APRIL SYLKRANA, the only daughter of the High Queen, has to make things right. When a series of assassinations breaks out in the Imperial City, April takes matters into her hands and investigates, distracting her from a plot against her and the crow...
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Her head throbbed when her senses returned. A groan rumbled deep in her throat as she wrenched her eyes open. Darkness was what greeted her. That and the loud rustle of fabric and the scratches of soles against the floor. Stone, from what it sounded like. She twisted her neck, wincing from the shot of pain spearing through her temples. What did they hit her with? Moreover, where was she?
April blinked the darkness away and discovered they were merely black spots dancing in her vision. When her eyes adjusted, she realized there was a small stream of light illuminating the square room coming from the torch stuck into a ring on the wall. Also stone, from the looks of them. Then, her gaze landed on the people loitering on the room with her.
She noted the loose robes, the drawn expressions, and the ones pacing. They were waiting for someone. Or something. The real question was...what?
She lunged forward, aiming to tackle the first Adviser near her. Something bit against her arms and hauled her back. The sound of chains clinking rang in the air, startling the rest of the seated Advisers. They turned to her, faces changing from shock to amusement and intrigue.
With her chest heaving, April felt the bounds around her form. This time, even her wings were tucked inside. When she looked back, she noticed a thick line of chains attached to her bonds, snaking towards another wall. The exit, a door with no glass windows, stood somewhere beyond the horde of Advisers.
"Welcome to the real world, April," Adviser Pernice pushed herself up from her stool and strode towards April. Her smile, once dubbed as the most innocent, turned menacing. "What did you come to say before that? I'm sorry we had to knock you out. The plan simply couldn't wait."
Blinding anger seared in April's gut. She stared the Adviser down. "What are you planning to do?" she seethed.
Pernice chuckled. "It's simple really," she said.
"Don't dare tell that brat anything, Sevine," Adviser Corlan growled from somewhere among the sea of faces April remembered but couldn't connect to proper names. "The Potentate doesn't want her getting in the way."
"Don't worry, Viren," Pernice said without looking away. Her grin reflected confidence and utter belief in what she was saying. "It isn't like she's going anywhere. By the time she gets out of here, the Potentate would already be done with her business."
April squirmed, succeeding in only disturbing the chains behind her. "You filthy traitors," she said. "Why would you want to bring Falkirta down? We're perfectly fine floating."
A full-on laugh poured from Pernice as she bent down to catch the breath strangled by her amusement. "Bring the territory down? That's hilarious," Pernice wiped the side of her eyes with the back of her hand. "My dear, we're not looking to destroy Falkirta. We're aiming to build a new one."
"A new one?" April knitted her eyebrows. "Why?"
A dreamy look shifted Pernice's features. "Why, you ask?" she crossed her arms. "Because this place is crawling with vermin. We want a new start, somewhere where insolent brats like you wouldn't reach us. It will be away from Imperial control. It will be a territory for air sprites and for air sprites only."
