Sealed within Kealie Gothalis are the secrets of a magic destined to flood her kingdom.
Trading her Mortality to disguise the heritage her mother fears most, Kealie is gifted with a blessing. She need only do one thing; keep her kingdom in the dark...
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The warm blankets brushing against her skin set Kealie on edge. The fibers were soft and gentle, stitched together like a quilt with plush pockets to hold in her body heat.
Dry.
She opened her eyes slowly, looking around at the unfamiliar stone walls.
Kealie's eyes burned as she focused on the tall shadow pacing back and forth, a disheveled Nerydian with burn marks lining his neck.
Kealie wondered how painful that had been. With electricity held to his jugular while they cooked his skin. Then threw them into this dark room and wiped themselves clean of this mess.
He was caged, a trapped animal waiting to lash out.
Her eyes tracked him as he stalked the length of the wall, pivoting every time he reached the corner of the door frame.
Nixian hadn't noticed she'd woken up yet, so lost in thought that his whispers to himself sounded foreign. As if they were in another language.
Taking in the rest of her surroundings, Kealie ached as she sat up in a strange cot. There was another lining the adjacent wall, but beyond that the room was empty.
Steel and magic reinforced the metal door frame. She could see the sheen of light glossing over every now and then when the flamelight flickered.
The world moved around in swaying stripes of color as Kealie focused even harder. Her head and neck throbbed, a strange pit in her stomach felt squeezed dry and empty.
The Nerydian stopped instantly when he saw her sitting up. He stared at her, searching her for injuries just as he did when pulling her from the water days ago.
Days.
Kealie swallowed hard when she realized she didn't know just how long she'd been unconscious.
"You're awake," Nixian said roughly. The playful demeanor had been washed away, replaced by an exhaustion Kealie wasn't sure if she'd seen before.
She nodded, pain seizing her neck as she did.
Luverie's execution practices were both more public and yet infinitely more secret than any other country. While within the borders every soul knew what was going to happen, every other country on Taeorra's surface lived in ignorance.
Many with their own discord to navigate.
Kealie noted the lack of cells, the emptiness might've been disheartening, but they were still kept in better quarters than escaped slaves.
Perhaps her mother simply intended to banish her.
Even if she knew it wasn't true, she'd hold onto the hope the worst wasn't finite.
"Well," she whispered. "We're not in the cellar."
Nixian scowled at her, nearly snarling. "Is that supposed to be comforting?"
