Page 47 of The Starlight Savior

“To Denholm.” Niana placed the rolled up paper into the raven’s talons, giving the bird’s feathers a pet before sending it off through the stable window. “We will know she received it when the bird returns.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Sometimes ravens were intercepted, shot down in the sky by arrows.

Niana shrugged. “Etrane has never had a problem with that, at least not going into Brevil. Now, if we received one from Tiranos, I’m sure the moment it flew into Etrane it’d be intercepted, read, and examined for any hidden spell or poison in the ink.” Niana pointed to one of the ravens in a much larger cage. The aquamarine jewel was beginning to rust in the silver. “This one doesn’t get out much.”

The raven narrowed its beady eyes and squealed, startling Saige and sending Niana into a fit of bubbly giggles.

Chapter 21

Training with Tobin was anticlimactic, focusing more on exploring her feelings than conjuring magic at will. He’d guide her through trying to find her magic inside of her, like a candlelight sweeping a dark room. Yet her skin refused to glow.

By the end of her third day, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Sweat dampened her face, her clothes sticking to her back. Conjuring magic was more exhausting than days spent helping Judith in her gardens. Luckily, Niana awaited her by the door with a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Good job today.” Niana patted Saige lightly on the back.

She bit down on a scowl. “I don’t know how you do it all so quickly.”

“Magic? I’ve got years of training, Saige. Versus you”—Niana pointed to her—“only a handful of days.”

Looking back inside the training hall, she lingered on the destroyed dummies scattered across the ground. The large space wasn’t always reserved for Saige and Tobin. It was used for all sorts of practice below the watchful eyes of the deities. Today, she had watched as Niana held out her hands, veins glowing a soft blue. Balls of ice formed in her palms. With a flick of her wrist, the hardened water formed into a spear. Niana had thrown her hands forward, towards a set of training dummies. Saige had been awestruck as the spear penetrated the hard material, sending chunks across the crackled marble floor.

She turned back to Niana. “I just hope one day I can use magic like you do.”

“You will,” Niana murmured, looping her arm into Saige’s. “Now let’s get ready for supper.”

Walking through the main doors, Saige watched as wielders traveled across the hall. Some were still dressed in uniforms and armor, while others sported the extravagant attire designated for King Vospella’s presence. As they reached the bottom of the grand staircase, bells began to ring, vibrating through her head.

Niana ripped her arm away from Saige’s and spun on her heel towards the entrance of the castle. A chill traveled down her spine as the bells continued to echo, the main hall shifting into a flurry of commotion. She’d never heard such a sound, but the wielders around her dropped everything they were doing.

“Niana!” Saige shouted just as a mob of wielders stumbled through the open castle doors.

Normally, she’d expect to see the usual attire of the royals: flowing dresses and embroidered uniforms. But instead, the people stumbling through the door and landing hard on their knees were covered in blood.

“Tonirus help me,” Niana breathed out as she reached the first group.

Saige clutched at her chest as she peered at the men, women, and children piling into the castle. Most of them were dressed in ripped, faded garments. Blood poured from open gashes, their faces bruised and battered. One of them held a cloth to their shoulder, their arm missing from the socket. Two wielders wrapped their arms around him, carrying him along. The sound of crying children blended with the blaring bells. Tiny hands gripped their caregiver’s hands and legs.

Etrane soldiers followed closely behind them. Their armor was scratched, covered in blood. Some of them clutched wielders in their arms. Saige moved forward as she spotted Conor’s grime-coated face, a boy no older than six clutched to his armored chest.

“What happened?” She found herself pulling the child into her arms, holding him closely. His tiny body shook ruthlessly.

“Tiranos attacked,” Conor said, voice thick. “A village outside Athalos. These are the survivors.”

“Oh Gods,” she whispered. Pulling the child away from her body, she tried to look at him. Burn marks covered half of his face. His eyes were squeezed shut, lower lip trembling. “What’s your name?” she tried to ask him.

Conor shook his head beside her, placing a gentle hand on Saige’s shoulder. “He hasn’t spoken since I retrieved him from a crumbled building. He needs a healer.”

All she could do was nod as she lowered the child’s head to her shoulder, being mindful of the fresh wounds. She followed Conor through the disarray as more and more villagers came through. Her head spun at the sight of their injuries. Saige had never seen so many wounded in one place. There were too many of them, all of them needing help.

“Tiranos’s queen has always demanded more territory, but they’ve never attacked an innocent village outright like this, usually abandoned outposts or farms,” Conor said as they entered the western wing. Footsteps echoed around them as healers flooded the hallways. Some ran towards the building commotion, gripping bandages, salves, and vials of liquid. Others weaved their way around Conor and Saige, shouting and heading towards the infirmary.

“What’s different this time?” Saige whispered, swallowing the lump building in her throat. Eva had warned her there may be moments where she’d need to protect herself against the water-wielders, but how? She didn’t have a grip on her magic yet.

“I can’t imagine they’re able to feed whatever citizens remain in their capital. They’re hoping to siege land. Resources. We found most of the homes ransacked of food and supplies.”

“How can they remain in their capital with the mist?”

“They’ve got wielders working round the clock upholding shields. But only the strongest are allowed to stay in Tiranos’s capital.”