THE RAVEN'S EYE
The Spark of Spite—Melka's Perspective
Melka polished the silverware too hard.
The fork screeched against the cloth, but she didn't care. Her eyes kept darting to the hedge-lined path outside the servant wing.
Whispers had floated for days now.
The queen was often seen in the gardens alone.
That her Shadow returned from death with eyes darker than before.
She trembled when she thought no one saw.
Melka had seen enou
A KISS BENEATH FIRELIGHTXavier's Quarters, Late NightXavier (hearing the quiet knock):"I didn't ask for company."Blythe (pushing open the door, hood drawn):"I'm not a company."Xavier:"You shouldn't be here."Blythe:"I know."Xavier:"Then leave."
THE HEART TRIALLower Coliseum, Early Morning MistGuard (coldly):"Strip him."Xavier (deadpan):"No dinner first?"Guard:"You'll wish you had your last meal soon enough."Xavier:"Everyone's so poetic when they're scared."Commander Therun (stern):"Silence."
THE GATHERING STORMCouncil Chamber—Morning Light, Cold WallsElder Galrin (reading a scroll aloud):"Valemont has raised the banner of secession. They claim the Queen no longer acts in the interest of the borderlands. They've declared independence, Your Majesty."Council murmurs.Blythe (coldly):"Valemont has twenty horses and a drunk general. Let them bark."Vito (smiling slightly):"Barking can turn to biting when it finds teeth."
CERES CONFRONTS HER MOTHERThe Question She Can't Hold"He carries a royal mark. I know it. I saw it."Ceres whispered the words under her breath as she paced the corridor outside the queen's private chamber. Her fists clenched, her braid half undone from hours of restless walking.A nearby guard turned slightly toward her. She glared until he looked away."He flinches like a soldier. He knows war. But he's not in any records."She paused in front of the door. Her reflection flickered in the polished gold handles. For a moment, she saw herself not
THE RAVEN'S EYEThe Spark of Spite—Melka's PerspectiveMelka polished the silverware too hard.The fork screeched against the cloth, but she didn't care. Her eyes kept darting to the hedge-lined path outside the servant wing.Whispers had floated for days now.The queen was often seen in the gardens alone.That her Shadow returned from death with eyes darker than before.She trembled when she thought no one saw.Melka had seen enou
SPARKS BETWEEN STONES A Not-So-Casual Walk"This came for you," said the maid, placing a folded parchment beside Xavier's plateHe looked up slowly. "No seal?""No name either. Just ink that smells like lavender."He picked it up and unfolded it.Clarity under olive branches. Twilight.Xavier pushed back his chair.The garden whispered with wind through sculpted hedges and silent fountains. Blythe stood at the edge of the moonlit pond,