“You did what?!”

Zalina and I were sprinting through the streets of Tanden, ducking under hanging signs and weaving between carts while the guards thundered after us. I clipped a fruit stand and nearly went down in a pile of bruised oranges, but managed to stay upright.

Zalina moved like smoke beside me, flickering in and out of sight—her ability doing its thing. She was there, then not, then th...

What did you do?

When the days stretched long,

and the darkness came to play?

Loneliness and longing,

pulling at your sleeves,

whispering in your ear.

Did you fight their grasp?

Did you scream for silence?

Did you beg them to go away?

What did you do?

To be happy?

To be successful?

Everything you ever asked for,

placed in your hands—

silver platter, golden chance.

But you,

too blind to see the bl...

I take a deep breath of air.
Immediately cough it out.

Yep. Sulfuric and sharp—just how I didn’t miss it. Still, it’s the cleanest breath I’ve had in weeks, so I guess that’s something.

The breeze brushes my face, warm and thin. Not like the old warmth from when the sun actually had bite. This one’s soft. Fragile. Like the light itself might shatter if I breathe too hard.

And the sunlight—gods...

I used to be the best pilot the academy had ever seen—aced every exam, broke every record. No pun intended, but I passed with flying colors. I surprised everyone, earned their respect the only way I knew how—by giving them no other choice.

One of the youngest to graduate—and a woman, no less. In a field that never made it easy for people like me. The world doesn’t take kindly to a woman who refus...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The world is chaos. Smoke clogs the air, screams echo through the town square, and my knees feel weak beneath me. I clutch Xavier to my chest, gripping him like he’s the only solid thing left. Because everything else—everything I knew—has just been ripped away.

I can’t take my eyes off the body on the cobblestones. My uncle. The man who raised me. The man who kept me and Xav...

I’m hiding behind a pillar gasping for air. We’d been at war with them for hours, and no matter how hard I fight, they still keep coming.

I didn’t think much of Caleb when he came to the royal palace. He claimed he was a member of the court in Aloeia and that he came in peace. My family, eager to form alliances, welcomed him without question.

Now, they’re dead. And my whole world as been fli...

If victory had a taste, it would taste like sweet, red wine. It would taste like ecstasy in liquid form, washing away every ounce of doubt, drowning my worries in a single, intoxicating gulp.

I haven’t won much in life.
But I’ll spare you the sob story. You've heard it all before, from others just like me. Right now, though, all I can feel is the rush—standing over the girl who met her end at my ...

They say forgiveness is a virtue,
but I’d rather keep my rage.
I’d rather let it smolder under my skin,
slowly becoming a beast.

Your words only feed it,
sharp and bitter,
slicing deeper,
fueling the blaze.
No mercy.

I can feel the burn,
and the needles sinking in,
reminding me of this madness,
reminding me why I stay here.
But I’d rather be this—
a monster
than the other side of me.

The side t...

I keep my face blank as the army’s general paces back and forth, his boots echoing in the cold stone hall.

If he catches me, I’m dead.

If I show any emotion, I’m dead.

Don’t think. Don’t think.

“It seems we have a problem, soldiers,” the general says, his voice low and dangerous. “Do you want to know what that problem is?”

Don’t think. Don’t think.

The general stops in front of...

It’s hard to be inconspicuous when you’re hanging upside down.

I glare at Noah, who stands below me, struggling to keep a straight face. I’d been too distracted by the floating crystals, and before I knew it, the magic had me dangling by my ankles 50 feet from the ground.

“You know, I could get you down if I wanted to,” he says, his voice a smooth mix of mockery and patience. “It’s my magic that...