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@ariella-newheart – That’s a cool name! And I also love the name of your language. 😀

…

Caedon smiled, as if he knew something Racleva didn’t. “Solina isn’t a country. It’s a city. The capital city of Reimira, to be exact. It used to be a monarchy, but now the Reimirian Council makes most of the decisions. My—”

He stopped abruptly, causing Racleva to glance up at him. The way he said ‘my’ sounded like he was about to mention family, probably his parents. And the way his gaze darted to his plate spoke volumes for his unspoken thoughts. The subject of his family – or at least his parents – was tender, and naturally he wouldn’t disclose that information to a stranger like her.

Racleva couldn’t blame him. She hated talking about her family, and in the spirit of not being hypocritical, she didn’t push.

As for his answer…a country with the name of Reimira didn’t exist on Earth. Or Quilvanya. The knowledge sent Racleva’s mind racing, but all her thoughts slammed into walls. She set down her drumstick rather roughly, feeling like throwing it across the room. Why was this so confusing?

“Mr. McAsgain!” Caedon cried. “Vladlena, he’s disappearing! Mr. McAsgain!”

Instinctively, Racleva grabbed her knife from the able, leaped to her feet, and whirled around. Her eyes widened as Lucas’ body slowly dissolved into the air, his substance melting away as he grew transparent. Then he disappeared entirely.

Panic thundered through her heart as she spun around, eyes searching the dining hall. But there was no one there. This could only mean one thing: someone had remotely teleported Lucas to somewhere else. A very advanced technique, reserved only for the rulers of nations. But which one? And why Lucas, out of all of them present?

Then she realized Runawin wasn’t there either. Had she been teleported as well? There was no reasonable way of knowing. What if she’d just slipped off somewhere, quiet as a wolf, and Racleva hadn’t noticed?

So many questions, no answers.

Racleva set her knife back on the table and glanced at Caedon. His eyes were rimmed with tears, though he was trying hard not to let them spill over. He had formed quite a strong bond with Lucas and Runawin, in a rather fast amount of time. A rare trait in a world where the more one gets attached, the more one’s heart breaks apart.

She knew from experience how painful that was, and yet, as she looked at the boy, she couldn’t help but deeply sympathize with him. In that unfamiliar, confusing castle, he must feel so alone. Like she did. And the thought of two people feeling alone when they were right next to each other was ridiculous.

So against her better judgement, for the first time in years, Racleva risked her heart breaking and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. His eyes darted up to hers, and she spoke with reassurance. “Don’t feel sad. This is really hard and confusing for me too, but I think we can figure it out together.”

The words felt odd on her tongue. Being so vulnerable made her feel like she was making a terrible mistake. A strange mist of anxiety and regret rolled through her stomach as she withdrew her hand.

…

@steward-of-the-pen @anne_the_noob14