Page 3 of Heiress of Fire

“Th—the…”

“Spit it out!” another warrior yelled.

“The Predators have attacked Mistral Island. Not too much damage has been done but they-they died before anyone could get near them. I-I came here to invoke all Mistrans, or anyone with Mistran family, to present themselves to the site of the incident,” the young man’s voice wavered.

Davina turned to Beacon and Ron. They’d have to present themselves to the site of the incident so they could identify the bodies of the Mistrans who were hurt in the attack, or the other Mistrans who transformed into Predators.

No one in the kingdom of Bellatorm was aware of why the people were turning into savage creatures overnight. These attacks had been happening for the past four centuries, yet they were occurring more frequently. There was no pattern, there was no sign. There was nothing that could give the islanders an idea of how to stop the transformations from happening.

Perhaps it was a disease, but was it contagious? If it was contagious, how could there be an avoidance of contracting this sickness?

“Bea, we should go see if father and mother are okay,” Ron uttered, passing a hand through his black hair.

“We’ll have to continue training tomorrow. See you then, girls,” Beacon said. He gave Valerie a quick forehead kiss before waving at Leilani and Davina. The two girls waved back but then Davina and Ron met eyes.

Ron nodded curtly; Davina sent him a reassuring smile.

She wished she could go with him, but she wouldn’t be of much help. No one knew much about the attacks. Much less did she.

All she knew was that she needed to find a way to protect her siblings from becoming the next Aurisan Predators.

TWO

Davina walked out of the pastry shop, dusting off the flour that coated her sleeve. She couldn’t help but go inside the shop to buy a few sweets before heading to Castellum for training. She greeted the vendors who sat by their market tents, Aurisans had situated themselves in their usual spots across Spark Street. The stands were scattered beside the cobblestone path until they reached the Aurisan Bridge. She waved, receiving only a few greetings in return.

Most of them scowled at her because of her Almenara blood. She paced down Spark Street as her eyes scanned the fruits, vegetables, jewelry, and clothing baskets.

Wondering whether she would find anything she might like in one of the little markets. There was a small grin on her lips, even though she could feel many eyes piercing holes into her back. They always did this. They always judged her for her family’s mistakes, but she was going to prove them wrong.

They stared as she walked past them while others remained with sour faces because they knew she was heading to Castellum.

Most Aurisans lost faith in their fire abilities, and King Magnar, because of the Era of Silence. Castellum was the base island for all the others, where the King resided.

When the Revolt faded into a serene calmness in all four islands, many hoped that the King would come out of his solitude and be a father to his nation like he used to be. But he did not. Instead, he remained in the castle for more than four hundred years, not speaking to his people since.

Many say he is dead, while others say that he is a myth that Castellum attendees created to be able to have some sort of control over the people.

Guilt trickled down her spine, Davina refused to think about the reason for his lockdown all those years ago.

After a couple of minutes of strolling through the streets, Davina reached the stoned Auris Bridge that would lead her to Castellum Island.

The usual orange and yellow passed by her, a frown finding her lips. She examined the quantity of Aurisans leaving Castellum and realized the number had decreased. Practicing their abilities was a law that the King had created and it seemed fewer people believed he'd come back.

Once she was at the arch of the Bridge, she spotted a blonde-haired girl with arms crossed over her viridescent gown.

She grinned wide and approached Leilani, who immediately scanned Davina’s simple purple kirtle. “You’re seeing him today and that’s what you chose to wear?”

“We’re going to change into our gear later. I’m going to be all sweaty by the end of everything.” Davina leaned her head back.

“Still, you could’ve chosen something nicer to wear.”

A beautiful set of intertwined daisies was set over Leilani’s blonde strands, matched with her green dress and brown laces tied around her arms. Not a single wrinkle in sight.

“Wait—”

“What?” Leilani asked.

“You work in a garden. Isn’t there like dirt, and insects?” Davina motioned Leilani’s attire. She was sure that every gardener remained with at least one bit of grime.

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