The dreams had gotten worse. Every night, I saw her—me, but not me.
Darkness spilled from her eyes, thick and alive, crawling down her cheeks. She laughed at me. Sneered. A blood-red flower always in her hand.
"This is why you sold yourself to the devil," she'd say. Her voice was soft but sharp, like a needle to the spine.
I woke with my breath caught in my throat, drenched in sweat. I pressed my palms to my eyes, wishing it would stop. But it never did.
Arenia's mansion felt like a cage. Insanely suffocating.
The servants avoided me more than usual. One had burst into tears after accidentally pricking me during a fitting. They acted like I'd bite them. I had almost yelled I'm not one of them. It came out as a soft sigh.
The sun had just gone down when the door creaked open.
Arenia stepped in, elegant and commanding as ever. Her eyes, always cold, scanned me. I was annoyed at her propensity to barge into my room but I said nothing.
"We have an outing," she said. "Some of those filthy mages have been captured."
My body stiffened. "Filthy?"
She barely glanced at me. "They should all be put down. A blight on this world. If we had any sense, we'd kill them all."
Her voice was flat.
My mask slipped, angry at her words against my people.
"What did they ever do to you?"
Arenia turned. Her gaze landed on me like ice on bare skin. I felt a chill deep in my spine.
She didn't speak at first. I regretted my words instantly, way to blow your cover Lyra.
Then she spoke ;"You have no idea what they've done. What they've cost us. If you did, you'd hate them as much as I do."
I blinked. What?
Her voice had shaken, just slightly. Arenia shaken?
The world tilted. What did she mean? Mages were the hunted. We tried to live our lives peacefully but they just kept hunting us. We were innocent for god's sake and she made us sound like villains.
She didn't say more. She turned and swept out. "Come on. We'll be late."
I followed, quiet and reeling.
—
The square was packed.
Humans and vampires gathered, still clearly divided. The humans were jostling and watching as the prisoners were paraded onto the platform like livestock.
Mages.
There were six of them. All thin, bruised, broken. Their magic had clearly been bound. Collars of iron around their necks. Iron inhibited out magic, made it useless, it burned our skin too mildly but still.
I clenched my fists.
A vampire I didn't know stood on the stage, reading out their supposed crimes. None of it mattered. The sentence had already been decided: flogging and life imprisonment.
One girl caught my eye. She couldn't have been older than fourteen. Her eyes were wide with fear. She looked like a lost child, not a criminal.
My heart twisted.
They didn't deserve this.
Some humans cheered. I wish I could burn them too.
The vampire on stage raised his voice. "Let it be known that we do not tolerate the practice of dark magic. We protect our people from its corruption."
Lies.
Kael stood to the side. I hadn't noticed him until then. He looked... stone. Unmoving. Eyes hard. Expression unreadable.
He leaned toward the presiding vampire. Spoke in a low voice.
After a pause, the vampire nodded.
The young girl was pulled away from the others.
I swallowed thickly. What now? What special torment had they saved for her?
Arenia beside me tsked in disgust. "They should have been executed." She continued musing about what she would do if she was in charge. I tuned her out.
I said nothing. Just watched. Burned every face into memory.
The flogging began. I didn't look away. When it was finally over, Arenia touched my arm.
"Let's go, show's over."
I followed, dazed.
---
"Where are they being held?" I asked as we neared the carriage.
Arenia raised a brow. "Why?"
I shrugged. "Just curious." Trying to betray no emotion.
She pointed to a squat, grey building a few streets over. "There. The holding prison. Disgusting place, but it suits their kind."
I nodded and took note of the building and how to get there.
That night, I waited.
Arenia retired early. The mansion fell into its usual sullen silence.
I cloaked myself.
It was magic I hadn't used in a long time. It was a trick my father has taught me. Magic wrapped around me like a veil.
I slipped through the shadows. Avoided the guards stationed at the entrance.
Crossed the streets quickly and entered the building without a sound.
The prison reeked of sweat and fear. It was dark and cold. My every step echoed.
I moved silently, passing cells filled with the broken and forgotten.
Finally I saw them. My breath caught. I saw six of them.
Cramped into a cell, looking half-starved. They looked more like ghosts than people.
I pressed a hand to the bars. My heart screamed.
One woman lifted her head. My throat closed.
Mother. Her eyes were dull. Her face gaunt. But it was her.
I wanted to speak. To reach through the bars and hold her.
But I couldn't. Guards paced nearby. I had to stay hidden.
"I'll save you," I whispered, though no one could hear.
I burned the image into my mind. Their faces. Their pain.
I would not fail them. I turned, I did not want to spend any more time here, seeing their suffering.
I slipped down the hall. Got outside.
The fresh air hit my lungs like a slap. I gasped.
"Who goes there?" A voice. Sharp and familiar.
I froze.
Prince Kael.