Heir of Nothing (The Light-Bringer Trilogy, # 1)

Two

Cal didn't like the noise of Valon. She knew what the people secretly whispered when they saw her.

Heir of Nothing.

A fitting title for a Pyro who couldn't wield so much as a spark.

Cal fought the urge to clap her hands over her ears.

Matias looked over at her. "Come one. Once we get inside, you'll be fine."

Matias led Cal to Roman Novels, Cal keeping her head down. A bell rang as Matias opened the door for her. She raised her head as she entered the bookstore.

Their parents brought them to the store often before her mother's... accident.

Marilyn Pyro collapsed—unconscious. The five-year-old princess stumbled and fell, an inhuman weight pressing down on her shoulders.

"Marilyn!" Miles shouted, running towards the fallen monarch.

She couldn't move. The weight kept her pinned to the ground.

Matias took her hand in his. "We'll be okay," he told her. "We can leave whenever you want."

Cal was about to respond, but was cut off by Malary Roman.

"Your Highness, Captain," the shop owner said respectfully. "What can I do for you?"

"Good to see you, Ms. Roman," said Matias. "We're just browsing today."

"Of course! If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Cal wandered aimlessly, the shelves alien to her. They hadn't been back in over a decade.

A portrait on the wall drew her eye. It was of an elderly woman, her eyes kind. The plaque below it read:

Gladys Roman.

Our foundation of reading. Beloved mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, and shop owner.

"Malary, who is this?" she asked.

Malary joined Calista at her side. "My grandmother, Gladys Roman."

Matias joined them, looking at the portrait of Gladys Roman. "What happened to her?"

Malary's voice cracked. "She was killed twenty-four years ago."

Her heart dropped.

"By who?" asked Matias.

Malary looked at Matias, her eyes cold and empty. "Your father, Captain Miles Gomez of the Witch-Hunters—now known as Lord Miles Gomez, Hand of the Queen."