THE NAME OF THE TRAITOR
989 Words
The darkness trembled.
The ancient silver eyes remained fixed on Elaria.
Unblinking.
Unforgiving.
Ancient beyond comprehension.
And the voice echoed once more.
“YOU HAVE BEEN BETRAYED.”
The words reverberated through her bones.
Through her soul.
Through every wound she had carried for nineteen years.
Elaria’s heart pounded.
Her mind raced.
Betrayed.
Not lost.
Not abandoned.
Not forgotten.
Betrayed.
The difference changed everything.
“By who?”
The question escaped her lips.
The darkness shifted.
The silver eyes narrowed.
For a moment, Elaria thought the entity might answer.
Thought it might reveal everything.
The truth.
The reason.
The name.
Instead, the voice asked a question of its own.
“WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU KNEW?”
Silence followed.
Elaria frowned.
“What?”
“IF YOU LEARNED THE NAME OF THE TRAITOR… WHAT WOULD YOU DO?”
The Trial was testing her.
Again.
Not her strength.
Not her magic.
Her heart.
Her character.
Her wounds.
Elaria swallowed.
Images flashed through her mind.
The laughter at the ceremony.
Seraphina’s smile.
Lucien’s rejection.
The loneliness.
The birthdays spent waiting.
The years spent wondering why nobody wanted her.
Pain surged inside her.
Raw.
Sharp.
Tempting.
For a moment—
A dark answer rose within her.
Revenge.
The word whispered through her thoughts.
The traitor deserved punishment.
Deserved suffering.
Deserved everything they had inflicted upon her.
The darkness seemed to lean closer.
Waiting.
Listening.
Judging.
Elaria closed her eyes.
Then slowly shook her head.
“No.”
The darkness froze.
The ancient eyes narrowed.
“No?”
Elaria took a breath.
“I want the truth.”
The words surprised even her.
Another breath.
“I’ve spent my whole life living inside lies.”
The shadows stirred.
“Before punishment.”
Another stir.
“Before revenge.”
The darkness grew still.
“I want the truth.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
The silver eyes brightened.
The Trial had heard her answer.
And approved.
⸻
Far above…
In the Hall of Judgment…
The silver pillar erupted.
Runes appeared inside the light.
Ancient symbols.
Forgotten language.
The Council watched in alarm.
Varis went pale.
“Impossible.”
Selene immediately turned.
“What is it?”
The old councilor stared at the runes.
Disbelief filled his eyes.
“The Trial is accepting her.”
The room froze.
Several nobles immediately protested.
“No.”
“That’s impossible.”
“There must be a mistake.”
The panic was immediate.
Because acceptance meant legitimacy.
Legitimacy meant power.
And power meant Elaria was becoming dangerous.
Especially to those who benefited from the old lies.
One nobleman looked especially nervous.
Lord Cassian Veyr.
A senior council member.
Respected.
Influential.
Trusted.
His hands trembled slightly.
Nobody noticed.
Except Selene.
The Queen’s eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
⸻
Deep below…
The darkness transformed.
The silver eyes disappeared.
The void cracked apart.
And a new scene appeared around Elaria.
A memory.
Not hers.
Someone else’s.
The world reformed.
Stone walls.
Moonlit corridors.
Royal banners.
Palace guards.
The Royal Palace.
Nineteen years ago.
Elaria immediately understood.
The Trial was showing her the past.
Her pulse quickened.
Figures moved through the corridor.
Servants.
Guards.
Nobles.
Then she saw her.
Selene.
Younger.
Holding a baby.
Holding Elaria.
The sight stole her breath.
Her mother looked terrified.
Exhausted.
Desperate.
The palace around them burned.
Smoke filled the hallways.
Screams echoed through the distance.
Chaos consumed everything.
The attack.
The night she disappeared.
The realization hit instantly.
She was witnessing the truth.
At last.
Selene hurried through the corridor.
Cradling infant Elaria.
Protecting her.
Running.
Not abandoning.
Not rejecting.
Running.
The distinction mattered.
More than Elaria expected.
Then another figure appeared.
A man.
Wearing royal colors.
Silver armor.
Council insignia.
His face remained hidden.
Shadows concealed it.
Yet something about him felt familiar.
Dangerous.
The man approached Selene.
The Queen stopped.
Hope appeared briefly in her eyes.
“Thank the Moon.”
Her voice trembled.
“You came.”
The man bowed.
Respectful.
Loyal.
Trustworthy.
At least on the surface.
The Trial’s atmosphere changed immediately.
Cold.
Hostile.
Warning.
Elaria noticed.
The man was important.
Very important.
Selene handed him the child.
Handed him baby Elaria.
The sight made Elaria’s chest tighten.
The Queen trusted him.
Completely.
“Take her.”
Selene’s voice cracked.
“Protect her.”
The man nodded.
“I swear it.”
A promise.
A sacred promise.
The memory trembled.
Darkness spread through the edges.
The Trial was struggling.
Someone had interfered with the past.
Someone had hidden pieces.
The image became distorted.
Broken.
Unstable.
Elaria fought to focus.
Needed to see.
Needed to know.
The man turned.
Carrying the infant.
Walking away.
The shadows covering his face weakened.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Elaria saw part of his jaw.
Part of his mouth.
Part of a scar.
Recognition flashed.
She had seen that scar before.
Recently.
Very recently.
Her stomach dropped.
No.
No, that wasn’t possible.
The memory shattered.
Exploded.
Vanished.
The darkness returned.
The silver eyes reappeared.
Watching her.
Waiting.
The ancient voice echoed once more.
“THE TRAITOR STILL WALKS AMONG THEM.”
Elaria’s pulse thundered.
The scar.
She knew that scar.
She had seen it in the Hall of Judgment.
Seen it on a council member.
Seen it—
The realization hit like lightning.
Before she could speak—
The voice continued.
“AND HE FEARS YOUR RETURN.”
The darkness shook violently.
The Trial was ending.
The silver eyes slowly began closing.
The ancient presence withdrawing.
But before it disappeared completely—
It delivered one final warning.
A warning that sent ice through Elaria’s veins.
“TRUST CAREFULLY, HEIR.”
The voice faded.
The darkness collapsed.
And Elaria was thrown back toward the light.
Toward the palace.
Toward the people waiting above.
Toward the traitor.
The traitor who still sat among the kingdom’s most powerful leaders.
The traitor who had stolen nineteen years from her life.
The traitor who had no idea she was beginning to remember.
- Writer
