Page 6

“Dimitri, care to join?” she asked, to which Dimitri nodded, his jaw clenched again.

I knew he was still wrestling with himself and his thoughts over what just happened.

I was confident Aurora had only asked Dimitri to join her just now so he could fill her in on how the meeting had gone.

Though, I didn’t mind. That just meant Dimitri would also get a chance to release some of the pent up emotions I knew he must be feeling.

“Don’t get caught, Aviva. I mean it. After what just went down, be extra careful sneaking out tonight,” Dimitri warned, his voice firm but quiet, since we were still standing close to the doors.

“I will, I promise. I’ll see you both soon,” I said, waving them out.

Once they had departed, I let out a shaky breath, then quickly stripped off the lacey lilac dress and my mother’s tiara I had donned earlier in the evening.

I replaced the gown with a dark gray tunic and pair of black trousers, and I quickly braided my hair into a long, simple plait down my spine.

If I could, I’d dress like this all the time, but Father always said it wasn’t appropriate for a princess.

Nonetheless, I hoped the dark clothing would help me to blend better, seeing as the sun had long since set.

I was grateful to have Dimitri and Aurora in my life, people who truly cared and knew what I needed with no questions asked.

Aurora had been there when I’d been gifted Eden by my father.

Father had wanted Dimitri and I to both receive our griffins at the same time, so he adopted two females from the same litter and gifted them to us on our fourteenth birthday.

He had been away for a couple weeks at the time, and found them just in time to bring them back to the castle for our birthday ball.

I took one look at Eden and knew that would be her name, and that she was the only griffin for me.

She was white and gray all over, which had reminded me of my wings.

Dimitri had a harder time bonding with Ziana, who was a dark charcoal gray.

She was smaller than Eden when we first met them, but within the first year of having them, Ziana almost doubled the size of Eden.

She was built like a fighter, which had always been perfect for Dimitri.

I like to imagine they were made for each other, like Eden and I were.

Many of the people in the North have a special bonded griffin to call their own.

Most are trained for battle, but some—like Eden—are just bonded to fly on, or with.

They’re intelligent creatures, and are generally in tune with their owner’s emotions.

Though if given the chance, I’d gladly train Eden for battle, seeing as she’s already very speedy and agile.

I finished lacing up my black boots and donned a thick wool coat, then took a moment to double check that the wooden, dark chocolate doors to my chambers were locked. It wouldn’t slow the guards down much if Father realized my absence, but sometimes every moment counted.

After ensuring the doors were indeed locked, I turned to the bookshelf housing all of my favorite pieces.

Books had always been an escape for me, a way to leave the grasp of my father’s fury and neglect, so I had obtained a vast collection of rare books, some not even the royal library knew existed.

They were some of my most prized possessions, aside from my mother’s tiara and my sword, Elaera.

Reaching a hand out, I gazed upon the green and gold book at my eye level, pulled the top of it towards me, then let go.

A second later, a soft click sounded throughout the room, and the bookshelf swung open, revealing the hidden passageways I’d used since I was a child.

The passageways were like the silk of a spiderweb, the tunnels connecting the castle together.

They tied my room to Dimitri’s, to the library, to the kitchens, to multiple different meeting and lounge rooms, and to various exits, some of which the servants didn’t even know existed.

After swinging the bookshelf back into place behind me, I ran a hand over the stone wall as I walked, the cracks and grooves I knew by heart leading the way.

Dimitri once claimed he heard Father talk about how often our mother used to roam these tunnels, but I was not convinced.

From what I’d heard about her from a mix of townspeople and servants, she seemed like she was an open book.

I couldn’t imagine she’d need to sneak around like this at all.

I continued my silent walk in the dark without lighting any of the torches hung on the walls, the soft fall of my feet with every step the only echoing sound.

My fingertips were wet with condensation; somehow these tunnels were always warm and wet despite the frigid environment just outside.

The passageway descended and twisted, branching off in different directions, but I let my feet lead the way.

My zirilium scratched and clawed under my skin, begging to be released, becoming more and more agitated the longer they were held back. Soon , I thought, silently pleading with them not to surface just yet.

A painful moment later, I finally arrived at the end of the tunnel. I ran my hands over the stone until I felt a small notch, then swiftly pushed it in on itself. Another small click sounded, and the stone wall cracked open to reveal the darkness of night.

This exit led directly out into the trees behind the castle, where there were sparsely any guards.

I pulled a small mirror out of my pocket, using it to reflect the surrounding area outside the hidden door.

After ensuring I wouldn’t be caught, I pushed the hidden door open further until I could slip out and shut it firmly back into place behind me.

If you didn’t know what to look for, you’d never even notice it was there.

Walking straight into the line of trees, I didn’t look back. I continued to let my feet carry me, having walked this path countless times before. I walked until I reached the small, icy clearing where I found Aurora waiting for me with Eden.

“Please don’t be gone long. We can’t let your father know you’re not at the castle.

Dimi is staying near him in case he goes looking for you for any reason,” Aurora said by way of greeting.

I took a quick moment to appreciate the sight of my friend.

Her loose, sun kissed hair was tucked into the hood of the fur-lined cloak she had donned.

Her deep, blue eyes were shining with worry as she bit the edge of her lip. A pang of guilt shot through me.

I closed the distance between us and embraced her tightly. “I’m alright, I promise. I’ll be back before you even notice I’m gone, then we can talk about where to go from here, alright?” I spoke softly, trying my best to sound reassuring.

“I know, I know. Go. I’ll be here when you get back to return Eden,” Aurora replied, letting go and handing me Eden’s reins.

I smiled at my best friend, putting all the warmth I didn’t feel into it, before turning to Eden.

I tried not to notice how my smile instantly dropped again the moment I turned away.

I could tell Eden picked up on my turbulent emotions and needs immediately. She chirped at me quietly before lowering herself to the ground so I’d have an easier time mounting her. She knew better than anyone how much I hurt when my zirilium was pent up.

I gently scratched the top of her head in thanks before swinging a leg over her back and settling into the saddle. “Let’s go,” I said softly to her, and she chirped in reply before jumping up into the sky.

Within moments, we were flying high above the kingdom, just below the clouds and heading toward the bay. The snow was unrelenting, but it provided the perfect coverage—from below, Eden’s snowy coat and feathers would blend in perfectly with the clouds neighboring us.

Suddenly, my skin started to burn from the inside and I felt hot all over. Wincing, I leaned my head closer to Eden’s and spoke in a strained voice, “Faster.”

In response, her wings began beating even quicker than before, until we cleared the surrounding mountain range where I’d spent my entire life. Another handful of wing beats later, and the mountains dropped off abruptly into Cynth Bay.

I let out a pained breath as I set my eyes upon the midnight blue water that lapped at the shore below. Once we were positioned over the middle of the bay, I unfurled my own wings and lifted myself off Eden with gentle strokes.

“Thank you,” I said to Eden, scratching under her chin. “I couldn’t have made it without you.”

Eden softly head-butted my upper arm, then shot straight up into the clouds, where she would stay until I called for her to return. She knew this routine as well as I did.

I held out my hands in front of me, watching how much they had begun to shake as I felt sweat forming on my brow, despite the frigid temperature.

The storm around me continued on, seeming to only grow more relentless, as if it could sense how restless my own emotions were.

The moon stones tucked into my top were now glowing brighter, as if they, too, could feel all of the energy I was holding in.

Suspended in the same spot Eden left me, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Pushing away the pain I felt physically and emotionally, I called to the pent up energy I felt flowing through my very veins.

Focusing on the sensation crawling beneath my skin, I slowly lifted my hands above my head.

Suddenly, I sliced my hands through the air as if striking down an opponent.

In the same moment, two lightning bolts shot out of the black clouds above, roughly following where my hands had directed them, then branching out on their own accord, striking the water down below. Never perfect, even now.

The moment the lightning faded, my skin ceased its burning and the energy I had felt pent up in my veins before seemed to ease. Just to be safe, I adjusted my wings and took a nosedive toward the ocean below, which had also become much more restless since my arrival.

While jerking to a stop just before I hit the surface, I called to the water below, causing it to spray up all around me without having been physically touched. I stretched my arms out before the water had a chance to fall and in a swift motion, froze the circle around me into jagged icicles.

Only Northerners who wielded both water and ice could manipulate its form, whether fluid or frozen, and I was thankful for my abilities in that moment.

My breath came out in a gasp when I realized I had indeed called water to me and managed to freeze the full circle around me, not just a portion of it like I had done during the few times I allowed myself to practice my zirilium in the past. A sudden swell of pride surged up in my chest, pushing aside the swirl of negative emotions I had felt there before.

Not being able to hold the ice for more than a few wing beats, I quickly let them drop back into the ocean, where some of them splintered upon impact.

It was like all my energy left my body the moment the icicles hit the water, and suddenly exhaustion took over my being.

All at once, the storm became loud in my ears and goosebumps erupted over my skin.

My teeth began chattering as the cold set in, freezing the sweat on my skin, making my clothes feel heavy.

After a final look at where my icicles had been swallowed up by the bay below, I pumped my wings upwards while I brought a hand to my mouth and whistled a single note, long and loud.

A moment later, Eden broke through the clouds in a swift motion, coming straight for me.

She leveled out just below me, and I gently positioned myself on her back, slumping forward against her.

“Back to the castle, please. I can’t fly alongside you this time, girl,” I said to her, exhaustion beginning to tug on my bones. At least I will be able to think clearly now , I thought as my heavy lids slid shut and the darkness captured my senses.