ANATOMY OF A GIRL

january 14th, 1809

Location: Cara'cius, Svet'dmai

Nevaeh's life had devolved into bouts of anxiety. A panicked feeling followed her, had sunk its talons into her chest. It only grew as time passed. She was no fool – she knew it was Caius that had caused this change in her. He'd been absent lately, and when he was home, he wasn't truly present. There was something else about him, too, something she couldn't quite explain. He'd developed this aura, this unnatural darkness that enveloped him. It radiated from him, and she could feel it in her bones.

The rest of her family seemed unaware of the dangerous change that had occurred within Caius. Perhaps that was just her power, one she had developed after seventeen years as a Bane. Her power and her duty – to protect the world from her family's malice.

And so Nevaeh followed him into the night. She watched, from behind thick oaks, beneath a star-speckled sky, as Caius stepped through a Portal bound for Belreistkov. That was what he'd said, hadn't he? Belreistkov, where there had been a recent string of brutal unsolved murders.

Her brother was cruel, yes, a little mad, perhaps. But this— she couldn't believe him capable of it. Not the sweet boy who held her when she woke from her nightmares. But she hadn't seen that sweet boy in years. It seemed any trace of him had been buried when they left Shayera. And yet, she'd hoped he was still in there somewhere. The older brother she loved.

It was this hope that held her in that spot behind the oak tree. In the hour she sat there, her minds conjured a million reasons for Caius's presence at that school – a girl or newfound friend, maybe.

But as a blood-soaked Caius came through the Portal once more and stepped into the forest, she could no longer deny what he'd done. What he was. Yes, the sweet brother she'd loved was gone. In his place stood a stranger with blood lust in his eyes. And she cursed herself for this. For not seeing it sooner. How many lives had Caius taken while she was convincing herself of his innocence?

*

The next morning, Nevaeh had considered her options. There was no law in the Witches' city and nothing to hold Caius accountable for his sins. She saw only one way of stopping the murders – stopping Caius. The more power he gained, the more blood-thirsty he became, so she had to act quickly.

She couldn't confront him herself. He would never listen to the sister he deemed weak and cowardly. Her brother was volatile, and her word was simply not enough to persuade him to stop. She wasn't even sure if Calantha's would be enough.

There was no time at all for doubt, so she quickened her walk toward the towering gates of Belreistkov. She could see Half-Witches on the grounds, walking from one place to another or strewn across the benches and grass.

She wasn't sure how Caius had even got passed the warded gates. She didn't know where to go from here. Just a minute passed before a guard approached her. He had no visible weapons. She supposed magic was a weapon of itself. She'd never had much magic herself, even before the spell. And after—none at all.

Had there been guards when Caius came? Were they a new addition because of his actions?

"No visitors are allowed on the grounds," he said, eyeing her.

"I'm here to talk to the principle—" she paused briefly, clearing her throat. "It's about the murders. I know who it was."

Though the guard looked doubtful, he quickly brought her to principle's office. Perhaps he could sense the lack of weapons – both physical and magical, and deemed her not a threat.

She felt out of place in this building, on this campus. It was a grand place with a long history of greatness – it produced students of inordinate power and potential. In her dull, fraying dress, she knew this was no place for her. Her destiny was not one of greatness.

As she entered the office and sat in the chair opposite the principle, she surveyed the man. Just like Caius, he exuded energy, but this was a brighter kind. It felt no less powerful. She'd heard the stories about him – an honourable man that had fought in wars, that had saved their people from darkness that escaped from other realms, who had then chosen to help the young Half-Witches of Svet'dmai reach their own potential.

The man considered her carefully. "You have information about the murders?"

She nodded once. Her stomach twisted painfully. Caius was her brother, but he was also a murderer that enjoyed taking the lives of innocent teenagers. She'd seen the way he'd smiled while blood trailed down his cheek.

If she could not confront Caius herself, she would have to make sure the only person that could stop him felt compelled to do so. The only person that Caius feared – their father. The father that despised Nevaeh for her lack of cruelty. Halcyon did not care that Caius was a murderer. He did not care about the lives of Half-Witches. There was only one thing he cared about – his immortality. It was the only thing that could be held over him. The only threat powerful enough to control him.

She spoke quickly, trying to explain it all in as simple a way as possible, but it was a jumbled mess to even her. Her family only got more complicated as time passed.

"My brother is responsible – Caius Bane. I've seen him return from here covered in blood. I cannot stop him, he will never listen to me. There is only one person that can stop my brother, and he won't do so unless you hold something against him. I'm sorry this is all so complicated, but I don't see any other way to save them," she said, looking out of the window and toward the students beyond. They would be the ones to suffer for her brother's sins.

Her brother grew more powerful every day, she could taste it. If he couldn't be killed, then he could be controlled.

And so she told the principle a story – about immortality, about an object that brought fear to an otherwise fearless man. A story can be just as dangerous as a knife.

It would be a risk if she cared for immortality, if she believed her family deserved it, but she did not. So, she did not fear telling this man of their power and how they attained it. She did not fear what he would do with the information that could lead them to destruction.