Decreash Imperial Palace
Tamina’s chamber lay in half-darkness, the last embers in the hearth breathing a faint red glow. Curtains swayed softly in the night breeze, carrying with it the scent of rain on stone. Upon the vast canopied bed, the queen shifted, restless. Sleep would not hold her.
Her throat ached with thirst. She stirred, heavy with weariness, and reached for the silver jar resting on the small table at her side. Her fingers traced its cool surface before she lifted it. Empty. Not a drop.
For a long moment she sat still, staring at the vessel in her hand, her brow creased with quiet displeasure.
The handmaid had failed her again. She let out a slow, measured breath, then set the jar down with care.
“Celin!
She called out to her handmaid tiredly, but it was pointless; t
