MasukARAHEEN“Open the roof,” her father commanded.At once, the guards moved.Mechanisms groaned to life as hidden latches disengaged. The domed ceiling of the Great Hall split along its seams, metal segments sliding apart in smooth arcs. One by one, the panels folded outward like unfolding petals, until the ceiling gave way to the night.A vast, starless sky opened above them.While the structure shifted, Araheen descended from the stage—quick, but measured, careful not to draw attention.“Father—”But Lothair had already moved, drifting beyond her reach.Her focus snapped instead to Gildeon, who was watching the opening above.“You’re not seriously going to shift here, are you?” she said under her breath.He lowered his gaze to meet hers and gave a slight shrug. “I’m a prisoner,” he said. “I don&rsq
ARAHEENThe realizations came all at once.The tightened security across the citadel. The quiet sense that her father and the High Council had been withholding something. The unease she had glimpsed in the Warden’s eyes when Zephyr’s name was spoken.“Tell me,” she said, her gaze locking onto Theobald, “does the decision to spare surrendering salamanders have anything to do with this?”Theobald took a long drink before answering. His eyes dipped briefly before lifting to meet hers and Feviel’s.“Zephyr’s followers have grown significantly over the years,” he began. “Those who survived the hunts in the past continued to build their strength in secrecy.”He paused, briefly looking into the distance. “They call themselves the Zephyrists. A faction of rebels consisting of Fractured sylphs… and salamanders who have grown tired of dying for their creed.”Araheen and Feviel listened in silence.“If we choose to exterm
ARAHEENShe stared at her reflection in the tall mirror lining the wall of the Great Hall, her expression distant.Her curls were gathered into an elegant bun at the back of her head, pinned in place with her sigil needle, shaped like a delicate ornament among the strands. A few loose curls framed her face, softening her otherwise composed appearance.She wore silver-strapped heels and matching dangling earrings. Her emerald dress clung to her form, a long slit running up one side to reveal her smooth leg, and the fitted holster that secured her phoenix dagger.Since her father had given it to her, she had not parted with it once.In the mirror, she saw Feviel approaching from behind, carrying two glasses of sparkling wine—similar to the kind lower mortals often drank in celebration.He smiled as his gaze moved over her reflection.“You look beautiful, as always.” He handed her one of the glasses. “But you seem troubl
GILDEONA couple more days passed, and they finally raided the fifth salamander outpost.This one barely resisted.Unlike earlier sieges, where the sylphs had to grind through defenses to force the enemy’s surrender, the commander here folded almost immediately. Unfortunately for him, he still had to die. The sylphs did not spare high-ranking enemies—not unless they needed something from them first.And unlike before, no one called Gildeon ‘traitor’ or ‘blue cunt’s dog.’“Looks like they’ve accepted their fate,” Feviel said behind him as they moved through the corridor toward the command chamber. “Haemos is dead. They probably think their forces are already broken.”He remained silent.“Or perhaps it’s seeing you with us,” Feviel added, a subtle taunt in his voice.“Let’s retrieve the Vulkar’s Rod piece and leave,” Araheen cut in, likely stepping between them before things escalated. “I feel something unpleasan
GILDEONWeeks passed.They secured three more Vulkar’s Rod fragments. The sylphs chose to house them in the war command chamber.Gildeon had initially wanted them assembled in the High Council chamber to make a statement. But when he realized this room sat directly beneath the Great Hall, where the sylphs were preparing a victory party, he let it go.All their highest-ranking officials would gather above this room that night, making it the perfect time to carry out his plan.“This is perfect,” he said aloud as he finished arranging the four calcified fragments on the table.He positioned them carefully—each piece angled inward, their broken ends facing one another to form a rough circle at the center.“How is this supposed to reveal Pyrehead’s location?” Feviel asked, skepticism plain on his face.“I need to activate the enchantment with my fire,” Gildeon replied. “But it won’t work until we have two more fragm
ARAHEENShe looked away to steady herself, then noticed the structural damage here was more contained than in the outer chamber, yet far more alarming.Cracks ran along the pillars, the walls, and even the ceiling. But what bothered her most were the fractures cutting through the sigils themselves.“How are the sigils breaking?” she asked in disbelief.Unless Garud was secretly a master sigilmaker, nothing else should have been capable of damaging these sigils.“That’s exactly what we’re trying to determine, Lady Commander.”The Warden exhaled, hands settling at his hips as his gaze swept the chamber before fixing on Garud.“Our working assumption is that the restraints are weakening, and that Garud has begun ramming itself against the structure in an attempt to break free.”“Has anyone else seen this?”“Only myself and the Vice Warden,” he replied. “I granted him access to the Pits, but he remains in th
ARAHA month had passed since the incident with Jeric. She’d kept Cora in the loop about what really happened, and in return, Cora helped her spin the lie for their ever-curious friends, Mabel and Tonio. The two were easily convinced that Jeric had been a distant nephew of
Many Years Ago (Part 2)YOUNG ARAHEENShe sat up at the foot of her mother’s effigy, her small feet dangling over the edge of the crystal tomb.Feviel eased himself onto the marble seat across from her, his owls shifting comfortably
ARAHBy this time, Father had been promoted to general. And it meant Araheen was now the daughter of the most powerful figure in sylph society. This didn’t surprise Arah, for Father had always carried a commanding presence. Authority clung to him like armor.What sh
ARAHThe creature that burst from her palm hit the floor with a heavy thud. It was a towering thing, plated in segmented, iridescent armor that glimmered faintly like oil on water. Steam hissed from its blue shell where her blood still clung. Behind it, a spiked tail swept







