Turning on my heels, the looming figure behind me steps out of the shadows, towering over me by three heads. My eyes widen, and I freeze in fear. I widen my stance as the nearly invisible creature crawls toward me on all fours.
“Leave me alone,” I scream, while pushing my palms forward, expecting a surge of black magic to erupt from my body. My jaw drops when darkness doesn’t emerge from my hands. Instead, a bright white light sends my entire body flying backward. The hallway fills with a blinding radiance, and the creature shrieks in agony.
Stunned, I lie on the floor, gasping for breath.
Light.
I wielded light.
A small hand wraps around my arm, and I scream as I’m pulled through an open bedroom door.
Chapter 18
The dark bedroom engulfs me as a hand clasps over my mouth.
“Shhh,” a soft voice whispers in my ear. “I’m sorry to startle you, but please don’t scream, or it may follow us.”
I push the hand away from my face and quickly get to my feet. “What the fuck.”
A light clicks on in the room's far corner, and a small figure remains half in the shadows. "Please don’t be mad, Your Majesty.”
A woman emerges from the darkness, causing me to squint.
She looks familiar. Long white hair cascades around her petite hips, and her large, round eyes are as black as the shadows enveloping us. I lean in for a closer look, still trying to steady my blurred vision.
Before me stands a dancer from the dinner on the first night, an evening I wish I could erase from my memory—the woman who couldn’t take her eyes off Silas. The memory strikes me, and jealousy surges through my veins for a moment. She offers me a soft grin and points to an old chair. I wearily tilt my head and move to join her.
She continues to stand. “Please have a seat.” She bows.
“Oh, you do not have to do that,” I say, as I sit on the worn furniture.
“Apologies, Your Majesty.” She smiles. “It’s just in my blood to treat royalty as such.”
The woman sits in the chair across from me, smoothing out her dark dress. She tucks her long hair behind both ears and settles in. I focus on her, but I can’t shake the urge to glance at my hands. She appears exhausted, and I immediately feel a soft spot for her. She’s older than I am, but her eyes tell the story. Years of hardship linger behind her shadowy gaze.
What the fuck just happened in the hallway?
“I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?” I ask.
She chuckles at my forwardness, but doesn’t seem offended in the slightest.
“My name is Yara. I was one of the women providing the entertainment the other night during your arrival dinner.” Her white smile dazzles in the dim lighting.
She’s a stunning Lumor Wielder.
“Yes, you look familiar,” I reply, stiffly.
Yara dips her head and settles into the chair, relaxing her shoulders. Her eyes soften, and I can tell that she’s holding back, saying what is desperate to roll off her tongue.
“What exactly can I help you with, Yara?”
She nods. “I want to apologize for grabbing you. I heard shouting, so I came to see what was going on. I…I saw what you did back there—wielding light. That was really impressive, to say the least, and interesting.”
I nod, letting my own confusion slam into my chest.
“Interesting is a great word for that,” I say.
“Do you often practice Shadow and Lumor Wielding? It’s quite rare.”
