed and whole.For a while, I sat on the balcony that overlooked the back gardens, barefoot, hair uncombed, letting the soft breeze curl around my ankles and through the thin fabric of my tunic. Auren’s laughter drifted from somewhere near the stables. Draven’s voice followed soon after, low, amused, maybe a little gruff.I should have been worrying. About Zaira, Selene, Kael. About the symbols still carved into tree trunks and the edge of Auren’s dreams catching fire. About the ceremony, I refused and the elders’ concerned faces.But all I could think was how light my chest felt. How rare and odd this sensation was.Peace.It wa
Nyra's POVThere was something sacred about mornings like this, when the sky was soft and silver, and the world, for a brief heartbeat, didn’t feel like it was at war with itself.For the first time in days, I didn’t wake with dread clinging to my ribs.There were no urgent knocks at my door. No scouts out of breath. No burned walls or cursed dreams to chase down. Just the gentle scent of thyme and eggs drifting in from the kitchens and the distant sound of a boy laughing.I lingered in bed for a moment, savoring it.Peace.I didn’t trust it, not really. But I knew better than to waste it.When I stepped into the dining room, I was met with a sight that stopped me in my tracks.Draven was at the hearth, sleeves rolled to his elbows, hair mussed and damp from a quick rinse, holding a spatula like it was a weapon he’d half-forgotten how to use. Auren sat at the table, feet swinging beneath the chair as he munched on a slice of fruit, watching his father with gleaming amusement.“You’re
Nyra's POVThe halls were quiet.Not in a peaceful way. Just… off. Like the whole place was holding its breath, waiting for something to snap. The kind of quiet you don’t make noise is not out of respect, but instinct. Like there’s something just under the surface, listening.After the report. After Draven. In the end, I didn’t return to my room.I didn't even consider my destination.I just walked. And ended up in the east wing.His hallway.I told myself it was a habit. Just checking in. That’s what moms do.But I knew better. Fear had gripped me tightly, and I couldn't let go of it since.When I got to Auren’s door, I stopped.The scent came first from lavender and cedar. Lydia’s sleep blend. The gentle orange light escaping from beneath the door indicated that he hadn’t turned off the lantern. Good. He hated the dark now. He didn’t say it, but I knew.I didn’t knock.I didn't need to.The door shifted as I pushed it open. He was sitting on the bed, legs crossed, back against the h
Nyra's POVWe left before dawn.The forest had a particular silence in the hours before the sun rose, neither hostile nor welcoming, just… waiting. I’d come to recognize that stillness, to treat it like a warning. Like breath held before a storm.Three warriors moved with me: Alek, Kora, and Thane. The best of their ranks, hand-picked by Draven himself. We were heading toward the northern ridge, where strange energy had been reported, birds migrating out of season, animals turning feral, even a cluster of trees that had begun to rot from the inside out.Zaira’s magic had always been more subtle than Kael’s brute force or Selene’s manipulation. Hers crept. It took root like fungus and waited.I started to see the signs.We moved in silence. Our boots pressed gently against the dew-covered earth, barely making a sound. Kora was ahead, tracking, her keen senses reading the forest like a map. Alek guarded our rear, his hands twitching near the daggers at his hips. Thane, the tallest and q
Nyra's POVSome truths don’t reveal themselves in thunderous moments. They peel back in layers, quiet, deliberate, and unsettling.This was one of those truths.I sat cross-legged in the middle of the archive chamber, surrounded by opened books, scrolls, and fragments of parchment. Candles flickered low in their iron holders, casting long shadows across the floor like reaching fingers. The scent of ink and old dust clung to the air, and my mind hummed with restless tension.Zaira wanted Auren. That much had become unmistakable.But why?She had not touched him physically, not yet. But she’d infiltrated his dreams. Manipulated his fear. Turned his magic into a weapon against himself. That fire two nights ago could’ve taken him if Lydia hadn’t rushed in when she did. My heart still clenched every time I thought of the scorch marks on his walls, the heat warping his shelves, the blackened floorboards that crackled when I stepped on them the next morning.And the look on his face… haunted