CHAPTER ONE

The smoke rising up through the trees, staining the otherwise cloudless skies, could be seen for miles. Come morning, Kai knew people would come to investigate, but she didn’t care.

Let them come for her.

As she stared blankly at the front door of her burning home, she tried desperately to wipe Valya’s face from her mind. The cute little nose that would never again wrinkle at the sight of a skinned rabbit, the lips that would never make another excuse for why she couldn’t help clean the kitchen, the closed eyelids that veiled the sweet violet eyes that now lived only in Kai’s memory …

The heat radiating from the house scorched her arms and the scent of burning hair made her stomach turn. Slowly, she reached for the burnt lock of hair just below her cheekbone. Her other hand shook as it fumbled for the dagger in her pocket. Quickly, efficiently, she sliced, trimming the burnt bits from her hair and letting them fall to the underbrush along with the dagger.

Under the weight of everything, Kai collapsed to the ground with a strangled scream. “Me,” she whimpered, her voice hoarse. “They meant to kill me.” And admitting it, saying it out loud, almost did.

She wanted to lie on that path forever, pull her hood up over her mess of black hair and her horns, and weep. The brambles that drew blood on her wings be damned. Nothing could hurt her more than burying her sister had.

Valya … sweet baby Valya. They hadn’t yet celebrated her tenth birthday. Kai choked in a sob.

But crying would fix nothing, and as her instincts kicked in, Kai stood slowly, not bothering to brush the dirt from her black pants or the tears clinging to her cheeks. She grabbed her dagger and returned it to her pocket. Then, with a single glance at the mound of fresh dirt in the backyard, Kai started walking east.

The forest around her was silent save for her drooping wings sweeping up the fallen leaves. In the eighteen autumns she’d spent in these trees, the forest had always been full of life. She wondered if it knew what had happened and joined in her sorrow. She doubted it.

The ancient redwood trees towered over her. They’d been here millennia, long before the demons stepped foot in this territory. They’d seen war and famine. Still, they endured, unyielding. Yet as they reached for the sky, up toward the gods who did nothing to stop any of this, she silently hoped that they did mourn for the three fallen demons in the burning house and the one she couldn’t bear to leave inside of it.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a tiny metal cage and cradled it in her hand, absentmindedly fiddling with the opening where the door should have been. Despite herself, she smiled sadly. It was all she had left of Valya, she supposed.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, it began to cast shadows against the moss canopy that covered her. She watched the light and dark dance on the path before her as she simply put one foot in front of the other.

East. She was headed east toward the fishing town of Venzor, but beyond that? She’d never had the luxury of making her own choices. For as long as she could remember, her life had been planned out for her.

Training schedules. Work. Responsibility.

Yet with each step she took away from that crumbling shack, that responsibility faded away. She finally had the freedom she’d always longed for, and it felt … hollow.

She shook the thought from her head. One thing at a time. She had to get out of these trees, away from that house.

Unfortunately, she’d arrive in Venzor as the day began. Which meant crowds, and—with how she was sure she both looked and smelled—questions. Her hand patted the pocket where she’d holstered her dagger before checking for her bow. Her fingers counted the arrows in her quiver and her brows furrowed.

One. Two. Three. She came to an abrupt halt as she counted again. A quick breath escaped her lips. Nodding to herself, she squeezed her eyes shut. Three. She had three arrows now. Not six.

Kai cursed under her breath and kept walking.

The sky was bright as she entered Venzor on the main road. Townsfolk rushed here and there, none looking too long at the hooded figure that weaved in and out of the shadows.

Following the road north, Kai made her way to one of the few inns in town. She knew it was risky, but she desperately needed a nap … and a bath, if the innkeeper’s sideways glance and wrinkled nose were any indication.

Kai quietly cleared her throat and smiled at the female. “How much a night?”

The innkeeper pursed her lips and scanned Kai from head to toe, no doubt noting the tattered and filthy tunic, the bloodied wings, the mess of curls tangled around her horns. Beggar, her eyes seemed to say accusingly. She paused for a moment, weighing options in her mind.

“Twenty gold pieces,” she said dismissively.

Kai’s heart dropped, the eight gold pieces in her pocket feeling far too light. Letting out a jagged breath, she asked, “How much for just a couple of hours?”

The female scoffed and went back to sweeping. “We aren’t that kind of establishment, girl. Get out.”

Biting her lip, Kai turned. She felt the innkeeper’s eyes on the back of her head as she walked out into the sunlight.

For how small the town was, it was full of life. Bakers peddled their daily goods while fishmongers ran this way and that with baskets so full, Kai couldn’t comprehend how they didn’t spill everywhere.

She’d never seen the town during the day, so she hadn’t been sure of what to expect. She knew the layout well enough. Tiny salt-sprayed houses—there couldn’t have been more than about thirty of them—sat in the north of town, precariously close to the water, daring a wave to sweep them into the sea. Shops, bakeries, and far too many taverns formed a circle around the town square, where the market stalls beckoned the casual passerby closer.

As she glanced south, giant sails rose up like clouds against the azure sky. The docks were the only reason the tiny town of Venzor thrived. As ships stopped on their way to the capital city of Ruhull, they brought with them spices, finery, and, perhaps most importantly, pockets overflowing with gold. The docks were the very beating heart of the city.

It was no mistake, then, that the slums sat just west of the docks. Pickpockets lay in wait, hoping to score big on the sailors that were too taken with the courtesans that beckoned at street corners.

“A loaf of bread, dearest? Perhaps a sweet roll?” A female demon at her bakery stand caught Kai’s eye. She patted her apron, leaving white streaks in her wake.

The smell of fresh bread beckoned Kai closer, and her empty stomach grumbled demandingly. “How much for a loaf?” she asked, despite her better judgment.

The female’s red skin glowed in the sunlight as she smiled kindly at Kai. “One gold piece. I’ll even throw in something to sweeten your day.”

Kai swayed slightly, glancing around the female at the golden pastries that filled the table. Slowly, so slowly, she nodded.

The baker smiled brilliantly and began wrapping a loaf for her. “Now for that something sweet … a small cake, perhaps?”

Kai’s arms went limp at her sides and her knees buckled. Staring at the small cakes, she felt her chest cave in. “No.” Her lips moved, but hardly any sound came out.

The baker’s eyebrows furrowed, but mercifully, she didn’t ask questions. “A lemon tart?” she offered.

Kai nodded quickly, her dark curls bouncing around her face. She dropped the coin on the table and snatched up the baked goods, avoiding eye contact.

“Come back soon!”

But Kai was already gone, once again weaving in and out of the demons milling about. Her chest heaved as she pulled the hood tighter around her face. Following the scent of salt, she made her way to the beach, surprised but grateful to find it mostly empty.

Her breathing came quick and jagged as she headed for a small outcropping of rocks near the water. She sat down clumsily and watched the water ebb and flow against the sand, matching her breath to it.

Master yourself! Her mother’s words rang sharp in her ears. If you can’t do that, you’ll never make it in this world.

Kai tore the loaf in half and nibbled on the bread, steam kissing her cheeks. It took all of her willpower not to devour it in a few large bites.

Those emotions of yours will get you killed someday if you aren’t careful. Harsh as the words seemed, Shapoine was right. This world was cruel and unforgiving. One misstep, one choice made by irrational thoughts, and Kai knew it would be over. So she steeled herself and ate her bread slowly, taking deep breaths between each bite.

Reluctantly, she wrapped the rest of the loaf back up and set it on the rock next to the lemon tart. She braided her hair back, then kicked off her boots and laid her cloak under them on the beach. She stepped into the sea, warm foam kissing her toes as she buried them in the sand. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and let the sun warm her face.

She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt the full force of the sun. It had always been filtered through the leaves, watered down. The heat warming something in her chest, she loosed a breath as her magic danced at her fingertips.

She liked the sun better this way.

Pushing farther into the surf, she hissed through her teeth as the salt water stung at the cuts on her wings. She eased fully in and scrubbed herself and her clothing, frowning at the lack of soap. Hopefully the salt water would at least wash away most of the grime and, gods forbid, any blood still on her.

Spreading her wings fully, she lay back and allowed the water to gently toss her about. Her leathery wings dwarfed her, her wingspan almost twice her height. Growing up, she’d always been slightly embarrassed of them as the only person in her family with wings, but as she grew into herself, she began to love the individuality they gave her.

Her black curls clung to her forehead and cheeks. Weightless, she drifted slowly away from the beach, her eyelids growing heavy as she trailed her fingers smoothly through the water, catching bits of seaweed on her wrists.

She let the sea cradle her and felt a tinge of guilt in her chest. Despite everything, despite losing her family and her home, she felt safe, calm—emotions that had been hard to come by, especially recently.

Sighing deeply, she swam back to shore. After only four hours of sleep in the past two days, she knew her body was giving up on her. So she wrapped herself in her cloak and tucked her meager belongings between two of the rocks before finding a nook big enough for her to wedge herself into.

Within seconds, her eyelids fluttered shut, and she slept.

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