Women in the small kingdom of Aeriana are disappearing.
Iris Daniels, a budding painter in the East Territory, is trying to keep her head down. In a kingdom filled with abilities, music, and Destined love, Iris is determined to build a career out of...
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"I've battled monsters / wrangled beasts / fought through flames / to be with you. / And I will fight crowds/ war with my own / push through all odds / to stay with you."
—With You, Katherine Slater, With You Single
This was it. His grand finale.
Demitri didn't want it to be. A part of him desperately wanted him to continue this life, no matter how bruised and beaten it left him. The other part of him knew better. He'd given this world, this kingdom, as much as he could.
He put his hand up. Lady Elizabeth paused, her fingers stopping just inches from his arm.
Maybe he could give the kingdom one last gift.
"I'm not the one who needs this right now," he told Lady Elizabeth.
She frowned down at him, her dark red hair coiffed into a perfect halo around her head. Like an angel. This woman felt like an angel, or how an angel would be if he believed in them.
"Your Majesty?" Galina asked from his other side. "Are you alright?"
He'd never been better. And now, hearing Lady Elizabeth's explanation of her abilities, he'd solidified his decision.
She was a healer.
The only known healer in generations. There were legends of healers passed through the years. Their society whispered of them, though they'd hadn't had a confirmed healer of Lady Elizabeth's capacity in generations.
It surprised him that the Sarians did not have more intense security on her. In the wrong hands, an Ace with any kind of healing ability could be taken advantage of. At best. He didn't want to imagine the worst.
Lady Elizabeth had seen him in his condition, and decided to come help him. Him, of all Aces.
Maybe she was an angel. Sent by the Stars themselves.
"There is a woman on the other side of the kingdom," Demitri told her weakly, "who deserves your gift more than me."
Lady Elizabeth glanced at Prince Ethan Alexander at her side, his hand on her elbow. Then she turned back to him. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."
"My niece," Demitri explained. "I've finally found her. But she is not in good condition."
"I think I've done everything I can for this kingdom," Demitri told Lady Elizabeth. "But Driana hasn't. She deserves this second chance."
Lady Elizabeth softly shook her head. "I can't let you die."
"You can," Demitri told her. A cough wracked his frame. "I've served my purpose here. Not every life is meant to be lived forever. Some of us have shorter journeys." He thought of his niece. "But her journey was too short. She deserves this more than I do. I would only wish that you'd spend your time, and your ability, on her."
