Page 1 of Sins of His Wrath

CHAPTER ONE

Darkness smothered Naya in waves.

In the moments when it receded, a burning pain seared through her, blinding and numbing almost every sense. She couldn’t tell where she was or who she was with, only that every part of her ached. Fragmented, distant voices bled through, but she couldn’t make sense of them. Each time the pain faded, she was relieved to drown back into the darkness.

But after a time of this repeated cycle, the voices didn’t fade.

“Naya.” It was Mama’s voice, urgent and fearful. But that couldn’t be right… Mama was never afraid.

Naya tried to respond, but she couldn’t feel anything, not her body nor her mouth. Confusion jumbled her thoughts.

“Naya,” Mama said. “You have to heal yourself.”

Naya’s mind lurched in different directions, unable to make sense of what Mama was talking about.

“Heal, Naya. You’re the only one who can do it.”

Naya tried to reply, to explain that she didn’t understand, but she didn’t have a mouth to speak with. She didn’t have a body to direct, yet she felt so much pain. How could that be?

Mama’s voice faded again for a moment, and then a sudden blast of cool surged through her, soothing the pain that crowded her. Naya sighed in relief, her mind clearing.

“Naya,” Mama said again, her voice firm. “You have to heal yourself. The wasteland’s magic has seized your body. Only you can stop it.”

Naya sent out her will, searching for the magic Mama was talking about, and… it was everywhere. Thick and strong, abundant and powerful, it clung to every inch of her being so securely, she couldn’t separate herself from it. And it burned. It was eating away at her, causing a pain she couldn’t bear. Pulling her mind into focus, Naya carefully reached for it.

Just like the magic in her forest, it was slow to respond, slowly becoming aware of her imposing will, but unlike her forest magic, it resisted. Wild and unpredictable, it fought her, lurching in directions she didn’t expect, or burrowing deeper into her as she tried to control it. She wrestled with it in a timeless void of darkness, and eventually with great reluctance, it finally submitted to her will.

Naya held the magic as still as she could so she could examine it. Even though she was feeling it through her magical awareness, it was so potent and destructive it had a blinding quality to it, like looking directly at the sun—and felt as powerful. It was intent on destroying every bit of energy it came across and was tearing her apart. If she tried to pry it away, she wasn’t sure she’d survive.

Summoning a healing energy, she focused on healing the parts of her it was destroying, rebuilding not only her physical tissue, but the energy associated with mental and emotional clarity.

As her healing magic began to repair, she kept a firm grip on the wild magic. It tried latching itself onto the healing magic to absorb that energy too, but she forced it into submission until she’d healed herself.

When she began prying it away from her being, agonizing pain raged through her, like she was tearing her own body apart. She grit her teeth, forcing her screams to stay in her throat as she focused on extracting the magic out of her. The magic writhed and jerked, intent on staying locked onto her in any way it could. Naya clamped her mind into total focus and worked carefully, pulling every strand away.

Finally, the potent, vibrant energy released itself and her senses returned—she could wriggle her toes, move her legs, and taste blood in her mouth. Sweat trickled down her face, and air rushed through her lungs as though she’d run the length of the palace fifty times.

Opening her eyes, shock caught her breath in her throat. A tiny sliver of white fire crackled and revolved in the air before her, thin tendrils snapping out like a tiny, angry contained storm.

“You did it.” Mama sounded both relief and astonished. She stroked Naya’s hair and leaned in and placed her forehead against the side of her face. “Thank the skies you’re alive.”

Keeping a careful hold on the white fire, Naya glanced around the room. She was strapped to one of the beds in a healing room in the palace, but it had been positioned upright. Mama stood on her right and on each side stood her father’s Talent-crafters, the female Alpha twins. Strangely, their eyes were closed, as though they were concentrating hard on something.

Exhaling a long breath and looking over her shoulder, Mama threw out, “What now?”

Naya peered behind her to see an older woman wearing a hooded cloak, wisps of gray hair curled around the edge of her hood.

“She needs to send it to the wastelands.” The woman’s voice was croaky with a strong timbre, like an old bark—dry but fiercely brittle. “That is the only place it can go where it won’t hurt anyone.”

Mama shook her head. “That’s too far. How is she supposed to send it across such a distance? It’s basically on the other side of the empire.”

“She is strong enough,” the woman said. She stepped closer, staring at Naya while everyone else kept their eyes on the wild white magic hanging in the air. “In fact, she’s the only one who can do it.”

Something about her was familiar, but Naya couldn’t place it. She hadn’t seen her around the palace or even out in the empire, yet she had definitely seen her before.

“All right.” Mama seemed to steel herself beside her. “Naya, see if you can move it. You need to get it to the wastelands.”

Turning her attention back to the white fire, Naya sent her will out to their surroundings. If she could push the magic out of the room, then beyond the castle, that would be a start to getting it to where it belonged. While she could always sense and control magic at a greater distance than everyone else, she’d never pushed herself to reach across such a vast distance. It seemed impossible, but she had to try.

---