She'd committed no crimes. She remembered now that she'd been cast out with very little explanation of why it was needed, just that it was necessary for her to be gone, and like a child she'd blindly believed in them, blindly trusted that the adults were telling the truth because of course they always tell the truth. But it was a lie. It was a lie, it had always been a lie, and now here she was at the end of the line with nothing better for her future in sight.
The fiery projection burned out, and the leafs her memories had been stored on turned to dust. She didn't need them anymore, every memory was now burned inside of her brain like it had never even left- even the snippets that hadn't been projected were seared into her memories once again.
She looked at the others. Their mouths were open, agape in shock. She couldn't really blame them. She felt bulldozed as well. Everything she had spent the majority of her life believing was a lie. Everything she remembered, she now realized, was a lie as well. She had become a character in a tragedy, unloved and with no direction.
She closed her eyes and ran out of the clearing, tears blurring her vision so she stumbled on little roots and grass clumps, but still she kept going. She couldn't face herself yet, and she certainly couldn't face all the friends standing there for her, least of all because she'd met them so recently and they had only her escape to connect them as "friends", and little else.
It was a terrible thing to realize that with her entire life a lie, everything she knew- everyone she knew- might as well be a lie now.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Character Glossary
This glossary contains the named characters of this book
Vovin:
The true name of the King. He is a dragon who rules all of the Shadeworld. He has two sons, Aeron and Richard. He takes the hands off parenting approach and lets his sons battle each other rather than intervene and unify his court.
Aeron:
Crown prince of the Shadeworld. Teen dragon who can take the form of a dragon, giant, or human. He infiltrated Tybolt Hall in order to facilitate a connection with Alyss, his childhood friend. His spells take the form of colorful fires.
Richard:
The second son of the king, he chafes at having less power than his brother. His people have been stirring against his brother, and he definitely approves. One can't really know which palace officials are his men, or his brother's.
Alyss:
Suffering from amnesia, she once lived in the Shadeworld but has no memories of her time there aside from scattered dreams. She grew up in Florida and suffered from poor health there, she moved to Wisconsin and her health improved. She does not like Aeron from meeting him at the school. Her full name is Alyssandra.
Darien:
Alyss's adoptive brother. He appeared in her life under mysterious circumstances, but she embraces her new sibling relationship with him wholeheartedly, and the affection has worn off on him in turn. He is secretly a member of the Domed City.
Jackie:
A nymph that works as Aeron's underling, her primary concern is first and foremost her sister Priscilla's welfare. This causes her to have divided loyalties between Aeron and Richard.
Dürin:
Contracted to Priscilla. A little bit of a grump but a softie to children.
Wengyar:
A spirit dog that acts as Aeron's pet. It lives in the spirit realm, but Aeron can still summon it.
Taiya:
Leader of the Alchemists. A member of the First Five, one of the founders of their group. Faint freckles, grey almond shaped eyes, thick brown wavy hair, dimples, prone to smiling and cheerfulness.
Cillean:
The former king of all vampires in the Shadeworld before the dragons rose to power, and his subjects still defer to him as if he still ruled them. He is loyal to the positions of the king and to the crown prince, rather than being specifically loyal to the individuals themselves, but some suspect he is starting to grow a little fond of Aeron.
Daerick:
Cillean's right hand man, seneschal and organizer of his household and duties as well as his personal guard and traveling companion. He speaks formally but has a playful personality.
Alabastor Fyojhan:
General of the Blue Crows, Aeron's personal guard
Priscilla:
Jackie's little sister who is also a nymph. She is still a flighty child, but has some depths of wisdom from her calm personality.
Hawthorne:
A Daemon who works for Aeron and is sent on personal errands for the prince. They are both fond of each other. He has a twin named Rowena. Like all daemons his power allows him to wield fire.
Rowena:
Her twin is Hawthorne. She also works for Aeron. Though both twins sometimes get in trouble for their playful antics that unfortunately usually involve literally playing with fire, Rowena is a little less likely to cause trouble. Her powers are different from a dragon's, but there is enough similarity that both species tend to get along well.
Brietsch:
The head of the Domed City and all the Wizards
