He was a Princeps. He was a Princeps but saw the world much differently from his parents. He was a Princeps, but Sapphire saw the young boy manipulated by people with darker minds.

And he was her friend. Her partner. Her future king.

She inhaled and exhaled, trying to speak clearly, trying to not allow her thoughts to cloud her judgement.

‘Fire, lightning, water. I can control them. All of them. I’m not sure what that means, but that power … it calls to me. Every waking moment, I hear it calling to me.’

His hand slipped from her arm as he rubbed his temple before crouching in front of her, burying his face in his hands.

For the first time in his presence, she was afraid.

She knelt in front of him – her hand reaching out. He looked at her when he felt her touch.

‘I-I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. Please, don’t … be afraid of me.’

He scanned her face, her hair, down to the tips of her fingers where they rested on his arms. He looked at her as if seeing her – truly – for the first time.

‘Confused. Awed,’ Kaian began. ‘Curious. Baffled. I have a litany of emotions when it comes to you, Sapphire, but fear is not one of them.’

He ran a ragged hand through his hair, ruffling it. ‘When – when did you realize?’

‘The night of the first storm. I was in the lake and called upon lightning, and it shot from the sky just as I asked it to. I felt it. I felt it in my fingertips, in my chest. All of me felt it.’

‘And fire?’ Kaian asked, studying her features harder than he had before.

‘The fire was …’ Sapphire sputtered, suddenly nervous. ‘Well, it happened after the announcement of our new … courtship.’

‘I see.’ A hint of sadness in his tone.

‘Each time, each time that power surfaced, I heard a voice, encouraging me, telling me it was possible.’

‘A voice?’ Kaian questioned.

‘I sound mad.’

Kaian shook his head, processing it all. ‘It could very well have been a coincidence, Sapphire. And the fire – well, you could have been feeling overwhelmed. Perhaps it was your mind playing tricks.’

‘I …’ The words died on her tongue. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

He patted her hand gently, but she did not miss how quickly he moved away from her. She did not miss the silence that lingered between them. She did not miss his quick, polite goodbye as he hurried home. Kaian Princeps ran from her, leaving her alone in the garden.

As she swam, the world melted away. The feeling of needles against her skin, of lies grating against her mind, the memory of Kaian’s concerned expression and Araxia’s gritted teeth started to fade. And she continued to push forward, needing it all gone.