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I saw her, once

“She passed through our village, through fields littered with dead soldiers after her forces overwhelmed the nation of Dumor Her other Elites followed and then rows of white-robed Inquisitors, wielding the white-and-silver banners of the White Wolf Where they went, the sky diathered behind the ar in fury As if the goddess of Death herself had come

“She paused to look down at one of our dying soldiers He treround, but his eyes stayed on her He spat so at her She only stared back at him I don’t knohat he saw in her expression, but his ainst the dirt as he tried in vain to get away from her Then the et as long as I live She nodded to her Raine a sword through the dying soldier Her face did not change at all She simply rode on

“I never saw her again But even now, as an oldbefore me She was ice personified There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen”

—A witness’s account of Queen Adelina’s siege

on the nation of Dumor

The Village of Pon-de-Terre

28 Marzien, 1402

Tarannen, Dumor

The Sealands

Moritas was sealed in the Underworld by the other gods But Aoddess He brought her gifts fro world, rays of sunshine bundled in baskets, fresh rain in glass jars Amare fell in love—as he was frequently wont to do—with Moritas, and his visits resulted in the births of Formidite and Caldora

—An Exploration of Ancient and Modern Myths, by Mordove Senia

Adelina Amouteru

I have had the saht, without fail

I am asleep insound wakes me I sit up in bed and look around Rain lashes the panes Violetta sleeps next tocrept into my chambers at the sound of the thunder, and under the blankets, her body is curled close at ain The door ofBeyond it is sos, so I never see but always know is there The silks I’ turn unbearably cold, as if I am neck deep in a winter sea, and I cannot stopI shake Violetta, but she does not stir

Then I jump out of bed and rush to close the door, but I can’t—whatever is on the other side is too strong I turn to my sister

“Help me!” I call to her desperately She still does not move, and I realize that she is not asleep, but dead

I startle awake, in the sa beside ht Then I hear that creaking sound, and I see the door is starting to open oncefor Violetta Again, I realize that ain, I will bolt awake in bed and see the door opening

I ake a hundred tiht streah my s finally burns the scene away Even then, hours later, I cannot be sure I am not still in my dream

I aht, I will never wake I will be doo frohtmare in which I am always, forever, lost

A year ago, it would have been io and my Inquisition They are the same white-robed, ruthless army that Kenettra’s always known—except, of course, they now serve lance back at them, all I see is a river of white, their pristine cloaks contrasted against the so at the burned houses that go by as we ride

I look different froain, silver as a sheet of shifting er wear a mask or an illusion to hide the scarred side of my face Instead, my hair is pulled back in a braided bun, jeoven into the locks My long, dark cape billows behind me and down my horse’s quarters My face is fully exposed

I want the people of Dumor to see their new queen

Finally, as we pass through an abandoned teiano had initially left ht after we entered the city of Tarannen, no doubt wandered off somewhere in search of leftover treasures fro citizens It’s a habit he picked up soon after I becahts on the states and nations around Kenettra

As we approach, he rides through the eio shoots hiiano just winks back His erie of old breastplate and heavy cloak His aremstones, and if one didn’t know better, one would assulance that he was the ruler here The pupils of his eyes are slitted, and his expression is lazy under the midday sun An assortment of s clink at his horse’s flanks

“You are all looking !” he calls out cheerfully to my Inquisitors They just bow their heads at his arrival Everyone knows that openly showing any disrespect for Magiano means instant death at my hands

I raise an eyebrow “Treasure hunting?” I sayher, once