Chapter 14

As we step outside,I glance up at the lavender sky bleeding into navy blue. My mouth parts at the sheer beauty of it.

"Asha is probably very worried about us," I say as we walk by a group of children playing a game of chase.

"I know."

As we thread our way through the thinning crowds, Emerin hums a soft tune. I smile as I think about her secret friend in the city. Her Corvin. She would probably object and say he isn't hers, but I saw the way they looked at each other.

A sudden movement catches my eye, a cloaked figure darting toward us. His eyes meet mine for a fleeting second before he crashes into Emerin with a sickening thud. With a vicious snap, he rips her silk bag from her belt. Emerin staggers backward and falls to the ground.

"Emerin!" I cry out and help her to her feet.

The thief turns to me next and reaches for my bag, but I react instinctively, kicking him as hard as I can in the leg. He hisses through his teeth and retaliates, smacking me across the cheek with a stinging blow. The force of it knocks me back a step and sends pain throbbing through my face like a pulsing drumbeat.

As if summoned by some unseen signal, another man steps from the shadows. I jerk back, taking Emerin with me, my heart thundering in my ears like a galloping horse. Fear rises in my throat, bitter and choking, as both men close in on us.

I push Emerin behind me, shielding my younger sister with my body. The men lunge toward us, their clammy hands grabbing at my arms like the tentacles of a deep-sea monster.

Rage ignites inside me, a white-hot inferno of uncontrollable fury. It explodes through my veins, setting my blood aflame with its scorching heat. Before I can stop it, before I can even think to try, fire erupts from my palms in a blistering torrent. Twin infernos blast the men away from me with a concussive force that sends them crumbling to the ground.

Horror spikes through me as I stare at my hands. What have I done?

Emerin's frightened whimper distracts me from my horrified thoughts and spurs me into action. I grab her hand and pull her into a run. We race down the narrow street, booted feet slapping against the dry earth. My lungs burn with effort, and my eyes water against the wind.

I glance back, and my heart drops when the men stagger to their feet. They spit curses and give chase, their longer legs quickly eating up the distance between us.

Fear lodges in my chest as I encourage Emerin to run faster. We dart around startled people, who jump out of our way with frightened cries. But the sound of pounding footsteps only grows louder behind us.

Determination blinds me as I grind Emerin to a sudden stop and push her behind a fruit stall. She crouches down, making herself as small as possible.

Anger once again brings flames roaring to life in my palms. An inferno erupts from me, a wall of fire that slams into the men's chests with the force of a battering ram. They fly backward and crash into the side of a building before crumpling to the ground like marionettes with their strings severed.

The fire dies as quickly as it came, leaving only the bitter taste of ash in my mouth. I stand there, chest heaving, staring at my trembling hands. The skin is smooth and unmarked, but I still feel the ghost of the flames licking at my fingertips.

This time, the men do not stir. They lie broken and motionless on the sunbaked earth.

Emerin trembles as she stands and stares at me, her face full of horror—horror I induced. She takes a step back, as if trying to distance herself from the destruction I've wrought.

It fractures something inside me, creating a deep, jagged crack that spreads through my heart like a fault line.

Whispers reach my ears, growing louder with each passing second. I tear my gaze away as a crowd gathers around us. Fear and disgust twist their features as they point at me.

"Murderer," a woman hisses, her voice dripping with venom.

A man spits into the dirt near my feet. "Abomination."

I stumble back, pulling Emerin with me. She clings to my arm, her nails digging into my skin through the fabric of my sleeve.

The crowd surges forward, their mutters growing louder, more insistent.

"I saw what she did. She has crimson magic," a man shouts, his voice rising above the din. "She's a monster!"

I want to deny it, to tell them that they're wrong, but the words stick in my throat, choking me.

"Look at her, wearing that veil to cover her hideous face," a woman cries as she stabs her hand in my direction.

Shame floods through me, hot and overwhelming. I want to hide, to disappear, to be anyone but myself.

Emerin's grip on my arm tightens, and I know I have to get her out of here. But before I can move, the mob closes in around us. Hands reach for me, grasping at my clothes, my hair, my skin.

I cry out for them to leave us alone, but they don't listen. They press closer, their anger, and hatred suffocating me. I can't breathe, can't think, can't do anything but try to shield Emerin from their wrath.

A clump of dirt flies through the air and hits Emerin in the face. She cries out, and something inside me snaps. Rage surges through my veins. It builds and builds until it bursts out of me in a torrent of crimson flames that blasts the crowd backward. They stumble and fall, their screams of anger turning to shrieks of terror.

I don't wait to see what happens next. I grab Emerin's hand and run, pulling her through the gap in the crowd. We don't get far before we skid to a stop, our path blocked by a wall of soldiers. Asha's soldiers.

Commander Titanus stands at their head, his stern eyes locked on me.

My heart leaps into my throat, and I tighten my grip on Emerin's hand. What will they do to us? To me?

The commander steps forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. I brace myself for the worst, but he doesn't draw his weapon.

Instead, he turns to the crowd, his voice booming out over their angry shouts. "Get back," he commands. "Leave them alone."

Slowly, the crowd disperses, drifting away in twos and threes.

My knees weaken as I let out a shaky breath. But my relief is short-lived. Because now I have to face the commander, and I have no idea what he will do to me.

* * *

Commander Titanus'footsteps echo through the stone hallway as he leads me to Asha's favorite parlor. I try to count each footfall in an attempt to calm my racing thoughts, but I only make it to twenty before the numbers slip away.

I glance to the side, turning just enough to catch sight of Emerin's profile as she walks beside me. The same fear as earlier etches her features.

I swallow through the pain throbbing through me. This is one of my biggest fears—my sisters bearing witness to this hidden side of me. The part of me that is Lyra.

A guard opens the door to Asha's study, and I follow Commander Titanus into the room. Emerin trails me at a much slower pace and draws to a stop next to me.

Asha rises to her feet. "What is the meaning of this?"

The commander bows his head. "I bring grave news. Lady Annora used crimson magic in the city. She killed two men and turned her powers against a crowd of innocent people."

Shame sears through me like a hot poker, forcing my head to hang low. I can't summon the courage to meet Asha's eyes, to see the disappointment and horror I'll find there.

"That's impossible," Asha says. "No one from House of Silver has ever possessed crimson magic."

"I'm afraid it's true, My Lady," Commander Titanus says, his deep voice echoing through the room. "Some of my most trusted men bore witness to it. There can be no doubt."

"Annora, look at me," Asha commands. Slowly, I lift my eyes to meet hers, seeing the confusion swirling in their depths. "Is this true? Did you use crimson magic?"

"I…" The word sticks in my throat, and I swallow hard, forcing myself to start again. "Yes, I did."

Her hands shake before she clasps them together, her knuckles turning white with the force of her grip. "That is impossible. Our people have never been able to command crimson flames."

"I told you," I whisper, each word tearing at my heart like claws, "about being trapped in Lyra's body, but you didn't listen to me."

Asha's face drains of color, becoming as pale as the marble beneath our feet. She jerks her gaze toward Commander Titanus and Emerin. "Leave us."

The moment the heavy doors swing shut, Asha turns back to face me. "This is impossible. You know as well as I do that it's impossible. What in the name of the gods is going on?" Her voice catches on the last words.

"I'm sorry." The apology tumbles from my lips in a desperate rush, as if by offering it, I can somehow mend everything.

But I cannot.

I especially cannot mend the deep lines of pain etched across Asha's face, as if I've carved them there myself with a cruel blade.

She stumbles backward, her body seeming to fold in on itself as she sinks onto her chair and shakes her head over and over again.

"Ash. "I take a tentative step forward, then another, needing her to see me, to believe in me again, to love me. "Please, Ash."

She sits frozen, staring vacantly into the distance.

"Asha…" I cannot bear the thought of her hating me and locking me away like Grandfather did. "I'm sorry. I'll learn to control it. I swear. It will never happen again. I promise."

Still, she doesn't speak.

Tears blur my vision as I fall to my knees in front of her. "Please don't hate me," I beg. "Please, Ash. I'm still me. I'm still your sister."

Her eyes lift to mine and hold, a profound sadness burning behind them. It's a look I haven't seen since the night her child died.

"Asha, I will do anything. Say anything." Tears sting my eyes and trail down my cheeks. "Just tell me what to say, and I will say it."

"Titanus," she calls out.

The door opens, and her guard steps back into the room.

"Take Annora to her bedchamber, and stay at her door," she says, her voice hollow, empty, void of happiness.

Sudden visions of being locked inside the fortress by Grandfather flood my thoughts. All those days of having to hide when he entertained, all those summers when I could never go into the city.

"No!" I fall forward until my forehead presses against the cool marble floor. "I'm begging you, Asha. Don't lock me up. Please, I cannot bear it."

She doesn't answer, nor does she stop the commander from pulling me to my feet and dragging me from the room.