I've always hated my older sister. Our parents made sure of that.
From the moment I was old enough to understand words, they taught me what Evelyn truly was. A curse. A harbinger. The daughter who nearly killed our mother just by being born.
"Sixteen hours of agony," Mother told me once. "I nearly bled to death bringing her into this world. The healers said it was a miracle I survived at all."
When the witch came with her prophecyโone sister would save the House, one would destroy itโthey already knew which was which. Evelyn had tried to kill Mother before taking her first breath. My birth, two years later, was easy. Quick. Healthy.
More proof of what they already believed.
And now I stand in Father's study, watching my parents tear each other apart over the sister who should have been disposed of years ago.
"This is your fault," Father snarls at Mother. "You coddled her. Let her grow strong enough to actually run."
"My fault?" Mother's laugh cuts sharp as broken glass. "You're the one who insisted we wait. 'She'll break eventually,' you kept saying. 'No need to rush.' Look where your patience got us."
"If you'd let me handle her after the training hall incidentโ"
"You wanted to exile her immediately! I said we needed to be careful, to plan properly!"
"And now she's gone! With Cassandra's egg!"
Their voices crash against each other like waves on rocks. I watch from the doorway, arms crossed, letting them exhaust themselves.
This is what they do. Blame each other.
Circle endlessly while the real problem escapes further from our reach.
"Enough," I say finally. My voice slices through their bickering. "Fighting about the past won't retrieve my egg."
Both turn to face me. Father's jaw clenches tight while Mother smooths her dress with trembling hands.
"Cassandra's right," Mother murmurs. "We need to focus on finding her, not assigning blame."
Father moves to his desk, unrolling a map of our territories. "The scouts have been searching for three days. They found tracks heading east toward the outer settlements."
"East?" I step closer to examine the parchment. "Toward the border passes?"
"The trail goes cold near the eastern reaches." Father traces a line with his finger. "She could be hiding anywhere in the foothills by now."
"Or she crossed into Aeloris," Mother adds quietly.
A chill runs down my spine.
Aeloris is vastโdozens of enemy houses controlling the coastline, each guarding their sea dragons nests with jealous fury.
"She wouldn't dare," I say slowly. "The coastal lords don't take kindly to mountain rogues."
"Desperate people do desperate things." Father's expression darkens. "If she's seeking shelter with one of the lesser housesโฆ"
"What, trading our bloodline's egg for protection?" Mother shakes her head. "Even Evelyn isn't that stupid. Those minor houses would sooner steal the egg and turn her over to us for a reward."
"Unless she found someone foolish enough to believe her lies." I stare at the map, tracing possible routes. "She's always been good at playing the victim."
Father slams his fist on the desk. "Then what do you suggest? We can't march forces into Aeloris without cause. It would start conflicts we can't afford."
"We don't need forces. We need information." I meet his eyes steadily. "Send spies to the minor houses. Merchants, travelers, anyone who won't draw attention."
"All of them? There must be two dozen lesser families scattered along that coast."
"Then we start with the most likely. The houses who desperate enough to shelter a rogue for coin or leverage." My nails dig into my palms. "She's not clever enough to hide for long."
Mother laughs suddenlyโa brittle, humorless sound. "Perhaps she walked straight to the Black Dragon's gates. Threw herself at Draven's mercy."
Father snorts. "She'd be dead before she finished begging. That man executes trespassers for sport. Even Evelyn knows better than to cross into his territory."
"Can you imagine?" Mother's lips twist with dark amusement. "Our pathetic firstborn, stumbling into the most dangerous, ruling house in Aeloris? She'd last perhaps an hour."
They laugh together, and I allow myself a thin smile.
The idea is absurd. Evelyn is many thingsโstubborn, resentful, irritatingly resilientโbut she's not suicidal. She's hiding somewhere in Aeloris's lesser territories. Some insignificant minor house, begging for scraps of protection.
That's exactly where I'll find her.
"There's another matter we should discuss," Mother says, her laughter fading. "The prophecy."
The word sends ice through my veins.
We've spoken of it in whispers before. Never like this.
"The witch told us when you were young," Father continues grimly. "On the day of the bonding ceremony, the stronger sister must kill the weaker. Only then can the House be saved from destruction."
"I remember." My voice stays steady despite my racing heart. "You've been preparing me for this my entire life."
"We thought there would be more time." Mother wrings her hands. "We thought she'd stay broken. Controllable. After what she did to you in the training hallโฆ"
"It still aches before the rain," I murmur, touching my shoulder that is perfectly fine.
The lie comes easily after all these years.
"That attack proved everything we feared about her." Father's voice hardens with genuine conviction. "The violence in her blood finally surfaced. We should have acted then."
"Instead she ran." Mother's face twists with disgust. "With your dragon egg. The coward couldn't even face her fate with dignity."
I watch my parents' righteous anger and feel something cold settle in my chest.
They truly believe Evelyn attacked me that day. They've never questioned it, never doubted.
The training hall was my finest performance. I threw the stone, then screamed loud enough to bring them running. Fell to the floor clutching my shoulder before they burst through the door.
Poor, confused Evelyn never stood a chance against my tears.
But my parents don't know that. To them, Evelyn is exactly what I've spent years convincing them she isโdangerous, unstable, unworthy. A threat.
"I'll handle her myself," I say. "When we find her, and we will, I'll fulfill the prophecy personally."
"Cassandraโฆ" Mother starts.
"No." I raise my hand. "You've both spent years managing this situation. Waiting. Hoping she'd fade into nothing useful. That approach failed."
I move to the window, staring toward the eastern mountains.
"I know my sister better than anyone. Her weaknesses. Her desperate need to belong." My lips curve into something sharp. "She'll make a mistake. She always does."
"What do you need from us?" Father asks.
"Gold for the spies. Authority to coordinate the search through Aeloris's minor houses." I turn back to face them. "Give me those things, and I'll bring her back in chains."
Father studies me for a long moment, then nods. "Very well. Don't disappoint us."
"I never have." I stride toward the door. "I want Kael leading the search parties. He knows her habits. Her hiding places."
"Done," Father dismisses with a wave.
I leave without another word. In the corridor, I allow myself one moment of pure, crystalline hatred. My weak, pitiful older sister actually dared to defy me. To steal what was mine.
She's probably cowering in some minor lord's cellar right now, clutching my egg and praying we never find her.
She should pray harder.
Because when I find her I'll make her watch while I take back everything. Then I'll fulfill the prophecy with my own hands.
