Gale Adler

Chapter One

The Festival of Firsts

Kyra knew if she kept pushing her luck that she would end up hanging from a rope wrapped around her neck. Stealing was a petty crime, one which normally led to a nominal fine or banishment from the city. It wasn’t the crimes she committed that would end with her flopping like a fish pulled out of water, struggling for breath while everyone cheered. Instead, it was her. It was everything she was. Her being alive was enough for her to die. She had no way of controlling how she was born. The illegal power she had was inherited. It passed through her bloodline, an ancestry she wished she was never born into.

Kyra’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed the crowds in the streets. It was the first day of the Festival of Firsts, a yearly celebration of the harvest. The Empire of Kov allowed the governed people of Fredlig to hold the festival every year. It was Kyra’s first time in the city of Tulva. As a kid, she heard it had the largest number of Fredligans. She hoped to find a city of tolerance toward her people. Though like most things in life, this turned out worse than she thought. While Fredligan children ran around chasing each other in homemade animal costumes, vendors gathered to sell their goods, and fake magians put on shows about a time when magia was real—it was done under the watchful eye of the Kov Empire. Their guards littered the streets, looking for any excuse to assert their power.

Her blue eyes danced around the people. She mentally mapped out where the nearest guards were. She ran her hands through her copper-colored hair. They shook slightly, a nervous habit of hers. Her tattered boots shuffled across the gravel street as she walked to her target.

A fruit cart sat alone in front of a bookstore. The colors caught her eye. Her stomach protested. She needed to eat something soon. The owner of the cart was too busy with his horse to see her. With a deep breath held behind her tongue, she willed her hands to steady and reached forward. She plucked a single, small orange fruit. She had never seen this fruit before, but her stomach begged for any source of sustenance. When she secured it in her pocket, she took another look at the cart’s owner. He was still focused on his animal, so she went for another.

Then a third.

She went to secure a fourth when a voice yelled out.

“Hey, you there!” A man shouted from across the street. Not the trader but a city guard—an officer of Kov.

She dropped the fourth fruit, too startled to secure it. She didn’t wait a single moment before taking off in a sprint. She was petite and was able to move through the people in the street with relative ease. She heard the grumbling of some of these people, while others moved to the side, allowing her to proceed. One older woman she passed gave her a disapproving look, yelling after her, “Watch where you’re going, you guttersnipe!”

Still, Kyra ran on. The guard must still be chasing her. Maybe he was gathering more officers to join the chase. Looking over her shoulder, she couldn’t see him.

A child’s park came into view. She pushed through the gate and ran to a large cylinder. It was made for children, so she had to weasel her way in. With any luck, the guards would pass the park all together. When she got all the way in, she heard a voice from the other end.

“Hello?” it said.

Kyra turned and squinted into the dark. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The tube was large enough to pile fifteen children into. It was easy to overlook someone on the other end.

When her eyes adjusted, she was able to make out the outline of a girl. She was around her age—nineteen if she had to guess. The woman’s skin was dark and smooth and she had her jet-black, curly hair tied back into a ponytail. The woman gave her a curious look, and Kyra felt the woman’s brown eyes traveling over her.

“I… Hello,” Kyra managed to say. She felt her ears growing warm.

“You came rushing in here like you’re in trouble. Everything okay?” the woman said again. Her voice was a mixture of sweet and raspy tones. Her words were soft, but there was a hint of authority in them.

“I’m hiding from someone…” Kyra said.

“Someone bad?”

“Yes. Someone bad,” she replied. She tried to muster enough concentration to steady her voice.

The other woman slid closer to Kyra. Kyra felt uneasy at this.

Elegant clothing adorned her body, paired with a necklace around her smooth neck and a large ring on her long index finger. There was no way a Fredligan could afford such things.

“Are you a Kovian?” Kyra asked.

There was a moment before she answered. The question hung in the air, heavy and almost tangible. Finally, “Yes. What is your name?”

“Why are you here by yourself?” Kyra ignored her question.

“My father’s working. And he wanted me to enjoy the festival. But as you can see…” She raised an open book. Kyra hadn’t noticed it at first, but she nodded in the dim light. “Your turn,” the woman continued.

“My name’s Kyra. Kyra Estalki.”

“I’m Ederra Gradi,” the woman responded. “I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Well, I doubt you would notice a Fredligan like me.”

“I think I would remember you if I saw you before,” Ederra said before her eyes jutted back to her book.

The minutes passed as they waited in silence. Ederra continued in her book, though she wasn’t turning any pages. Kyra sat with her knees pulled to her chest. She stole glances from time to time, looking Ederra over in silence. Kovians were not worth getting mixed up with. They did nothing but cause trouble, something she spent her life escaping from.

Ederra shut her book. “I think the bad person must have passed by now.”

Kyra swallowed and shrugged. “Maybe. But I don’t know if I should leave yet.”

“I can walk you home,” Ederra volunteered.

Kyra’s stomach dropped. How was she going to say this? The direct route seemed the easiest.

“I think I’m going to stay here.”

“Where?” Ederra asked while furrowing her brows.

Kyra swept her arm as an answer.

“In the park?” Ederra asked.

“You act like I’d be the only Fredligan sleeping in the park tonight.” It would be Kyra’s first night in the city. But no matter what city she was in, there was always a sizable number of her people calling the streets their home.

“I never noticed, to be honest,” Ederra said.

“You…never noticed?” Kyra said, frowning as a pin of annoyance spiked in her stomach. “No, never mind. I can imagine why.”

Ederra sighed. “I know, I haven’t paid much attention to the homeless issue. But it’s not my fault your people are the way they are.”

“My people? Are the way they are?” Kyra asked, her voice rising. Her face flushed again, but this time it wasn’t out of embarrassment.

“That’s not what I mean. It didn’t come out right,” Ederra said, her words rolling out in a slew. Ederra reached out to touch Kyra’s shoulder, but she dodged it by scooting away. “What I mean is that this problem is bigger than anything I can do. It’s just how it’s always been.”

“I think I’ve heard enough,” Kyra said. She shimmied her way out of the tube and walked toward the gate out of the park.

“Kyra, wait!” Ederra said, following suit. “Let me explain what I meant.”

Kyra heard the calls but ignored them. She ran into the crowds of people. How could she have expected any different from someone like Ederra? She knew Kov and their people were nothing but trouble. The best thing she could have done was to run away the moment she realized Ederra was a Kovian.

She wasn’t sure why the woman’s words hurt her. It wasn’t the worst she had heard from Kovians. At best, Kovians looked at Fredligans with suspicion. Even the most progressive Kovians tended to patronize them with their underhanded compliments. It was rare to find a Kovian that treated her with respect.

Ever since the Unification, Kov had gained control of the vast people in Lurra. Fredlig happened to be the largest demographic of oppressed people. Sure, there were other nations before the Unification. When any of them put up a fight, Kov mowed them down in their conquest. Fredlig was the last nation invaded, the sole survivor of the purge Kov brought across Lurra. Kyra assumed Kov let them live because of their unwillingness to fight. Kov put to death those who threatened the unifying process.

That didn’t keep a handful of rebellious forces from trying to gain some sort of independence. These Fredligans were cruel, using whatever means necessary to hurt the Kov Empire. Even throwing aside a few innocent lives in the name of progress. Kyra had spent a long time debating with herself whether these people were good or bad. She hated seeing how Kov treated the Fredligans. Still, she didn’t like the way the rebels battled in public. Harming innocent people while fighting the Kov Empire caused her to grow skeptical of the rebels. The rebels had spent some time trying to convince her of joining their forces. Her power was seen as a great weapon they could use for the war effort.

A hand grabbed her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts. It pulled her around. She was ready to swing at Ederra until someone different appeared. Her heart thumped, threatening to leave her chest. It was the Kovian officer from earlier.

She sucked in breath as the familiar icy sensation shot from her shoulder to her left hand. The magia threatened to burst out, and she knew she could drop this soldier, killing him or not. The only thing keeping her from shooting the icy magia was the crowd of people around her. It was illegal to have the mysterious power, and anyone caught possessing it was put to death.

More guards appeared, flanking the first. There were eight in total. They each carried a sword and a pistol on their side. Even if Kyra could manage the first, there would be no way she could take all the others. She eased the icy feeling away and bowed her head. She knew she was going to prison. There was no way around it. And what was worse, the three fruits in her pocket hardly seemed worth the trouble. And if they tested her for the power…she would find a fate worse than prison.

“You’re coming with me,” the guard said, digging his fingers into her shoulder. His voice was sharp with a sickening sound of satisfaction.

“Wait, Officer Giln,” a familiar raspy voice sounded. Kyra looked around to see Ederra approaching. “She’s with me,” she said, putting a hand on Kyra’s back. It felt warm in the spot she touched.

“Ederra? Where is your father? Does he know about this snipe?”

“You will release her,” Ederra said. There was a ring of authority in her voice, and it caused Kyra to grimace. What was she doing?

The guard named Giln frowned, yet his fingers loosened on Kyra’s shoulder. “You will be held responsible for her actions. And the loss from the fruit cart she stole from.”

“I will,” Ederra said with a smile.

A moment passed before Giln let go of Kyra. He pressed on his jacket, straightening it, and turned to walk away. The other officers followed, whispering to each other as they left. Ederra pushed lightly on Kyra’s back, bringing her back to reality. They both walked through the small crowd of spectators. They continued in silence for a few minutes. Kyra stole a glance toward Ederra, but she kept her eyes forward.

When they were far enough away, Ederra let her hand fall from Kyra’s back. “You didn’t tell me the man you ran from was a guard.”

“You didn’t tell me that you had so much pull with the guards,” Kyra responded.

“My father is the captain,” she said. “And now you are both of our responsibilities. Come on.” She led Kyra through the festival.

“Where are we going?”

“To my house. You can stay there for a few nights,” Ederra said, but added, “We just have to persuade my father not to throw you in jail first.”