LOGIN~ Nerrissa ~The knock came right after I finished my morning broth. Finn was by the small table, folding the linen wraps from my feet. He looked up, his face tight. "It's Lady Seraphine," he whispered. "The guards let her up." I nodded and wiped my hands on my skirt. My feet still stung inside my soft socks, but I stood straight. "Let her in," I said.The door opened. Seraphine stepped inside like she owned the room. Her red dress brushed the floor. In her hands she held a small wooden box tied with gold string. Two maids stayed behind her in the hall, holding a silver tray with a steaming pot and two clay cups. "Nerrissa," she said, smiling wide. Her smile did not reach her eyes. "I hope I am not too early.""Not at all," I said. "Please, sit." She set the box on the dining table and untied the string with slow fingers. Inside was dark, dried leaves and small pieces of orange peel. The smell was strong, sweet and spicy. "A peace gift," she said. "For yesterday. The courtyard custom
~ Nerrissa ~"You are writing something."Theron's voice filled the room before I could hide the parchment. I pressed it flat under my palm, but his eyes had already found it, the way they found everything."Just letters," I said. "To pass the time."He crossed the room in three long steps, heat rolling off him like a wave off a hearth. He didn't reach for the parchment. He looked at me instead, his molten eyes moving over my face like he was searching for a crack."Your servant is sleeping," he said, glancing at the cot. It wasn't a question."He is.""Good." He straightened, and for a moment I thought he would say something else, something that might explain why he'd dragged a boy across the sky just to sit at my side. Instead, he only said, "Don't wander the halls at night. My guards have orders they won't enjoy following." Then he was gone, the connecting door groaning shut behind him, the heat fading slower than his footsteps did.I sat by the fire until it burned to nothing, and
~ Nerrissa ~My feet still throbbed when the door to my new room clicked shut behind the stewards. I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, my whole body stiff, and pressed my palms flat against my knees to keep my hands from shaking. The room was too big, too quiet, and every sound I made seemed to echo off walls that weren't mine.I did not know how long I sat there before the door opened again, softer this time, without a guard's heavy knock."Nerrissa!"I knew that voice before I even turned my head."Finn?" My chest jumped. I pushed myself up too fast, and my legs wobbled under me, but I did not care. "Finn, is that really you?"He ran across the room and threw his small arms around my waist, burying his face against my side. His hair smelled like woodsmoke and cold air, the same way it always did back home, and for one second I forgot I was standing inside a dragon's castle at all."It's me," he said, his voice muffled against my dress. "I found you."I pulled back just enough
~ Theron Drakhar ~"You are moving her where?" Selene asked, her sharp voice cutting through the quiet corridor of the upper wing.I stopped in the middle of the hallway, my boots making no sound against the thick crimson rug. Behind me, two heavy stone stewards froze in place. They carried a small wooden chest containing the human girl’s few belongings."You heard me, General," I said. My voice stayed low, but the power behind it made the stone dust rattle softly in the high window frames. "She will no longer stay in the guest spire. Her quarters are now the suite beside my bedchamber."Selene stepped into my path, her dark leather armor tight against her shoulders. Her eyes, usually full of calm discipline, held a sharp line of doubt. "Your highness, that wing is reserved for the royal bloodline. Placing a human there—a human who cannot even walk across a courtyard without falling—will enrage the court. Lady Seraphine’s faction is already calling it an insult to our ancestors."A da
~ Nerrissa ~The morning air tasted like bitter ice. My chest burned with every small breath I pulled into my lungs, but I kept my hands folded neatly in front of my skirt.Lady Seraphine stood on the stone steps above me. Her long red dress trailed over the dark rock like a puddle of blood, and her eyes were bright, sharp, and full of hate. Beside her feet sat my small clay medicine pot, shattered into three jagged pieces. Dark brown paste, the bitter herbs High Mage Lucien had given me to soothe my lungs, was spilled all over the gray floor, mixed with gray ash and dirty snow."Oh dear," Seraphine said, though her face did not look sorry at all. Her mouth curled up into a cold, beautiful smile. "My servant must have been careless. What a terrible shame, little human."I looked at the spilled medicine. My chest gave a small, painful thud. Without those herbs, the cold mountain wind felt like needles poking deep into my throat. But I did not let my shoulders drop. I looked back up int
~ Nerrissa ~The cold wind on the high balcony felt like tiny needles pressing into my skin. It blew hard against my face, tangling my long silver hair across my eyes. I reached up with a shivering hand, tucking the loose strands behind my ear so I could see.Below us, the realm of Drakoria stretched out endlessly. It was a terrifying place made of sharp black mountains, jagged stone towers, and deep chasms filled with glowing, orange lava. There were no green trees or quiet fields like the ones back in Ashvale. Everything here looked hard, sharp, and deadly. Large, dark creatures with massive wings circled the distant, snowy peaks, their roars echoing faintly against the stone walls.My legs trembled beneath my skirt. Standing so close to the edge made my head spin, but I forced my feet to stay planted on the icy floor. I refused to look weak. I refused to let him see me break.A thick, broad shadow fell over me, blocking out the bitter mountain wind.Theron stepped onto the balcony







