The Dragon Queen's Heir [book one]

25

"SISSY? What are you doing?"

A small child appears from behind the nearly-closed door, gently pushing it open with a tiny hand. Curly red hair spills over her shoulders, covering some of the pink lace lining her nightgown. "Why are you packing? Are we leaving?"

Another, older, girl, appearing to be an exact replica of the child standing just behind the threshold, stands and crosses her arms, her back to her younger sister. "No. Just me. I'm going away." She yanks a frilly dress off her bed and stuffs it into her pack, her eyes wet with unshed tears.

The little girl pouts, taking a small step forward, into the older girl's chambers. The older girl stiffens and turns, bright purple flames licking her at her hand. "Don't. Don't come in. I need to do this." The younger girl bursts into tears at the sight of the fire, backing away from the door and, a few moments later, runs down the hall, crying for her mother.

The girl collapses against her bed, scrunching up her face in an attempt to keep herself from crying. This is why she has to leave. This is why she can't stay at the palace. This is why she has to abandon her little sister, no matter how much it hurts.

~

"Ciana? It's time to leave. You need to get up."

Sunlight streams through the branches of the trees above me as I open my eyes, my body covered in sweat. What in Nightshorne was that? I'd seen the older girl again, the girl that's supposed to be my sister. But I know for a fact that I don't have a sister, and even if I did, my parents would have mentioned her at some point. They wouldn't keep something that big from me. Right?

"Ciana?"

I jump slightly and sit up, casting my gaze around the clearing until I spot Nikolai, who's sitting just to my right with his knees folded under him and his arms crossed at his chest. "We need to leave," he says again, but at the sight of my panicked expression, asks, "Is everything okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Something like that." I scrunch my eyes shut and try to shove down the image of the older girl, who looked so much like me yet was so much different. I can't worry about this right now. I have to work through the Trials first, and then I can ask--

Ask who? Certainly not the headmaster, not with what I'd talked to Milay about. And Mikki is out of the question, too, since she'd proven how reluctant she was to actually be helpful and answer my questions. Slowly, I turn back to Nikolai. He's the only one I can trust right now, I tell myself. I can't keep this inside.

Eira perks up in our connection, my musings having roused her from sleep. As soon as she gives my memories a once-over, she's all over me, practically drowning me in her disapproval. Ash, we have to be careful. Don't tell anyone about this but--

But the headmaster? Eira, we've been through this. The headmaster has been keeping things from me. He's been scheming behind my back, been--

Been what? Eira snorts softly. And if he had told you what he was planning, what he was doing, would your reaction have been any different? Would you have been any less upset?

I sigh and shake my head. I just hate not knowing.

"Ciana." Nikolai grabs my arm and shakes me slightly. "Ciana, are you sure you're okay? You were muttering in your sleep, and now you're spaced out--"

I cast a long look at Eira, then turn my attention back to Nikolai. "I'm fine. I've just been--just been having this strange dreams. Like they're memories, except I know they're not." I hesitate, trying to decide how much to divulge, how much is safe to say when everything I've told Nikolai so far has been a lie. "I'm--I'm an orphan. And I don't have any siblings, but I've been having these visions of an older sister. I'm terrified of what that might mean."