Chapter 1
She had to get out of there.
Thilanae dashed between nobles and members of the king’s court, almost tripping on the hem of her ballgown.
Magic rushed in her veins, pulsating beneath her skin, threatening to burst out. No. Not here. Please not here.The Royal Palace of Silrayen was the last place she needed to be when her magic took control.
Her head spinning, Thilanae ran up the marble stairs as fast as she could in heels, her inky black skirts flowing out behind her.
Panting at the top, not from being out of shape, but from panic, she frantically glanced around for an exit, startling the VIP guests as she went straight through the crowd.
Throwing open the balcony doors, Thilanae collapsed onto the stone, drinking in the cool night air. Letting out a relieved sigh, she fell onto her knees, the marble soothing against her burning skin. Focusing on taking slow, deep breaths, the pounding in her head slowly subsided, and her magic calmed down.
The Lords and Ladies behind her were all whispering, their words carrying to Thilanae’s ears: “Too much drink.”
“Poor girl’s corset is too tight.”
“She mustn’t do well in tight spaces,”
“Itisquite stuffy here.”
“Huh. She’s hardly fit to be here in that state.”
“A disgrace,”
Thilanae shoved the words away.At least they don’t suspect the truth.Looking up at the night sky, she concentrated on shoving her magic down, using the technique her father had taught her.
“When you feel your magic right under the surface, and you can’t make it go away, look at the horizon, or the sky, anywhere far away. Imagine you’re gathering it all up and sending it to this faraway place. Picture it in your head. It’s not a part of you anymore. It’s gone now.”This had been one of the many tricks she had learned to keep her powers a secret.
Movement near the dark horizon caught Thilanae’s eye; the stars seemed to be blinking, turning off, then on again. Curious, but also uneasy, she focused in on the spot, and using her power ofSight,she mentally reached into the distance, something completely different filling her vision. Something startling.
Shit. Dragons.
They were heading straight for the palace, far away still, but with those giant wings, they would be there in minutes.
Theon! she mentally screamed at her brother, thankful for their mind-reading abilities, who was by her side in moments. Moments in which her magic rose again, threatening to choke her; suddenly, it was hard to breathe.These darned corsets!
Theon took one look at the sky before he started shouting orders to the guards in the courtyard below, “Dragons from the west! Get everyone inside, I want eyes on the Royals! Archers, get ready! Someone warn the village!” All the soldiers responded immediately, galvanised into action. Clearly, he had no such problem drawing breath.
Clutching one hand to her heaving chest, and the other holding onto the balustrade with an iron grip, she made no outward indication that she was the one that sent a blast of fire up into the sky, warning the villagers while lighting up the beasts for the archers.
Theon, of course, knew, and turned to her with a glare, which quickly softened into concern,Are you alright?He asked her, breaking through the barrier that stopped them from reading each other’s minds by placing a hand on her arm. She didn’t need it, though; the question was written in his eyes.
Giving a small nod, she answered silently,I’m fine, lying in the process. She’d thought letting out the fire, the magic, would cease the pulsating, but it seemed now that it’d had a taste of freedom, it’d do anything for more. Wrapping her arms around her middle and breaking contact, she turned her face back up to the massive beasts. They were no longer above the sea, drawing closer to the capital of Eloris, the first pillars of fire from the dragons engulfing the small hovels and houses of the farmers.
Fury burned red hot in her chest, feeding the force inside of her. How could these Athelian people send their dragons to the innocent people of Silrayen? They’d never done anything to harm the huge and powerful continent; were the Athelians only taking advantage of their beasts in a sick power trip?
Shoving aside her thoughts, Thilae lit up the sky once more, startling the beasts and lighting up the first volley of arrows soaring to intercept the attackers.“Lace them with venom, keep them coming!” Theon yelled, before turning to his sister, hissing, “You need to get insideright now,”
“Just let me help,pleaseTheon,”
“No.” He shook his head firmly, glancing back up at the sky, “I need to make sure you’re safe, and I can’t do that right now.”
“You know I can–,”
“Yes, I know you can look after yourself, but what about everyone else seeing you? You haven’t kept your secret all your life just to expose it now. I won’t say this again,get inside.”
Knowing he was right, but hating it, she glared at him and turned back inside, managing to seem composed despite the turmoil inside of her. Feeling Theon’s gaze burning into her back, she hurried into the thick crowd of panicked and screaming people, all shoving towards the exits, trying to get to the safe rooms. She welcomed the uproar of the guests, the confusion giving her the perfect opportunity to escape the ballroom and run through the halls beyond. She knew that castle like the back of her hand, despite being a common-born young woman. Her father had seen to that. Ripping a sword from a suit of armour, she ran up the twisting staircase, the thrumming of her magic growing louder with every step she took. Throwing open the door at the top, she had to duck, just missing the giant beast skimming over the castle. A second later a thick throwing knife was lodged in its abdomen, making its wings falter, dropping dangerously low. Thilae didn’t have time to send another after it as another dragon swooped over the palace, heading straight for the tower roof she was standing on. She shot giant shards of ice up into the beast’s exposed underside, her magic leaping free of her hands, but not before its rider jumped off of his mount, landing neatly on the slate tiles. A roar filled with pain reverberated off the stone walls as the dragon went down crashing into the sea behind the castle. Thilanae tore her eyes away, turning back to the man on the roof across from her, a wicked smile playing on his lips.He thinks I’ll be easy prey,a smile tugged on her own lips,little does he know.Flexing her fingers on the sword handle, she waited for the man to come to her. A flash of light caught on the steel of his blade as it came swinging towards her, but Thilae expected it, blocking the strike with her own blade in lightning fast movement, the Athelian’s eyes widening in shock. He didn’t stop there though, coming down with all his might in fast, hard strokes. In her giant dress, Thilae didn’t want to try evading the swipes, especially on the edge of a tower roof, so she blocked each attack. The sword was weakening under the constant blows, made for decoration rather than action, a crack snaking through the blade. In a split second she made her decision, ducking low she tossed aside the steel and formed an obsidian katana with her elemental powers, swiping it at the man’s legs. A sixth sense must have made him jump, but it gave Thilae the chance to get up and start attacking. In controlled movements, she blocked his strikes and returned with her own, a sense of calm overtaking her. The Athelian was being forced back, but on the tower roof they would only go in circles. Slowing her reactions, making her movements sloppier, she lured the man into a false security, the grin spreading over his disgusting face telling her he had fallen for it, hook, line and sinker.
It was because of this he never expected the sudden thrust of her sword, which would have sunk deep into his chest, only he stepped to the side. But as he dodged the sword he tripped on the edge of the roof, and–with panic written all over his face–he tumbled into the air, plummeting toward the courtyard below.
Thilanae didn’t look over the edge, a shiver running down her spin at the realization that that easily could have been her. The eerie quiet was the first indication of the end of the battle. No more roars, nor wingbeats and battlecries.
Theon!Thilanae raced down the stairs, but threw her katana to the side and managed to compose herself, checking her reflection in a mirror, before she reached the ballroom. And it was just as well, for there was no slipping in quietly this time, she had arrived halfway through the King’s speech. Dipping her head, she curtseyed low, silently apologising for interrupting, and joined the crowd. She didn’t care about all the people staring at her, except the brown eyes that were wide with relief, the ones that were the exact same colouring as hers.
Only then did she realise, her magic had subsided,for now.
