“Sparrow. Starling.” His fathomless eyes lock on to me, making my skin crawl. “Thank you for coming at such a late hour, but I am sure you will appreciate the magnitude of this situation once I give you your assignments.”
Nyssa and I sit in silence as we wait for him to continue. Calliope’s warning from last night rears up in my mind once again, and I grip the edges of my seat, trying my best to smother the rising sense of foreboding.
“As you are no doubt aware, Alpha Flight has recently returned from an assignment in Eretria. What isnotcommonly known among the order is the purpose of their mission. Over a year ago, we received word from one of our Songbirds that the king of Eretria had come into possession of a weapon. A weapon so lethal it could mean the end of our world as we know it. Following that initial message, we lost contact with our Songbird, and we can only assume someone captured him.”
Lord Malis stands from his desk and walks to the window, staring out into the abyss of darkness beyond as he continues.
“Few in our kingdom will remember what it was like during the God War. Destruction and bloodshed devastated the lands, and—while we are no longer at war—the divides in our kingdoms have only become more pronounced over time. Tensions are rising across the Empyrieos, and the songs we have heard suggest war may no longer remain in the history books. King Daedalus is poisoned by greed, parading as a visionary with claims to reunite the kingdoms under one crown. With thisweapon in their hands, Eretria holds an advantage over the rest of the kingdoms. We cannot allow his vision of one kingdom with one king to come to pass.”
I keep my expression clear despite the urge to frown. What type of weapon could be powerful enough to tip the scales in a war? I’m about to ask when Lord Malis turns back to face us, and his next words steal the air from my lungs.
“The two of you will accompany Alpha Flight when they return to Eretria and assist them with infiltrating the court and finding the weapon. I cannot stress enough the importance of success. The fate of our kingdom—our realm—depends on it.”
The two of you.
My mind races as I struggle to hold myself together. Why us? What dowehave to offer on a mission like this? We’ve barely had a moment to adjust to becoming Songbirds, and now we’re being thrust straight intothis.A mission so ambitious, it seems almost unattainable. And then there’s Nyssa. Why didn’t Calliope mention her if she’s bound for the same journey?
“And once we have this weapon, Eagle,” Nyssa asks, cutting through my rampant thoughts, “what will be the extraction plan?”
“Your Flight Commander will fill you in on the details in the coming days. For now, that will be all.”
Nyssa and I bow our heads and stand to leave. As we reach the door, Lord Malis calls out, “Starling, a word.”
Nyssa shoots me a worried look, but I force an encouraging smile as I close the door once again behind her. I’m given no indication to sit this time, so I stand before the desk, hands clasped behind my back.
No matter what, I am strong enough for this.
I recite the familiar mantra, the same one that has guided me through countless hours of harsh training, as I wait. Lord Malis reclines in his chair, his cold, emotionless gaze fixed steadily upon me. He picks up a small dagger from his desk, tapping it against the palm of his hand. I steel myself to not so much as twitch under the brutal intensity of his surveillance. The seconds drag by before he finally speaks. “Do you know why I took you into the Aviary?”
The question catches me off guard.
It’s rhetorical—both he and I know the answer. Not only is the Eagle the authority of the Aviary, but the position also makes him an advisor to the Crown.
“Because my father wanted me gone, Eagle.” I force myself to remain still as he rises from his chair and approaches me, splitting my attention between his face and the dagger he still holds.
“Yes, and when he consulted me on the matter, I could not let such an opportunity pass me by. To have the royal blood of the Sorrows here, within my control. The possibilities, what I could accomplish with you. Endless.” My pulse spikes as he circles me, and a rush of energy floods my body when I lose sight of him. Cold metal presses against my neck before he whispers his next words in my ear, dripping with something hungry.Greedy.“I wonder, if I slit your throat open now, what else might bleed out of you?”
With effort, I force myself not to lash out—silently thanking all four of the Anemoi that he’s standing behind me and can’t see the strain that must show on my face. I school my expression to one of acceptance as the cold steel falls from my throat and Lord Malis steps in front of me.
“You will play a very particular role in this assignment, and I need you to be prepared,” he says.
Sharp words build on the tip of my tongue. Jagged and cutting, like shards of broken glass. But I swallow them down, wincing as they slice and scrape my throat along the way. “I will do whatever the Aviary requires of me, Eagle,” I say instead.
A cruel smirk curls his pale lips. He’s satisfied with the response, like he thinks he’s finally broken me. Decimated the person I once was.
He couldn’t be more wrong.
“You will play the role of…” He pauses, dragging out the moment like a viper before it strikes. “Princess Aella Sotiría of the Sorrows.”
His words land like a physical blow. It’s as though they strip away the fragile armor I’ve been clinging to, exposing the vulnerable parts of me I’ve tried so hard to protect.
I blink slowly, trying to reassure myself.
I was expecting this.
Joining the Aviary, being told by my masters not to dye my hair, the decoy—my decoy—acting out a false life among the acolytes. Iknewthere was a reason.
Still, just the idea of pretending to be my former self, the person I used to be, is a cruel joke. Reducing me to nothing more than a role I once played and will inevitably play again. The hardest part is that his words compel me to face the truth—this is all I’ll ever be.
