Stag, Tethys – 1417 AE

Alessia’s grandfather always loved flowers, and she felt terrible for only ever giving them to him after he died. The anniversary, a year after he passed away, was the hardest for her. The way he smiled, even when his soul passed on, made her heart swell with sadness. On his death bed, the moment he released his grasp on her hand was forever engrained in her mind and one she could not forget… how her cousins failed to do the same and visit him before his death drove her insane.

“Alessia,” the wind called out. She stopped, slightly turning her head. No one was there, so she kept moving on her path. The voice was always unnerving. She heard things speaking to her when alone, but she never understood what they were or how she heard them. She just did. Her parents never knew although they might have known about it while she was growing up.

She ensured no one followed her into the forest –where her thoughts were the calmest. Taking in a few deep breaths, she continued onward, admiring how the trees were as tall as the castle towers in the city of Stag.

Once she found the graveyard, she kneeled on the grass. Alessia touched the tombstone with the name Aurelius Raith engraved on it. Her grandfather passed away from a deadly disease that seemed to ravage the elderly. Not one day went by without her thinking of him. What a shame her father seldom visited his grave. The only other member was her great-uncle Evangelo. Not even her cousins, who shared a grandfather with her, visited the grave.

“Wish you were here as usual,” Alessia whispered. “It always made my day when I saw you smiling – even when there was nothing to smile about.” She clasped her hands in prayer, thinking of how much suffering he went through when he was ill. She stood up, wiping the dirt off her dress. “Rest well, Grandfather. Perhaps I will see you again.”

Someone approached her from behind. “You will,” they said, but when she turned, nobody was there. She felt an uneasy phantom near her. She turned her head slowly, her fears drowning her, as she noticed a shadow.

“Alessia,” another voice called out.

The shadow that approached her disappeared.

She jumped, almost screaming, when a hand touched her shoulder. She sighed in relief once she realized it was only Calien Hawthorne. “I have been searching for you,” he said, exasperated. He crossed his arms. The voice before did not belong to him, so who did it belong to? Who had been behind her?

Alessia returned her attention to him, crossing her arms. “I am not allowed to visit my grandfather’s grave?”

“You are. Just not without my presence.”

“What a pitiful excuse.”

“What is pitiful is defying your father’s strict instructions that I stay by your side until told otherwise. It’s for your protection.” Alessia sighed, hating that she remembered how her father hired a guard nearly a year ago. Her father claimed it was for good reasons, but she never saw it that way.

And nearly a year after he was hired, she could barely stand him. He always towered over her, following her no matter where she went – not making any conversation unless it was for her safety. “You are mildly infuriating,” she muttered. She marched out of the graveyard and toward Stag with Calien trailing behind her.

“We would not have this problem if you listened,” Cailen said.

With the bustling city coming into view, Alessia stopped for a moment. She happened to look down, finding a bird twitching on the ground. Her eyes widened, scooping the poor bird up. It was dead, but the muscles moved due to rigor mortis. She closed her eyes, one hand over the bird, as she concentrated on returning its life force. It had died not too long ago. She was quickly able to grab its soul, guiding it back into the small animal.

Calien stood by, watching her. She wasn’t worried about him stopping her as he had seen her do it several times before. Even the first time he witnessed it, he did nothing. He certainly gave her a mouthful about touching dead animals.

The bird’s eyes fluttered open, its tiny heart beating. It stood on both of its legs, chirping at Alessia as if it never died. Its feathers were a bit ruffled, but the bird appeared brand new. She smiled to herself as she watched the avian fly away.

“Are you quite done?” Calien asked, with a hint of impatience in his tone.

“I am,” she said, gritting her teeth. “What was I to do? Just leave it there?”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “You cannot save them all,” he said, his cold blue eyes narrowing.

“That was never the plan.” Honestly, the one thing he says to me is that? She thought, feeling the blood inside her boiling. Why did he insist on being a nuisance to her? Alessia wanted nothing more than for him to leave her alone. Life would be much simpler and peaceful if he were gone from her life. If her father ever cared, he wouldn’t have hired Calien in the first place.

As they entered Stag, people were gathered in the marketplace doing their usual business, the aroma of fresh bread in the air as they neared the Patisserie District. Despite the welcoming nature of the people in the city, Alessia could feel people’s eyes burning into her back. People of Stag were not subtle regarding their dislike of her. She knew it since she was a child. Her only friends were her cousins, Rinna, Elspeth, and Kalix, and they acted more like her siblings.

If Calien noticed people staring at her, he said nothing about it. However, she noticed he stayed closer to her than usual. Maybe it was because they were in a crowd. It bothered her even more because nobody in Stag would harm Alessia. She was the only daughter of the Sea Guard Captain Alaric II Raith. Stag was well known for its Sea Guard, as it faced the Mercurial Sea and trained its recruits to deal with the inane currents.

She wondered when it started. Why did they… fear her so? Was it because of her ability to bring animals back from the dead? Or was it something else? If she had the answer, she wouldn’t have worried about it as much.

Past the marketing district, there were the gallows. Guards from the castle always supervised the area. She heard screaming from an alleyway, the sound of a sword hitting flesh, making her skin crawl. The metallic and body decay stench was enough to almost gag at the sight. Calien, noticing she was not moving, took her arm. “Watching is not going to change anything,” he urged her.

With the citizens of Stag still eyeing her, she wondered if they, too, wished she would expire in the same way.

One woman sighed, a scowl forming on her lips. “She’s a witch, she is.”

The second woman nodded in agreement. “Aught to be hanged.”

What could she say to them to defend herself? Nothing. It's not like she hadn’t tried before, but it always seemed to prove their point—that she was indeed someone who did not belong on Tethys.

When she announced herself in her home, her mother, Enora, greeted her at the door with a smile. It was nice to see someone smiling at her for once. “Out for a walk?”

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Alessia nodded. “I was, and not by myself.” She glared at Calien, who only had a blank expression.

“Then he did his job correctly,” her mother said. The statement unknowingly caused Alessia’s eyes to twitch as she attempted to ignore it gracefully. She wore a long, flowy blue dress, and her long black hair was in a braid. Alessia admired how her mother could wear any dress and look like she barely aged a day. “I tailored your dress for Count Fairley’s Masquerade Feast tomorrow.”

Alessia blinked at Enora for a moment. She had forgotten that, even though her parents relentlessly talked about it the past week. It would be her first since the last Masquerade feast was five years ago. “I can try it on?” Alessia asked, excited that she could try on a new dress.

“Yes, I need to make sure the measurements are correct,” her mother said, ushering her into the room. She exchanged glances with Calien. “I also had formal clothes tailored for you, Cailen.”

Alessia raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

“He’s coming. Your father would not have it any other way.”

While Calien waited outside the room, the maids helped her try the dress, ensuring it was tight enough. The dark green dress was adorned with golden lining on the waist and neckline. She came out, allowing Enora to tug at the hem of the dress. “Hmm, it’s a little loose around your neck, but I can fix that.” The rest of the garment seemed fine as Enora checked it. She made Alessia take it off and went to work on it afterward.

She went to her mother as she worked on the dress with a sewing machine. “Does he have to attend?” Alessia asked, even though Calien was right behind her.

“Yes, he does,” Enora responded. “If you dislike it, take it up with your father.”

Alessia sighed, not having much choice. Why did she even think he wouldn’t be going with her? She whirled around, holding his gaze. “I’m not dancing with you,” she warned him.

“You needn’t worry. I do not plan on dancing.” From the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw her mother smiling at the exchange between the two. Alessia scowled, treading heavily while he continued following her.

She focused on other things – such as how she’d approach Count Fairley during the Masquerade. Alessia planned for months to ask him for permission to leave the island of Tethys. Nobody had been allowed to leave recently due to threats of war from other nations. The only country that remained neutral was Firdûn. The ball would be her one chance for the request. She doubted she'd have much trouble with her father’s standing with the Count.

As for her parents, they didn’t suspect anything, but if they found out, she was sure her father would never allow it to happen.

Fortunately, not many inhabitants of Tethys wished to leave, living a comfortable life in their own homes. Without a doubt, the only other person competing with her for that permission was her former friend, Ceinwen Seagrave. She hated the island of Tethys more than anybody else, but was that reason enough to gain the Count’s approval? There was also another problem with that. According to Count Fairley's law, only one person per year could leave.

She didn’t just want to leave Tethys because of the people. She wanted to learn more about the dark arts of necromancy, and Elias was the one person to teach her. He was widely known throughout Firdûn as a respected necromancer. In Tethys, the inhabitants looked down on necromancy, so she never told her parents or anyone else in the family. Only Calien knew the secret of her necromancy abilities and kept quiet about it.

A knock on the door made her jump to her feet, opening it and smiling once she saw her cousin, Rinna, before her. “Rinna! So, good to see you, cousin,” Alessia said, pulling her into a hug. “Am I to understand you are also attending the Masquerade Feast?” She let go of the embrace, her hands on Rinna’s shoulders.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” she said. “Sorry, Kalix and Elspeth aren’t with me. Mother insists their clothes don’t fit them properly.” Alessia was overprotective of Rinna. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for her cousin, and while her other cousins got along well with her, there was a strange understanding with Rinna.

“Mine needed fixing, too.” Alessia looked back, seeing Calien standing with his sword in his scabbard behind her.

“I need to talk about something.” Rinna ignored the bodyguard, knowing he would be tagging along. Sometimes, she pretended he wasn’t even there, and Alessia wished to understand how she did it. She pulled her out of the house. “It’s more like I need to confide in you.”

Alessia raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by what she wanted. “Out with it, Rin.”

“There’s a school in Arcea where I can learn how to be an herbalist or a healer – It’s not a big school. It’s a bit small, or so I hear, but…”

“You want to go,” Alessia said, her heart hammering against her chest. Rinna wants to leave, too? She thought, which meant more people requesting Count Fairley at the Feast.

“Yes, except that isn’t the only thing. I need permission from Count Fairley. He hates my father, Alessia. I don’t know how to go about a request that might be denied.”

“They have schools in Tethys, you know.”

“Indeed, there is,” Rinna said, sighing. “And that is the problem. The schools here wouldn’t teach about herbalism. Want to know why? Because people on Tethys don’t care about that, even though people die every day from illnesses with no cure. And yes, there are also doctors, but have they found any cure or medication for these illnesses? No.” She huffed as they entered the small garden in the Patisserie district.

Alessia did not know what to say to her. Should she tell her about her plans? Or should she support her cousin? Fuck, she thought. “You know only one person can leave a year, right?”

“I am aware, and that will not stop me.”

“Then you should know Ceinwen is also requesting to leave.”

Rinna shook her head. “I couldn’t care less if the whole damn Sea Guard wants to leave, least of all her.” Alessia admired her cousin for her ambition, but was it enough to convince the Count? Maybe. Except she could not allow that to happen.

“You are rather young to go out into Sacellum by yourself,” she said, trying to be as gentle as possible.

Her cousin tilted her head at Alessia, almost as if she were confused. “I thought you would support me wanting to do this.”

“And I – I am, but I worry for you. Sacellum is an unforgiving world, lest you forget Count Fairley’s reason for this. Threats of war, remember? It’s been like this for a few years now,” Alessia said, hoping her words convinced her cousin to rethink this.

“So that means I should watch people die in my own country? No! I refuse. Why should we be locked in our own country? Tethys is a god-forsaken island. I will not be stuck here for the rest of my life.” There was nothing she could do to convince Rinna to make her choice. Although the Count could refuse her, Alessia was unwilling to take that chance. “If you don’t want to support me, then fine.”

“No, no! I do support you. I want you to ensure this is what you want.”

“It is.”

“And do your parents know?”

She started laughing a bit and shook her head. “Ha! Are you insane? No way am I telling them until I gain approval. Otherwise, they might try convincing Count Fairley to ignore my request.” That was true, and Alessia also had the same issue. Her father would make sure it never happened, and it was worse that he was Captain of the Sea Guard, not to mention the threats that were still being made against him and his daughter. “Anyway, I thought I would tell you since nobody else will listen. I feel extremely trapped here sometimes…”

“Of course, cousin. I will always give you my ear when you need it.” She had nearly forgotten that Calien was near them, listening to every word. Not that he had much choice, or maybe he faded their conversation out. Alessia could hardly tell with him sometimes.

They said their goodbyes to one another. A part of her wanted to support Rinna, but a more significant part wanted to request approval. She would have to do something drastic to prevent Rinna from speaking with Count Fairley. Her eyes narrowed. Even if it meant possibly destroying their friendship, Alessia needed tomorrow to go her way.

She returned to her house, locking her bedroom door behind her so that not even Calien could see what she was doing. She removed the mat beside her bed, revealing a large blue circle with symbols she had drawn on the floor as a child. An older woman taught her. Alessia managed to catch on quickly, but before asking for more training, the woman died.

She recalled a time when crops were dying from a drought. She chanted the spell late at night, feeling the wind hitting against the window. The next day, it started raining, which lasted for ten days. People’s homes were flooded, and some even died.

Alessia shook her head, covering the carefully drawn circle with the mat, and sat on the edge of her bed. She promised herself she would never use the circle again. But throughout the night, she heard something call out her name. It wasn’t the same as before. The energy around began humming, and it felt even darker than before.

Agitated, she threw the mat off the circle, noticing it glowing blue. Being near it sent shockwaves as she heard a loud, booming noise a few times and then blood-curdling screams. She pulled away from the circle, and the screams stopped. She covered her mouth, her free trembling hand placing the mat over it once more. The screams came from the circle, not from outside. It had never done that before. What is happening? She thought.

Snakes crawled against her feet. She gasped, falling to the floor, watching as the snakes slithered over her body. She threw them off, but more and more surrounded her. She shut her eyes, wanting to scream, but when she reopened them, the snakes were gone. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she remained on the floor.

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image [https://artbreeder.b-cdn.net/imgs/0bea25a4f10a9d33ed372c47f0c2.jpeg]

Alessia Raith (Concept Art)