The fire in the hearth had burned down to embers, but the room still carried the tension of the square. Saraphina sat at the table, the child’s doll in her hands. Its button eyes seemed to stare back at her, silent witnesses to the day.Kaelen paced, running his hands through his hair. “It was madness, Phina. Madness to step into the square without so much as a plan for escape.”“I had Lucian,” she said simply.Lucian leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “And I had half a mind to drag you back the moment that stone hit the ground. But you didn’t stumble. You turned them.”“Turned some,” Kaelen muttered. “The rest? They’ll be sharpening knives while we sit here congratulating ourselves.”Mirielle, quiet until now, lifted her gaze from the maps spread across the table. “They’ll talk tonight in taverns and kitchens. Some will spit. Some will whisper hope. That division will shake Malrec more than silence ever could.”Kaelen stopped pacing, glaring at her. “Hope is fragile. A single spa
The square was a storm waiting to break. Stalls stood half-abandoned, merchants leaning against their carts not to sell but to stare. Children clutched at their mothers’ skirts, craning their necks for a glimpse. Men whispered behind their hands, suspicion sharpening their eyes.Saraphina felt every gaze as though it pressed against her skin. The flower still lay tucked against her cloak, its petals bruised but bright. She held onto it as if it were anchor and sword both.Lucian walked at her side, his hand hovering near the hilt of his blade, though his eyes never left the crowd. “They are waiting,” he murmured.“For what?” she asked under her breath.“For you to stumble. Or for you to burn.”A stone clattered across the cobbles near her feet. It hadn’t struck her, but the intent was clear. Murmurs rose like smoke.“Witch.”“Demon.”“Hope.”The words battled each other, tangled and clashing. Saraphina drew a slow breath, feeling the fire inside her chest stir, restless. She had promi
The city should have been singing. Saraphina thought of that as she and Lucian walked the narrow alleys toward the safehouse, cloaked against the night. After her trial, after standing in the fire and turning it back against her accusers, she had expected to feel only the surge of triumph. But the streets were not filled with song. They were filled with murmurs.It began as they passed the baker’s stall on the corner. A woman leaned across the counter, whispering to her neighbor, eyes darting nervously. Their voices were low, yet Saraphina’s senses had sharpened since the trial. She heard the words clearly.“… said her blood is not even ours. Said she carries something unclean.”The other woman crossed herself quickly. “I saw her eyes. They burned like no human’s should. Fire is not gift, it is curse.”Saraphina froze mid-step. Lucian noticed instantly, shifting closer, his hand brushing hers in quiet warning.“Keep walking,” he murmured.She forced her legs forward, though her stomac
The council chamber was empty but for one. The tall windows cast long lines of moonlight across polished stone, catching in the folds of velvet drapery and the gleam of golden inlays. At the center of the room, Chancellor Malrec stood alone, hands clasped behind his back, eyes fixed on the city sprawling beneath him. The glow of torches and the echo of chants drifted faintly even here, carried up from the square like the breath of a beast awakening.He had not left with the others. Cowards, every one of them, scattering like pigeons when the crowd surged. He had remained, silent, unflinching, watching as Saraphina turned the moment meant to break her into one that shook the council to its marrow.His lips curved into the faintest smile. “So. The little flame grows.”The heavy door creaked open. A pair of guards entered, flanking a figure cloaked in dark leather, face shadowed by a hood. They bowed stiffly before retreating, leaving the visitor to stand at the edge of the chamber.“You
The chant still thundered in Saraphina’s ears as the hall broke into chaos. Guards abandoned their spears, councilors vanished through side doors, and the crowd surged like a living tide. Hands reached for her, not to harm but to touch, to brush the edge of her sleeve, to swear silent allegiance with the briefest contact.Lucian pulled her close, his arm firm around her waist as the sea of bodies pressed in. “We have to get out before this becomes a riot.”“They’re not rioting,” she whispered, her heart hammering. “They’re awakening.”“Awakening can still crush us if it loses direction,” he said, guiding her toward the nearest exit. The people parted reluctantly, some bowing their heads, others crying out words of devotion that made Saraphina’s skin prickle. She could feel the weight of their hope settling onto her shoulders, heavier than any chain.Once outside the hall, the night air hit like a shock of cold water. The square was already filling with citizens, drawn by the echoing c
The air inside Astra’s great hall was suffocating. Torches spat smoke into the vaulted ceiling, and thousands of eyes bore down on Saraphina. The council sat high above, robes shimmering with authority, but beneath them the restless crowd murmured like a tide against stone.Saraphina stood chained at the center, though the chains were more for show than strength. She could feel them tremble under her touch, the faint hum of her own power pushing back against the iron. Lucian stood a few steps away, jaw clenched, eyes darting between her and the council as though willing himself not to leap forward.The Chancellor rose. His voice boomed through the chamber. “The accused stands before Astra, charged with defying the council, consorting with forbidden forces, and bringing peril upon our city. Does she deny these charges?”Saraphina’s lips curved faintly. “I deny only your right to judge me.”Gasps rippled through the hall. A guard smacked his spear against the stone to hush the crowd, bu