Hated by her lineage, Iliya Dalaminai dwells in self isolation, awaiting the day her cousin marries so she might escape the Throne.
Feared by the Gods, Sorein Chakrine's crown is mainly a relic put on display at royal ceremonies to ward off evil.
Wh...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Iliya thought the tall figure lurking in her room was another nightmare. They lingered at the foot of her bed for a long time before dim light illuminated short blonde hair.
Siofra.
Her friend sat beside her and took her hand, staying quiet.
Iliya's lips wouldn't open and her body refused to move. She only managed a soft groan.
"You need to sleep," Siofra whispered.
Iliya knew the second she fell asleep she would forget everything: Ezre's conversation with her cousin and the scene in the archives. Of course, her condition would just slip through the cracks as it always did.
Siofra shifted her weight, adjusting her dagger against her thigh. Her friend was still cloaked in her uniform, as if she'd flown here after her duties to the Royal International Messenger's Guild.
The privilege had been sapping most of her friend's time for the past three years. All the training and travel provided her with excuses for missing important occasions. Yet here she was.
If Ezre or her mother told her, then Siofra knew more than she let on.
Iliya frowned as a wave of nausea hit her stomach. She was resisting too hard.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'll be here when you wake up."
Perhaps Siofra would be, she didn't know.
But Iliya was sure her memory would be long gone.
~
After nodding off, Iliya woke up to some documentary about the Kingdom of Azuris. The southern island was home to many spirits and souls and was often referred to as a final resting place.
"You'll rot your brain out with that," she said, stretching under her friend's deadweight.
Sio rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you're one to talk, with all those dreary mysteries playing in the background. It's no wonder you don't go out."
"You know why I don't go out," Iliya said, a dark tone edging into her voice.
Siofra was blessed two-fold. She was a full Therian descendant, and she didn't experience the constant ridicule from a family she couldn't escape.
The Fae wanted nothing to do with Iliya, and they wouldn't let her forget it. Least of all her father, whom she'd only seen twice from afar.
Seinen was as proud as they came and almost as ruthless, abandoning them for Solraidas at the thought of her existence.
While the Faes' respect for the Royal International Guard often kept them at bay when Iliya stood beside Siofra, her friend had only heard the stories.
But not from Iliya. Though Rhydian could open his big mouth from time to time; her mother and cousins were disgusted with the events they'd bore witness to.
