Itrace my fingers over Elaine’s handwriting before opening her letter. I expected a reply far sooner, and I admit I was starting to get restless and worried. Countless times I’ve asked the mirror to show me Eldiria, but each time life was as usual, dismissing my fears.An old yellowed piece of parchment slips out of the envelope, and I freeze when I recognize the woman drawn on it. My mind is racing as I unfold Elaine’s letter, its contents short this time.Your Excellency,Forgive me for the late reply. It took me several days to find a portrait that Theon hadn’t destroyed. Is the woman in the illustration the one you saw the day you left?If that is the case, then it is Theon’s mother you saw—the caster of the curse that plagues us. Powers we are unaware of might be at play. If she sent you away, she must want you far from Eldiria. Theon’s condition has been deteriorating rapidly since you left, and I’m uncertain if you being away is beneficial to him or not.I fear what your response might be. Please, Arabella, write to me at your earliest convenience. I have asked Felix to check for letters from you at dawn.With all my love,
ElaineI think back to the woman I saw in my bedroom, her energy the same as the palace’s. She looked vaguely familiar, but I mistakenly assumed it was her energy I recognized, rather than her face. I’ve seen a torn image of her in the east wing once. It was a mere glimpse, but it should have been enough.Guilt courses through me as I pick up my quill to reply to Elaine. How could I possibly not have realized something of such importance? What have I done? Did me leaving put Felix at risk?My hands tremble as I seal the envelope, my gaze trailing to my window. We’re several hours away from dawn. Now, more than ever, I wish I possessed Felix’s alchemy powers.My heart races as I walk over to my bed, reaching inside the drawer beside it. The shard of the mirror of Pythia glimmers in the moonlight before she appears, her eyes milky white.“Show me Felix,” I say, my voice breaking.Pythia nods and fades away, her image replaced by one of Felix. I watch him as he sits behind his desk in the library, staring out the window. He rises to his feet and walks over to the sofa I used to read on, his fingers trailing over the fabric. He sits down, his eyes falling closed, and I sigh. There’s nothing I wish for more than to be in his embrace right now.“Pythia, has our future changed?”She appears and shakes her head. “No, Your Excellency.”I nod and put the mirror away with shaking hands, feeling utterly powerless. The more powerful I become, the more I lose. I’d give up every bit of magic I have if it means I get to spend the rest of my life with Felix.I inhale shakily, a tear dropping down my cheek as I lie down, imagining that I’m back home in the bed I share with Felix, his arm wrapped around me. I lie in bed like that, my thoughts on Felix as I await dawn.The sound of a soft click startles me not much later, and I tense, expecting it to be Serena. Instead my sheets are pulled away, and handcuffs close around my wrists before I have a chance to react.“We’re sorry, Your Excellency,” one of the soldiers says, his expression betraying his fear. “We have no choice. The king would condemn our families if we were to refuse his orders.”Panic engulfs me, and for a moment I struggle to breathe. Memories flood my mind, each of them featuring the cuffs I’m once again trapped in. My breathing turns shallow as the soldiers pull me to my feet, forcing me to the door. I have no doubt they’re attempting to take me to the tower my father has always used to punish me.The hallway is lined with soldiers, my father and members of the court standing at the end. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way, Arabella. We cannot risk you reporting back to the Shadow Emperor. There is no doubt in my mind that he will not let us live.”I look him in the eye, my heart filling with venom. “What do you intend to do with me?”My father grimaces and looks away. “You’re my daughter. I won’t kill you, but I cannot let you return to the Shadow Emperor.”I laugh, the sound betraying the panic I feel. “And you think he won’t find me? Your punishment will be so much worse once he does.”noveldramaFather smiles and shakes his head. “He won’t find you. I’ve made sure of it.”He turns and walks toward the tower I suspected he’d take me to, and with every step I’m forced to take, I try to call upon my powers. It’s different now. I’m able to call upon my powers rather than having them flood me in response to my emotions. I feel them deep within, but usually I can also feel the flow of energy around me. This time I can’t. I try to struggle against my restraints as I’m led up to the stairs, but to no avail. No matter. Unlike sorceresses, I don’t channel my powers from the ether. I can channel from within.“We renovated the tower,” my father tells me proudly. “Since the Shadow Emperor declared that magic is no longer forbidden in Althea, I expected trouble and prepared for it.”He opens the door, and I look around in shock. The tower has been turned into a large golden cage that hums with magic, complete with metal bars where there used to be walls, cold wind roaring through the room. I’ve never seen anything like it.“You don’t even need those cuffs,” he says, smiling as he closes the door behind him. The two soldiers step away from me and join my father. “The tower itself will contain your magic. It will keep you from calling it to you.”I look around, a shrill laugh escaping my lips. “You built this for Felix, didn’t you?”My father looks caught off guard, and I burst into laughter. “Do you truly believe this could ever contain him? Father dearest, I doubt it can even contain me, let alone my husband.”“It will, Arabella. I’m sorry it had to come to this. I’ll see to it that food and water are brought to you every day. If you behave, I’ll let Serena come visit you someday. In time, I might consider letting you go, once I’m certain you won’t go back to the Shadow Emperor.”I stare at him in disbelief and shake my head. “I’m afraid that won’t work for me. I have a letter I must deliver to Eldiria at dawn, so I cannot stay here.”My father smiles. “It appears you fail to understand what is happening, Arabella. I’m not giving you a choice.”Elaine is expecting a reply, and I need to ensure it gets to her. I cannot stay here too long or Eldiria will be in danger. I can already feel the flames that burn throughout our empire waning due to my turmoiled emotions, and I have no doubt the cage and the cuffs make it worse.“The only reason I’ve indulged you is because I was rather curious about what you’d do,” I tell him. I look around, disappointment filling me. It astounds me that he and I share the same blood. “You know nothing of my powers, and had you simply asked me how I’ve been, and what the last few months have been like for me, I’d have told you all about them.” I sigh, my heart aching. “Had I been a regular sorceress, you would indeed have been able to trap me here. Unfortunately for you, I’m not. This room does not take away my ability to compel the elements. Cutting me off from the energy in the ether is not sufficient—my powers come from within.”I smile at my father then and let the air in the room lift my shackled motionless arms, before I let it rip the cuffs apart. The winds rise outside the castle, making the bars of the cage rattle. I tilt my head when the wall starts to crack as the first bar is yanked away by the wind, breaking the cage.My father takes a step back, but I shake my head. “You fail to understand that I’m no longer the daughter you sent away. You sent her to die, and she did.”I inhale deeply as several more bars fly away, taking chunks of the tower’s wall with them. I don’t feel an ounce of remorse as I lift my father into the air and send him flying through the gap in the wall. I let him fall, his screams loud and far more satisfying than I could have imagined, the sound reverberating.I turn my attention to the two soldiers who are desperately trying to open the door behind them, but the wind keeps it shut tight. “Don’t worry. I didn’t kill my father. I merely left him hanging midair. I would never let him get away with such a brief punishment. He has never granted me the same courtesy, after all.”I smile as I lift my hand, sending them flying out of the window, too. My anger is barely contained as I whip the door open, letting it slam into the wall. I don’t have long before dawn, and I have every intention of making every second count.