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36 - Raised Like Soldiers

Author: Sakiah Zee
last update publish date: 2024-07-07 11:28:04

ARAH

She woke to the dim glow of lights. The steady beep of machines and the distant sounds of footsteps and hushed conversations filled the thick silence. The room smelled of antiseptic and clean linen, and the air was cool against her skin. She was lying on a bed, not too soft but still comfortable, with a tube connected to her hand.

Where was she? A hospital? She tried to move, but a familiar ache shot through her ribs as if she’d been kicked there. Her muscles were sore, her throat raw, and
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  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   365 - His Perfect New Family

    ARAHEENShe wasted no time flying to Lothair’s estate.On the grounds, she encountered Lady Vaelina and Isalee. They did not seem surprised to see her, but instead of the usual reflexive snobbery they had often greeted her with, they simply lowered their gazes and stepped aside.Araheen already knew that being Zephyr’s marked bride came with its privileges, but she didn’t know how to feel seeing her stepmother and stepsister under these circumstances.She moved past them, intent on ignoring them, until a thought brought her to a halt.Turning, she asked bluntly, “Have you both been Fractured as well?”These were the last two women she would have suspected of being swayed by a Fractured. But after everything she had learned, she could no longer be certain.“How dare you insinuate that?” Lady Vaelina snapped, her offense restrained in the measured way of the Non-Fractured. It fl

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   364 - Your Faith Is Misplaced

    ARAHEENShe had slept for what felt like forever, unable to tell whether it was from exhaustion or from the grief of knowing she would never see her father—the only true family she had left—again. All her life, all she had ever wanted was to please him. To become a daughter worthy of him.In the end, she had heard the words she needed—both the hurtful truth and the satisfying closure.She sat up slowly, her gaze drawn at once to her father’s ceremonial robe, carefully hung on a stand in the corner. She couldn’t tell whether Zephyr truly believed that placing her in the same private chamber her father had been using whenever he stayed at the Grand Castle was an effective way to grieve.Nevertheless, she was grateful. It would serve as a reminder of what she needed to do to bring him down.She rose from the bed and retrieved her sigil needle and phoenix dagger from the nightstand before stepping onto the

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   363 - Sweet Dove

    ARAHEENThe words left her reeling. It was the last thing she had expected to hear from her father. Questions crowded her mind, and she had no idea where to begin.“How…” Araheen murmured. She knew her mother had once been a scholar—born into a family of them—but she couldn’t imagine her discovering something like Awakening while the rest of the sylphs remained unaware.“Your mother was a highly curious woman,” her father said. “She told me of the things she learned and uncovered—some so blasphemous that when she was younger, the Oracles took her away to the Isle of the Broken and kept her there for a time.”Her memories of her mother were few, given how young she had been when she died. But now, it felt as though she had never known her at all.“A few years after our union, she confessed to me that she had discovered the Sylph Awakening on the Isle of the Bro

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   362 - Helped You Awaken

    ARAHEENShe was surprised to see the Crescent Tower in ruins—unlike the Grand Castle, which had already been restored to its pristine state when they flew over it moments ago.“You’re not going to repair the tower?” she asked as they dismounted.“Lord Zephyr has no intention of doing so,” Theobald said, feeding the bird with a large python he pulled from a satchel strapped to the mount’s side. “He said the tower is merely a symbol of the High Council’s inflated sense of superiority. That they like watching their enemies suffer for their own amusement.”Araheen glanced back at the half-broken structure and realized parts of it remained intact—likely shielded by sigils Garud had not managed to destroy.“It will be brought down soon enough,” her stepbrother added, giving the eagle a single stroke along its neck before guiding Araheen toward the walkable paths inside the tower.“Where’s the Warden?”“I killed him,” he rep

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   361 - We Are All Equal

    ARAHEENRiding on Garud was unsettling, but it was nothing compared to the unease gnawing at her over Gildeon and the others. Zephyr had assured her no more harm would come to them as long as they were locked away, unable to interfere, but part of her still couldn’t be at peace.And then there was whatever fate awaited her—wherever Zephyr was taking her.“You’ve been quiet,” Zephyr said, turning his head slightly over his shoulder.“Forgive me if I have nothing pleasant to say to my captor,” she replied.He ignored the sarcasm in her tone. “I’m not your captor, and you’re not my prisoner,” he said, his gaze returning to the horizon.“If I’m not, then you shouldn’t be keeping me against my will. You can let me go and—”“I can,” he cut in. “Let you go. But you know I would find you again. There’s nowhe

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   360 - The Awakened Sigilmaker

    ARAHEENA tight, creeping cold spread through her back. She had anticipated this moment, prepared herself for the worst—but now she realized she hadn’t been prepared at all. Fear paralyzed her, fogging her mind. She couldn’t think of her next move.“We’re waiting,” Zephyr said low, flexing his fingers at his sides. The coils of wind tightened around Yadira and Eitan, forcing strained sounds from their throats. Blood seeped from their ears, eyes, and mouths, and Eitan’s body struggled to regrow his severed arm.Araheen could not bear it any longer. At last, she moved, drawing her hands behind her back, her sigil needle working against her left palm in one final attempt to save them all. She then slid the needle back into her hair and summoned her owl to carry her down toward the camp.As she did, her eyes darted upward, widening at the sight of Garud. A moose she had hunted not long ago was clenche

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   322 - Your Suffering Ends

    ARAHEENNot long after, General Lothair dismissed her. Though she would have preferred to discuss further war strategies, she knew better than to occupy her father’s time longer than necessary.As she stepped back into the High Council chamber, the red humming

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-05

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   332 - You May Call Us Barbarians

    ARAHEENShe had not been informed of this.The High Council intended to keep some of the salamanders alive? For what purpose? Enslaving them would bring the sylphs no real advantage, and she could not imagine the Shining Keeper altering the parameters of the Divine

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-05

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   333 - Gildeon Was Clever

    ARAHEENThe High Council erupted into a mix of reactions.“I am not opposed to that arrangement,” one of the female High Council members said. “Lady Araheen has proven herself one of our finest tacticians. It would be logical for the Dragon to be p

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-05

  • MAD END'S DECEPTION   311 - Echo Of His Heartbeat

    ARAHDanger prickled the back of her neck a split second before her mind caught up.Her body moved first.The wind tattoo on her forearm peeled away from her skin, snapping into the air like a released whip. In the same breath, her owl sigil burst free from h

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-04
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