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Rolling her prayer beads through her fingers, River fell into the rhythmic calm that came from speaking to her favorite goddess.

I come to you today, Dyna, merciful and compassionate goddess of healing, to lift up my father, Cyrus Waterborn. You might remember that he has been afflicted with the Stillness for nearly two decades. Even though he is far from me, I ask that you be with him…

Her prayers continued. She begged the goddess to keep her father healthy, to help him regain strength, and to reverse the Stillness’s path. For years, River had prayed the same prayer, but ever since Anya Valois’s death, she’d been even more fervent with her petitions.

River couldn’t shake the bad feeling that had settled in her gut the night of the storm.

Every day, when she called to check on her father, she held her breath.

Every time, she thought that this would be the day they told her that his health was declining.

They would urge her to hurry home, because he didn’t have much longer.

Even though the round-the-clock nurses Tertia hired to look after Cyrus assured River that her father’s condition was stable, that feeling of doom remained. Her beloved father was in desperate need of a miracle, and his time was running out. River could feel it.

Children were meant to outlive their parents. It was the natural way of life, even for long-lived fae. But Cyrus was young for their kind, and the thought of him dying, of Tertia being her only remaining parent…

A prayer bead cracked, the sound echoing through the temple. River gasped, loosening her grip. Beside her, Callum was still praying.

Breathe , she urged herself. Dad is still alive. There is still time.

Maybe they would find a cure before it was too late.

Repeating Eliza’s mantra to herself, River focused on the air she was bringing into her lungs. In for four, hold for seven, release for eight.

Again and again.

She continued until her magic was calm in her veins, like water lapping at a lakeshore on a sunny summer’s day. Only then did she return to her prayers.

River submitted one final plea for her father’s health before shifting her attention to Lakewater General. She had started including the hospital in her prayers as soon as she found out that she’d been accepted to the residency program.

Lakewater was a diverse city that was predominantly home to fae, shifters, humans, and witches.

Still, even though there were many non-fae who lived here, River thought Dyna would still care for them.

The goddess was known for her kind heart and loving nature.

Surely, she wouldn’t mind looking after all the citizens of the Republic of Balance, fae and otherwise.

Stories were told of a time when the fae gods and goddesses walked the Obsidian Coast, before the Great Migration.

Many older deities, such as Abros, the god of war, and Yna, the goddess of storms, were known for their cruelty, apathy, and generally mercurial temperaments.

On the other hand, Dyna was merciful and caring. Loving, even.

River sifted her beads through her hand. Each represented a floor in the hospital, and she prayed a blessing of health and healing over each one.

Once that was done, she moved on to praying for herself. This was something she did less frequently, but the past month had left her feeling depleted. Training today had been tiring, and her magic had fought back more than usual.

Please touch my life, dear goddess, River prayed earnestly. Give me strength for my upcoming shift and the weeks ahead, whatever they may hold .

Medical school had been difficult, but it hadn’t adequately prepared her for the exhaustion that came from working in a hospital. The long hours on her feet, the mental strain of constantly thinking, the emotional drain of being with people on the worst days of their lives all took their toll.

Although now that she was thinking about it, maybe she never could’ve been prepared for the reality of working in a hospital. Not really. It was one of those things that one couldn’t truly understand if one hadn’t done it.

River prayed until a vibration came from her back pocket.

She peeled open her eyes and drew out her phone, swiping her thumb across the lock screen before the alarm started beeping.

She glanced beside her, but the priest had moved and was sitting a few rows back with a parishioner, their heads bent as they spoke quietly.

Thank the gods River had had the foresight to set her alarms—there were five—because she’d lost track of time.

Climbing to her feet, she walked to an alcove so she wouldn’t disturb the others.

Her knees were sore, as if someone had taken a hammer to them.

A reminder that even Mature fae couldn’t kneel on cold stone for over an hour without feeling the effects of such behavior.

Pulling down her notifications, she leaned against a marble column, swiping through her notifications. The work emails, she ignored. She’d deal with them when she got to the hospital. She glanced at the weather notifications before dismissing those, too.

An email marked Urgent caught her eye, and she sighed when she saw the sender’s name. Gerald Triton was a water fae, and more importantly, he was her mother’s personal assistant. Her stomach soured as she scanned the email. It was short and to the point.

River,

The Representative of the Fae is hosting a Winter Solstice party in three weeks. Your attendance is expected.

- Gerald

A sour taste burned at the back of her tongue, and she frowned. Her attendance was expected . Not requested.

Gods above, River hated that her mother didn’t even pretend to ask her if she wanted to attend.

She didn’t even give her the courtesy of having a choice.

Her demand was ridiculously demeaning, and it reminded River that Tertia didn’t see her as an adult but just as a child who needed to be bossed around.

River’s fingers itched with the urge to pick up her phone and call Tertia.

It would be so easy to give her mother a piece of her mind and let her know exactly what she thought about this.

But it wouldn’t be productive. She could hear Eliza’s voice in her head, telling her that speaking with her mother while angry would just worsen their relationship.

The thing was, River would never pass up a chance to see her father. Once again, Tertia was making it blatantly obvious how little she knew her daughter.

Once River had calmed down, she replied that yes, she would attend. Jotting the date in her calendar, she set a reminder to request the time off work. Pushing off from the column, she headed towards the back of the temple as she read a stream of messages from her brother.

Ryker

Hey Shortie, just checking in. How are things?

You’re training every day, right?

Did you catch the latest game of laser?

Her mouth ticked up into a smile. Her brother was overprotective and occasionally got on her nerves, but she couldn’t deny that he loved her.

Walking past Callum, River caught his eye and mouthed, “Thank you.”

The priest had been right; spending time in prayer was exactly what she needed. She walked out of the temple, wincing as her eyes adjusted to the late-afternoon sun, and replied to her brother.

Things were good. He still had no idea about her storm, and she planned on keeping it that way. Yes, she’d been training daily. Of course, she’d watched the game. She’d recorded this one, since it had been on while she’d been working, but nothing could keep her from her favorite sport.

River had a good feeling about her shift tonight. No matter what came her way, she could handle it.