Bound To The Goddess

Undercover

Chapter 4: Undercover

The night the magic woke up, Lithia couldn’t breathe.

It started in her dreams.

Golden light, blinding. The shadow man’s voice screaming, "Goddess!"

She shot up in bed, gasping. Her whole room was glowing.

Faint gold light was coming from her skin. Her hands. Her chest.

Panic.

She ran. Barefoot. Through the halls.

Her stepmother was asleep. No one saw her slip out the back door.

She didn’t know where she was going. Her feet just moved.

Up. Higher. To the old watchtower at the edge of the village. The highest building for miles.

The wind was cold. The whole village was asleep below her.

Lithia stood at the edge, arms out. The gold light was pouring out of her now, like she was made of stars.

"What am I?" she whispered.

"Goddess," a voice answered behind her.

She spun.

He was there.

Standing in the shadows on the roof. Hood down.

The man from her dreams.

Black cloak. Pale skin. Eyes like blood.

But this time she could see his face. Sharp jaw. Scar under his eye.

And he was looking at her like he’d been waiting 300 years.

Lithia stumbled back. "Who—who are you?"

The man took one step forward. The gold light from her skin reflected in his red eyes.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said. Voice low. Dangerous. Familiar.

"Do you know what you are?"

Lithia shook her head. Tears were running down her face. "No. Please—"

The light flared brighter. The tower shook.

The man didn’t move. He just watched her.

"Control it," he ordered. "Before you burn the whole village down."

Lithia squeezed her eyes shut. The light dimmed.

When she opened them, he was gone.

Only his voice remained on the wind: "Found you."

She collapsed to her knees.

The next morning, nothing. No one believed her.

But across the kingdom, in his black castle, King Drayk Volther stood at his window.

"My King?" his general asked. "Did you find her?"

Drayk’s red eyes were still burning.

"Yes," he said. "The Goddess of Life."

He touched the window. "And she has no idea what she is."

A slow, cold smile. "Perfect."

To be continued...