Deserts and canyons made up the majority of the south’s landscape. In the north, where Concordia’s capital was located, distant mountains and lakes were the primary topography. For the first time in his life, Micah witnessed the endless, grassy meadows and trees of the west.
There was also an abundance of hills. Many hills. Enormous mounds encased the train tracks on either side, dwarfing them as they passed. They also passed through several tunnels, reminding Micah the Terra people lived underground, just like the Igni Empire of old.
He’d never seen so much green.
So much wildlife.
Nature in such abundance was remarkable and wholly impressive. Micah sat stiffly on the bench, fully outfitted and equipped as he studied the passing scenery with rapt attention. The rest of his team sat with him, quiet and not quite enjoying the scenery like Micah.
They were nervous.
Fidgety.
“For being desert rats, y
“They call them funnel cakes, Micah!”Micah offered Viktor an unimpressed look as he reluctantly brought the piece of cake up to his mouth. As he tasted the deep-fried pastry, his taste buds instantly swelled as the powdered sugar and the plump, lightly crisp dough hit his tongue. It was sweet, he noted. Almosttoosweet. No. Not almost. It was definitelytoosweet.“You can dip it in this.” Aiden held up the small container of amber liquid and shook it tauntingly. “Syrup.”“Syrup,” Micah repeated dimly. “That is all sugar.”“Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?” Viktor inquired, ripping off a large piece of the twisted pastry with his teeth. “Sugar.Fat. Deliciousness.” He soaked an entire piece of pastry with syrup and somehow managed to stuff it in his mouth without any dripping down his chin.Kai and M
Keegan shifted under the azure gaze, unable to gauge what the king was thinking. Then again, he didn’t dare examine the man’s expression. His observation would be both blatant and disrespectful.Guards dressed entirely in blue stood along the walls of the throne room, their expressions all impassively similar. Their eyes, Keegan noted, stared straight ahead—like dutiful dogs ready to act on their master’s call.Keegan hurriedly moved his gaze back over to King Calder. The king sat upon his throne, his cheek and jaw resting against a propped-up hand, the epitome of sophisticated boredom and contemplation.Keegan dropped his attention to the gleaming floors.Everything was polished, blindingly lavish, and intricate. He was afraid to breathe and dirty the place.Though he’d always wanted to step inside the palace, he hadn’t imagined it would be under these circumstances.Like his meeting with Lord Josiah, thi
Waking up was inevitable.The greedy and consuming hands of unconsciousness loosened their hold from his subconscious and tossed him carelessly back into reality. A heavy weight of doom held him down, reminding him of the events that transpired.Gradually, he opened his eyes and submerged readily in the melancholy. The anger and the loss.Micah braced his hands at his sides and slowly eased himself into a sitting position. He was in a bedroom and he knew immediately it belonged to Josiah.His hands curled at his sides and he breathed in deep.Keegan was gone.Micah forced away the suffocating sorrow and embraced his anger instead. Said anger centered on a specificman,seeing him as the direct reason for tonight’s events. Whether his anger was justified or not, whether Josiah deserved the brunt of the blame or not, Micah found it the easiest to hold the man responsible.Unfortunately, before he could get
Sixteen Years Earlier"Well? Are the rumors true, Josiah?""Rumors?" Josiah repeated the word derisively. "I'm afraid I don't dwell in the grapevine as you do, King Calder. I am entirely clueless to your insinuations."The King of Concordia was unimpressed. "They say you've been aiding the Noir Users." Calder's eyes hardened when Josiah remained aloof. "The Magi," he emphasized firmly."That certainly is a fascinating speculation."Positioned at the king's left-hand side, Queen Ember lowered her lashes at her brother.She truly hoped it was just that.A speculation.The last time Ember had seen Josiah was over five years ago at her wedding. And what a dreaded goodbye that had been.He'd only been eighteen at the time, she only sixteen. It was peculiar seeing Josiah as a man now. With long, black h
1: Chapter One [15 years later with Ezra aka "Micah"]Keegan loomed over his shoulder. "I need your help with this, kid.""You always need help," Micah replied coolly.He ignored the boy next to him in favor of making last minute changes to his report. Eyes obsessively skimmed over the neat penmanship, searching for any error.It had to be perfect.Perfection was the only way to get accepted into Concordia Military Academy. Living in the slums of Concordia's outskirts hardly got one recognized, after all.Throughout his childhood, he and his mother had moved region to region. While he understood it was imperative that they kept moving, it was beginning to take its toll on his mother.The woman, who once lived a life dripping with luxury as queen, was deteriorating. The illness inside of her steadily grew worse. It was impossible to heal her, not only because of the lack of money, b
The hand stroked his cheek softly before proceeding to brush aside a few loose curls.Micah closed his eyes into the affectionate touch, never feeling as warm nor as comfortable as he did just then. Through the warm, fire-like haze, he was able to discern that he was dreaming.It was one of those dreams again.The dreams that made him feel so good, but disenchanted at the same time. No matter how much he tried to control the dream, he wouldn’t wake up until the flames engulfed him. His body was tiny as it sat upon the man’s lap.“What did you do today, Ezra?”But that voice.Even after years of dreaming about it, the voice always sent a startling thrill down his spine. It wasn’t a deep baritone, but rather softer, almost menacing in quality and every bit serpentine. Many would find the voice allu
When the rhythmic stirring came to a sudden, unexpected halt, Healer Destan looked up from the unconscious boy and toward his apprentice.Healer Kendra's hold on the stirring rod slackened as she looked fearfully at the entrance of the compartment.Curious, he turned, his eyebrows climbing when he saw the dark figure waiting at the threshold. It was rare to see such an influential man concerned with recovering patients, but then again, this was a special patient, was it not?"Lord Josiah," he greeted casually, "good that you're here."Taciturn eyes leveled the female Healer with an impatient stare.Ah, secrecy.Right.Healer Destan nodded to his assistant. "I will take it from here, Kendra."The young Unda Healer abruptly nodded and fled the room. Destan sighed, watching the blonde-haired woman's hasty retreat.
The dull ache in his chest was still prevalent that morning. Considering it wasn’t anything like the excruciating pain he’d endured yesterday, Micah couldn’t complain.Sitting at the edge of the bed, he marveled at the mattress and the plush pillows.The last time he’d slept on a mattress was at a derelict hostel a few years ago. Typically, his mother had always claimed the mattress and Micah had never expected anything less. He’d only seen a small section of the train, and already, it possessed far more lavish items than he had the honor of possessing his entire lifetime.Next to the bed lay a black and gold military uniform.Micah’s assumptions proved accurate, then. Josiah planned to take him to Concordia Academy.He would recognize that uniform anywhere, as it was on the propaganda booklet when he applied each term.