The Hollow

Chapter1•2 The Unseen Healer

"You look tired."

She turned. Nola stood in the kitchen, arms crossed, her wild dark hair falling over her shoulders. She was taller than Sheraya, broader, with sharp features and a fire in her eyes that never seemed to dim. Nola was Fae—pure blood—and she never let anyone forget it.

She was also Sheraya's sister. Not by blood. Everyone knew the story: General Aldric had found Sheraya as an infant, abandoned in the snow, with no parents and no name. He had taken her in, raised her alongside Nola, and loved her as his own. The village did not question it. To them, Sheraya was Aldric's daughter. To Nola, she was simply her sister.

No one spoke of the day Sheraya was found. No one asked questions. Aldric had made it clear: the past was the past.

"I am tired," Sheraya admitted. "That was the third this week. The border skirmishes are getting worse."

"The war never ended," Nola said bitterly. "They just stopped calling it a war. Now it's 'skirmishes' and 'disputes' and 'unfortunate incidents.' But people are still dying."

Sheraya moved to the basin and washed her hands. The water turned pink with the soldier's blood. "Father says—"

"Father says a lot of things." Nola's voice was sharp, but not cruel. "He also never tells us the full truth."

Sheraya dried her hands slowly. "He has his reasons."

"Does he?" Nola pushed off from the counter and began to pace. "He was General Aldric. One of the most decorated commanders in the Fae Army. And now he lives in a cottage, and no one will tell me why. Every time I ask, he changes the subject. Every time I mention the army, his face goes dark."

"He wants to protect you."

"I don't want to be protected. I want to fight. I want to know what happened to him."

Before Nola could continue, the door burst open.

Cora swept into the cottage like a storm, her golden hair wild, her cheeks flushed from running. She was beautiful in the way all shapeshifters were beautiful—sharp, graceful, slightly dangerous. The House of Babuz was one of the wealthiest families in the realm, known for their cunning and their ability to shift into great cats.

"The Choosing," Cora gasped, doubling over to catch her breath. "It's coming. Our town. We are the first."

Sheraya's blood went cold. "What?"

"His scouts arrived this morning. The square is already being prepared." Cora's eyes were wide, wild. "The Fae Lord is coming here. To our village. In three days."

Nola's face lit up like the sun breaking through clouds.

"And here I was thinking it would take a long time before I can fulfil my plans," Nola said, a slow grin spreading across her face. "Seems the goddess knows how eager I am."

Sheraya stared at her sister. "What plans?"

Nola turned to face her fully, her chin lifted, her eyes blazing. "I'm not going for the Fae Lord. I'm going to present myself to his right-hand. I want him to recruit me into the army."

Sheraya blinked. "You want to join the army?"

"I have wanted to join for years. You know this." Nola crossed her arms. "The Choosing brings the Fae Lord and his entire court—including his commanders. This is my chance. I will stand before Lord Orion and make him see me. I will make him recruit me."

Sheraya opened her mouth to argue, but Cora cut her off.

"My mother is presenting me as part of the maidens," Cora said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Despite knowing I hate egotistical men like that Lord. Anyways, he is not going to choose me. He rejects everyone. He has for years." She waved a hand. "But at least I will have bowed before that terrifying man. At least I will have been seen."

Sheraya looked between her sister and her best friend. Nola, burning with ambition. Cora, resigned to her mother's schemes.

And herself.

She looked at her hands. They were still damp, still faintly pink. These hands had healed dozens, maybe hundreds, of people. But they had never held power. They had never held status. They had never held anything more than herbs and bandages and the trust of desperate strangers.

Something stirred in her chest. Something restless. Something that had been sleeping for a very long time.

"I will be there," she heard herself say. "Not to be chosen. Not to join the army. But to support you both."

Cora squealed and hugged her.

Nola grinned. "This is going to be interesting."