Esmyra shook her head wildly, stumbling away from him, from his words, from the weight of his gaze. “No, I tried?—”
“And failed.” His voice was stern, thick with grief and disappointment. It wasn’t the voice of her father but of her captain. “You should’ve fought harder. You let yourself become distracted. And by a man, no less.”
The accusation was like a knife through her heart. “I—” Her voice faltered, knees buckling.
Something deep inside of her shattered.She didn’t even think there was anything left to break, but she had been wrong. So very wrong.
Cyrus took a step closer, reaching out a hand. “Make this right.”
All the rage, the grief, the hunger for vengeance—suddenly, it was too much.The weight of it, the sheer, crushing force, pressed down on her like the deepest depths of the sea, drowning her in something she couldn’t fight or escape.
“I didn’t mean to fail you,” she whispered.
Cyrus sighed. “I’m not the only one you failed. Where is the crew ofThe Night Wraithnow? Where is our home?”
Esmyra fell to her knees.
Her breath came in short, shuddering gasps, her talons digging into the cold marble beneath her as she stared up at her father.
Her lips parted, but no words came. Because he was right. She’d failed in every way that mattered. Esmyra found what she’d searched for her entire life, but in the end, she lost everything that mattered to her most.
A scream echoed through the room, butit wasn’t her own.
Her head snapped up just as the world around her cracked,her vision fracturing like shattered glass.
Her father’s face twisted, flickering like a mirage before erupting into a black mist.
The throne, her sister, Draevyn’s betrayal—gone.
Movement caught her eye in a blur of fire, seeing that Draevyn had tackled his brother back down to the ground. The gun skidded across the floor.
“Atlas, don’t!” Draevyn roared, wrestling his brother’s arm down as his other hand burned with barely restrained fire. His gaze snapped up in Esmyra’s direction, but he seemed to look through her. “Elowynne. Drop your hold on her.NOW!”
His voice was raw, filled with both authority and desperation.
Atlas snarled beneath him. “Elowynne, don’t!”
Esmyra whirled in the direction the brothers were staring, and then she saw her.
A woman. Or was she a witch? Her skin was a rich russet brown that seemed to illuminate her gold eyes, while her dark braids were tucked behind a pointed ear.
She was anelven.
Elvens were able to tap into the minds of others, often known for making them see their greatest fears.
A growl built in Esmyra’s throat.
The female—Elowynne—stood frozen, her eyes glowing a faint gold, arms extended toward Esmyra. She could feel the wisps of the elven’s mind running along her own, looking for a crack, a way to get back in.
Esmyra was furious. She feltviolated.
The echoes of the vision still clung to her mind, twisting through her thoughts like venomous snakes. She could still see it. It felt soreal. The betrayal and heartache continued to burn, even though she knew it was a lie. In that moment, anyway.
But the worst part? For a moment, she hadbelievedit.
Her breath was ragged as her power churned inside her, violent and desperate to be unleashed. She’d been played—controlled like a puppet on invisible strings. It made her stomach twist with something dangerously close to fear. Fear for what else they could make her see and believe.
Riven was the only elven of her crew, and they had a strict rule that he was never to use the magic on anyone aboardThe Night Wraithunless directed by Esmyra or Cyrus themselves.
