Shyoli qi’Aytrella closed her hand around the imbued stone. Its coarse edges scratched against her delicate skin, but her hungering body sensed the magic hidden within its small shape. As she rushed through Kaighal’s streets, the sun burnt her fair skin, deepening the longing for her home’s shaded walkways. The sharp breath she drew made her grasp for memories of the air in Devanshari gardens as dust filled her nostrils and irritated her throat. Nothing on that Light-forsaken continent, the place of her family’s exile, could bring her joy. Nothing except…
Her hand clutched the imbued stone, and her anticipation swelled. At first, she picked up her pace, but the flash of her father’s expression forced a slower stride. She better made sure he didn’t know where she’d gone. That meant decepti
