The Crooked Jewels

"You're supposed to be dead. You all died! I saw it with my own eyes!" I cried, beating his chest with enough force to knock the wind from his lungs. I swore I would never cry again after that day, but Nikko's sudden appearance here, of all places, was enough to send me into a hurricane of emotions. I wanted to laugh, to break down in sobs, to kill him for leaving me alone for so long.

Though older than he was back then, there was no mistaking it; this was Nikko. He restrained my punches with ease and held me at arm's length, exhibiting strength the old Nikko didn't have. His eyes bore into mine, burning in the moonlight as the clouds parted momentarily, illuminating his features. It was him, after all. If he wasn't dead, why didn't he try to find me? What had he been doing all this time? "I thought you were dead," He breathed, soaking my appearance. "I'm never letting you out of my sight ever again."

-

Heartbreak, betrayal, and misfortune seem to shadow Anila wherever she goes. Her mother and younger brother are murdered on the eve of her ninth birthday and the blame is cast unfairly on the Princess, betrayed by the King as he orders her execution for the crime. She escapes with nothing to her name but rage and a broken heart and never looks back. Anila is then rescued by a Witcher named Kaisen. He takes her in and raises her as his own, training her to weaponize her pain and directing her to a purpose in life, one that serves her well until the day he dies. Linking the murder of her beloved teacher and that of her family, Anila sets out on a mission to track down the Witch responsible to make her pay dearly. Little does she know of the depth of the betrayal and how profound the infiltration of her Kingdom goes.

When her long-lost friend and older brother resurface, old feelings of the past rise with them. As it turns out, everyone has their secrets, including the deceased Queen, leaving Anila wondering who she truly is.