The courtyard was still glowing. Lanterns still hung, fireflies adorned the sky, and soft music still filled the air. As if the world hadn't shattered.

That one word-Necromancer-burning through the air. Then the werewolves, and Vaxel, running for life. She had called out to him. He didn't hear her. Or perhaps he had, and kept running anyway. She picked up a piece of the Shard that had broken, clenching it in her hand, hard enough to draw blood. The cut didn’t hurt. Not as much as the silence.

No one looked at her. No one spoke to her. The nobles whispered, dancing around her like moths at a flame.

"They were always strange, those two."

"Perhaps it runs in the family."

Estrelia turned away. She didn’t want to see the castle. The banners. The stage where her brother had stood like a lamb before slaughter.

Her hands shook. The shard pulsed faintly. And in that pulsing, she saw it again.

Vaxel's face.

His eyes wide, not with power, but terror. He hadn’t chosen this. He hadn’t wanted it. And yet they had hunted him like an animal. She bolted towards the castle, determined to find her brother. She barely made it a few steps in before guards stopped her.

"You are to be detained and put into custody, by order of lord Rivener. Do not resist."

Estrelia spat on their shoes, but followed the command. She needed to get to the bottom of this. What were the Riveners hiding?

The Room was less grand than she would have imagined for a trial. It looked like it was once a chapel, now emptied of saints, replaced with shadows, dust, and corruption. Lord Rivener sat at the far end, the torchlight half-masking his face. His sons stood around him, their expressions as blank as statues. The townsfolk filled benches placed on either side of the room. She didn't see her father or mother in the crowd.

"Estrelia Soridor." Lord Rivener began, his voice both velvet and venom. "Daughter of Ravic and Loria. Sister to the accused."

He continued, "We grieve what has happened tonight. A tragedy, truly. Yet, when the Shard breaks, and death walks the Earth once more, we must ask questions. I present unto you, the ritual that we shall use to test your soul." A servant walked out from behind the dais, carrying a silver bowl full of water. "This is water blessed by the court of Moon and Ash, sanctified to such a level that it boils at the mere presence of corruption."

Estrelia hesitated. Corrupted? What did that even mean?

"Come now," Lord Rivener said, "It's harmless ... unless you bear the mark of corruption."

Estrelia took a breath, then plunged her hands into the bowl. Instantly, a plume of steam rose from it, clouding her vision. Recognizing a distraction when she saw one, she ran for the exit, only to be blocked by the guards. Instantly, faster than should be possible, Lord Rivener was by her side, her shoulder aching in his grip. And she didn't feel fingers-she felt claws.

"Now, now, no need to run." He said loudly, for the crowds benefit. then he leaned in to whisper into her ear. "I would kill you, but you might still serve a purpose. Let us test your loyalty under the Moon's influence, shall we? His claw bit into her shoulder. Estrelia screamed out in pain, then the lights dimmed around her, until there was nothing.