As she sank below the surface, the scream fell away, the sweat washed from her skin, and she finally understood what Araxia had meant when she said the water felt like home.

Here she was simply Sapphire.

No crown. No expectations. No questions.

She savoured the freedom of it all.

It is a part of you.

Here she truly could believe those words. Because she felt it – the smallest buzz against her skin mixed with the chill of the water. Magic surrounded her, coursing through her. It surrendered itself to her, and it vibrated against her core.

Accept me. Accept me. Accept me.

It was almost as if she could hear the magic begging for attention, for consent. And while it all still terrified her – the magic, the raw power, things that shouldn’t be possible – the water was the one place that had started to make sense.

So, she allowed it, allowed the magic to carry her where it wanted her to go. It was only her there. It was only the feeling of water against her skin and the bite of a chilly night breeze when she broke the surface.

She blinked a few times as a shoreline came into view. The trees were so tall they seemed to touch the sky. The shore was covered in smooth, slippery stones, and she struggled to stay upright as she clambered ashore.

This was not Astral. The forest before her was dark and loomed like it was waiting for its next victim to approach.

How far had she swum?

She whirled around to see that the lake stretched on for miles – the castle was nowhere in sight. As she walked closer to the treeline, the smooth stones gave way to a carpet of moss that squeaked under her boots. She squinted, trying to get a better look at the world around her, but could hardly see five feet in front of her.

Where was she?

As she racked her brain to recall her lessons about the territories, nothing came to mind. But then, the threatening sense of familiarity hit her hard.

The forest; she knew the forest, though she wasn’t sure how – but familiar did not mean safe and her mind screamed for her to flee.

Leaves rustled to her left, and she stumbled backwards towards the water.

Terror raced up her spine. Further up the shore, amid the trees, the smallest ball of light shone dimly.

If she hadn’t been looking for it, she might have missed it, but it was there.

‘Leaving so soon, princess?’

From the shadows, a figure emerged. The woman was tall, with fiery red hair. The orb of light was balanced in her hand. Sapphire froze, immediately recognizing her.

The Shadow Witch.

Ashes’ eyes were locked on Sapphire as she came down the shore, closing the distance between them. Sapphire struggled to look away, at the same time wanting to memorize every inch of her face.