Chapter 1
Raithe
It wasa bitter irony to hold unmatched strength in a dungeon and yet be shackled by the absence of autonomy. I wasn’t the one in chains, but as a guardian, my ordered presence rivaled that of the prisoner before me.
I was one of the strongest beings in the queendom. Only Felaf—Scorpio’s other guardian—equaled my strength. Twenty-four of us guardians existed throughout Gaianos, two belonging to each of the twelve territories. Despite my power, my voice didn’t matter.
If it did, I wouldn’t be standing in this decrepit cell beneath Scorpio’s royal palace.
“He’s the one responsible for yesterday?” I nudged the unconscious man with my boot. From his shallow breathing and weak heartbeat, my heightened hearing told me he was still alive.
Alekko, commander of Scorpio’s Royal Guard, secured the wooden door behind him. “Won’t know for sure until we question him.”
I cast a wry glance over my shoulder. “If he’s an apostate, you know this is all pointless. Maryn knows it too,” I said,then muttered to myself, “Though I’m sure she’ll still relish his torture even if it yields nothing.”
“Never give up hope.” Alekko rubbed his hands together. “Today could be the day all that changes.”
Only those who committed horrendous crimes wound up here. And being an apostate was one of the realm’s most vile, treasonous acts.
The apostai likely called themselves something else, but that name had eluded us. So, history labelled them for what they were: a dangerous group of rebels spread throughout Gaianos who dissented from the divine laws of our land. Apostates despised the Astrals—the celestial deities who created our sky world—rather than revered them. At least, that was what had been surmised from their actions over the years: attacks on temples and shrines, assassination attempts on Chosens and acolytes, and desecration of the flowers attributed to each Astral.
Nothing sacred was safe from the apostai.
There had always been people who disagreed with the Zodiac’s intertwined magical and political system, but the apostai became a network of their own—an organized syndicate. And yet, no one had been able to solve the mystery of their rebellion: who led them, what their mission was, and most importantly, how they managed to remain tight-lipped when captured.
Every suspected apostate endured torture until death, never once breaking. Catching them was almost as challenging. Their only tell was the use of green fire. While I didn’t receive the full report of yesterday’s attack, this prisoner must have been found near the mysterious powder before it dissolved into nothing.
No seer, acolyte or alchemist had been able to identify, let alone study the substance, since it dissipated into thin air after combusting.
I walked in a slow circle around the sprawled, naked man. “There must be something different about this one if Maryn’s requested my presence.”
A guardian’s purpose was to protect, not punish. Interrogations were considered beneath us. But I had a sneaking suspicion why our queen regent had ordered me here.
From the knowing look on his face, Alekko did too. “Or a more likely scenario, you disobeyed her and ventured into the city again.”
I shrugged, not deigning to deny it.
“Well, she’s certainly getting creative with her punishments,” Alekko said. His boots scuffed against the rotting hay until he stood beside me. “Must you provoke her so?”
“Must she shackle Felaf and I to the palace when off-duty?” I retorted. “We’re guardians, not children.”
“I don’t understand her either, but until we have a queen come to power again, her word is law.”
I understood her well enough.
Though she was only an elected queen regent and not a Chosen royal, Maryn’s authority eclipsed anyone else’s in the queendom. And until a queen broke the curse that plagued us, she would remain in power—despite having none herself.
Since the curse began twelve years ago, Maryn had grown quite comfortable as Scorpio’s reigning sovereign.Toocomfortable. And none dared defy Maryn.
No one except me. I found myself subjected to her wrath all too frequently these days. It wasn’t without good reason, of course. I had little desire to inflict pain on others. I’d once assumed I would, since receiving it was all I knew as a child.
Instead, I craved it for myself.
I could defy Maryn’s ordersagainand refuse to partake in this torture session, sparking her anger further, but my curiositywon out. I hadn’t encountered an apostate directly in years. That I knew of, at least.
“What could you possibly be doing in Antares, anyway?” Alekko asked, folding his arms across his chest. “Certainly not helping the city guard.”
“Searching,” I answered cryptically.
