The mirror was my greatest enemy.
In the dim, gold-tinted light of my washing chamber, I stared at
my reflection and saw a stranger. My skin was becoming
translucent, like fine porcelain held up to a candle. Beneath the
surface, my veins weren't blue or red—they were a faint,
electric violet.
The Altitude Sickness wasn't just a cough anymore. It was a
transformation.
I splashed cold water on my face, but it didn't help the burning
in my eyes. The iris, once a steady chestnut brown, was being
overtaken by flickering violet sparks. They looked like dying
embers in a hearth. If my father, the High Minister, looked too
closely at me during the Morning Toast, he would see the
"Blight"
staring back at him.
I reached for a bottle of drops—a rare tincture meant for
clearing cataracts. I dropped the liquid into my eyes, gasping as
it stung like needles. For an hour, it would dull the glow. For an
hour, I could pretend to be human.
16
A gentle knock tapped at the door—not the usual bold drumbeat
of Lake, but the meek, courteous knock of a servant.
"The High Minister requests your presence in the Sun-Garden,
Lady Rofu. The Council of Elders has arrived for the Mid-Week
Inspection."
My heart did a somersault, landing with a thud. The Inspection.
The Elders' chance to scrutinize the
"
purity
"
of the younger
generation, hunting for grace, feather-health, and the crystalclear view of our sky-sight.
I slipped into a high-collared dress of thick, white velvet. The
fabric was a fortress, concealing the flutter of my wings, but
each step felt like I was towing a mountain. I cinched a silk
scarf snugly around my neck, masking the violet veins creeping
toward my jawline.
"I am coming,
" I said, my voice ringing out like a tinny echo even to
myself.
17
The Sun-Garden was a dazzling spectacle of floating flora,
where lavender vines cascaded from the marble ceiling and
elegant white peacocks strutted across the pristine grass. It
was a haven of tranquility, yet to me, it felt like a scene
from a horror flick.
There stood my father, a vision of angelic grandeur with his
immaculate white wings and his silver hair catching the
morning sun like a halo. Nearby, three Elders perched, their
wings gray with the weight of years, but their eyes as sharp
as eagle's talons.
And then there was Lake, casually leaning against a white
pillar, arms crossed like he owned the place. As Commander
of the Guard, he wasn't officially part of the parade, but he
was the silent hawk in the room. He ignored the other girls
and the Elders, laser-focused on me from the moment I
stepped into the garden. He was on the hunt for flaws,
searching for any speck of Low-World soot I might have
missed in my frantic scrubbing.
18
Rofu,
"
my father thundered with a chest full of pride. "Step up
and enlighten the Elders about your flight escapades this week.
They claim you've been... playing hide and seek."
I shuffled into the circle, the ground sizzling beneath my feet
like a grill on high. We were perched at the island's tippy top, the
Sun-Garden, where the air was thin and every inhale felt like
wrestling with a bear.
"I've been honing my skills in the lower currents, Father,
" I
fibbed, eyes glued to the ground. "The wind is feistier down
there. Builds... stamina."
One Elder leaned in, sniffing like a curious hound. "You reek of
something peculiar, child. Like scorched metal and brimstone.
The stench of the Abyss."
Silence crashed down like a wave. My father's grin wobbled. A
bead of cold sweat trickled down my spine, vanishing into the
leather straps of my wings.
19
The Abyss?"
my father chuckled nervously, brushing it off like a bad joke.
"She's probably just been hanging around the gravity-core engines too much. You
know how kids are—always poking their noses where they shouldn't!"
"Is that so, Commander?" the Elder queried, his gaze shifting to Lake.
Lake emerged from the shadows like a dramatic entrance in a play. His boots
echoed on the marble floor as he approached me. Standing just inches away, I
could feel the chill from his snowy feathers. With a glacial touch, he tucked a
stray hair behind my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
He leaned in, whispering near my ear. The Elders likely assumed he was checking
my pulse, but I feared he might have more sinister intentions.
"She reeks of duty,
" Lake announced, his voice like a cold wind. "And sheer
exhaustion. Perhaps the High Minister should keep his daughter within safer
confines. The lower currents are perilous for those unfit to withstand the
light."
He pulled back, his eyes glued to my violet-tinted irises just a moment longer than
necessary. He had seen the flicker, the truth. Yet, he spun a tale for the
Council.
"Dismissed,
" the Elder grumbled.
I made a hasty retreat, not stopping until I was safe in my room. There, I
crumbled, coughing up a thick, violet stain onto the pristine marble floor.
20