Aelindra's POV
I woke up in chains.
Cold iron bit into my wrists, glowing with runes that made my storm-magic feel like it was being smothered. My head pounded from whatever they'd drugged me with, and my mouth tasted like metal and fear.
The Storm Council chamber towered above me, all dark stone and crackling lightning. Seven Council members sat on their thrones like judges deciding whether I deserved to live or die. At the center, High Councilor Moraveth watched me with eyes that held no warmth, no mercy.
I'd been in this room before, receiving awards for my magical studies. Being praised for my family's contributions to Stormhaven.
Now I knelt before them like a criminal.
"Lady Aelindra Stormwrought," Moraveth's voice echoed through the chamber. "You stand accused of storm theft—the highest crime in our realm. How do you plead?"
"Innocent." My voice came out stronger than I felt. "I'm innocent. I've never stolen anything from the Vaults. Someone is framing me!"
"Framing you?" Moraveth's eyebrow raised. "Commander Thystra, present your evidence."
Thystra stepped forward, her armor still crackling with stored lightning. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere else, but her voice was firm and cold. "We found seventeen vials of stolen storm essence hidden in Lady Aelindra's private chambers, behind a false panel in her wardrobe. Each vial bears the seal of the Tempest Vaults."
She set the vials on a table—glass containers filled with swirling, glowing mist that pulsed like tiny storms trapped in bottles.
I'd never seen them before in my life.
"Those aren't mine!" I struggled against my chains. "I don't know how they got there, but I didn't put them there!"
"Your magical signature says otherwise." Thystra pulled out another crystal, this one showing a recording of the Vault's entrance. A figure that looked exactly like me approached the sealed doors, placed her hand on the lock, and whispered words that made the ancient seals crack open.
The recording showed me stealing from the Vaults.
Except I'd never been there. Never done that. Never even thought about breaking the most sacred law in Stormhaven.
"That's not me," I whispered, staring at the impossible image. "It looks like me, but it's not—"
"Are you claiming someone disguised themselves as you?" Moraveth leaned forward, and something in his expression made my skin crawl. Like he was enjoying this. "Used forbidden transformation magic to copy your appearance and your unique magical signature perfectly?"
When he said it like that, it sounded insane.
But it was the truth.
"Yes," I said firmly. "That's exactly what I'm claiming. Someone wanted me destroyed, so they made it look like I committed a crime I would never—"
"Who would want to destroy you, Lady Aelindra?" Moraveth's voice was soft, dangerous. "You're beloved by the nobles. Engaged to Lord Cassiel. Your father is one of our most respected Storm Chosen families. Who could possibly benefit from your downfall?"
I opened my mouth to answer, then stopped.
Who would benefit?
The thought that had been trying to surface since last night finally broke through. Seraphine would get everything I had—my title, my status, maybe even Cassiel. And Cassiel... what did he gain?
"I need to speak with my fiancé," I said desperately. "Cassiel will tell you I'm innocent. He knows me better than anyone—"
"Lord Cassiel is here," Moraveth gestured, and my heart leaped with hope.
Cassiel entered through the side doors, dressed in formal Council robes. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept. Good. Maybe he'd been up all night trying to prove my innocence.
"Cassiel!" I nearly sobbed with relief. "Tell them. Tell them I would never do this!"
He walked to the witness stand without looking at me.
That should have been my first warning.
"Lord Cassiel," Moraveth said gently. "You've been engaged to Lady Aelindra for six months. In that time, have you noticed any unusual behavior?"
Please say no. Please defend me. Please—
"Yes," Cassiel said quietly.
The word hit me like a physical blow.
"She's been different lately," he continued, and each word felt like a knife. "Obsessed with power. Constantly comparing herself to other Storm Chosen, saying she deserved more recognition. More authority."
"I never said that!" I shouted. "Cassiel, what are you doing?"
He finally looked at me, and his eyes were empty. Like I was a stranger. "I thought it was just stress from wedding planning. But now..." He shook his head sadly. "I should have seen the signs."
"What signs? There were no signs because I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
"Did Lady Aelindra ever express interest in the Tempest Vaults?" Moraveth asked.
"Yes." Cassiel's answer came without hesitation. "Three weeks ago, she asked me about the security systems. How the seals worked. Whether it was true that only Council members could access them."
That was a lie. A complete, horrible lie.
"Why are you doing this?" My voice broke. "I love you. We're supposed to get married. Why are you lying?"
For just a second—so brief I almost missed it—guilt flashed across his face.
Then it was gone, replaced by cold determination.
"I'm not lying," he said. "I'm telling the truth. And it's breaking my heart."
He left without another word.
I stared at the door he'd disappeared through, my mind refusing to accept what had just happened. This was Cassiel. My Cassiel. The man who'd brought me flowers every week. Who'd held me when my mother died. Who'd promised to love me forever.
He'd just destroyed me with lies.
"We have one more witness," Moraveth announced. "Lady Seraphine Stormwrought."
No.
Please, not her too.
But my sister walked in, her face red and swollen from crying. She looked so small, so broken, that several Council members made sympathetic sounds.
"I'm sorry," Seraphine sobbed before anyone even asked her a question. "I'm so sorry, but I have to tell the truth. I saw her."
"Sera, please—" I begged.
"Two weeks ago," she continued through tears. "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk. I saw Lyn sneaking through the corridors near the Vaults. She was muttering to herself, saying things like 'I deserve more' and 'they'll see what I'm capable of.'"
"THAT'S A LIE!" I screamed. "Sera, I never said those things! Why are you doing this to me?"
She turned to look at me, and her tears looked so real. So genuine. If I didn't know better, I'd believe them myself.
"I tried to talk to you about it," she whispered. "But you got angry. You told me to mind my own business or I'd regret it."
I never threatened her. I never went near the Vaults. I never said any of those things.
But everyone believed her.
Sweet, gentle Seraphine, who everyone loved. Who everyone thought was so honest and pure.
The perfect liar.
"When I found the storm essence in your room yesterday," Seraphine continued, "I knew I had to tell someone. Even though you're my sister. Even though I love you. I couldn't let you hurt innocent people."
She was good. She was so good that even I almost believed her for a second.
That's when I finally understood.
This wasn't spontaneous. This wasn't a mistake or a misunderstanding.
They'd planned this. Every piece of evidence. Every witness. Every lie.
Cassiel and Seraphine had worked together to destroy me.
"The evidence is clear," Moraveth declared. "Aelindra Stormwrought, formerly of House Stormwrought, you are guilty of storm theft. Your family name is stripped. Your Storm Chosen status is revoked. And you are sentenced to exile in the Lower Drifts."
The Lower Drifts. Where criminals and the powerless struggled to survive. Where people died in the storms because they had no magic to protect them.
They were sending me there to die.
"Father!" I turned desperately to where my father sat among the Council members. "Please! You raised me! You know I couldn't do this!"
Lord Aldric Stormwrought stood slowly. His face was hard as stone, but I saw his hands shaking.
"You are no daughter of mine," he said, and his voice didn't shake at all. "Take her away."
The guards dragged me from the chamber as I screamed my innocence. No one listened. No one cared.
As they pulled me through the doors, I looked back one last time.
Seraphine stood next to where Cassiel had reentered the room. Their eyes met across the chamber.
And they smiled at each other.
Not the sad smiles of people watching a loved one fall. Not the guilty smiles of people forced to tell hard truths.
They smiled like people who'd won a game.
Like people who'd gotten exactly what they wanted.
In that moment, I stopped screaming. I stopped struggling.
And I started planning.
They thought they'd destroyed me. They thought I'd die quietly in the Lower Drifts, forgotten and broken.
They were wrong.
I would survive. I would get stronger.
And I would make them pay for every lie, every betrayal, every moment of this nightmare.
The guards marched me toward the edge of the Apex Citadel, toward the drop that would send me falling into exile.
But as we walked, something strange happened.
The storm-suppressing chains around my wrists sparked. Flickered.
And for just a second, I felt something stir deep in my chest.
Something old. Something powerful. Something that had been sleeping inside me my entire life.
Something that whispered: They made a mistake letting you live.