Her mother had pulled her into the darkness that night, shaking with fear as she clutched her shoulders.
"You can never let anyone know."
"If the king finds out, if the council finds out, they will take you away, Raya. They will use you. Or worse, they will kill you."
And Raya had understood.
She had spent years being invisible. Now, she would have to disappear completely.
For weeks, she had trained herself in secret, learning the limits of her power, learning control.
But no amount of control could have prepared her for what happened next.
The servant she had copied, had gone straight to the king, hoping for a reward.
But there were no rewards in the Northern Star Kingdom.
There was only power. And survival.
The guards had come for them in the dead of night.
She had barely had
