[Bonus chapter]One: Black Cloud

Tiny pieces of gray ash fluttered out of site, carried off Kel's palm by the wind.

When the small cinder pile had all been blown away, she sighed, resting her elbows on the window sill.

Should she pretend she never read the note?

With the paper marred beyond recognition and scattered, nobody would ever know of the words that had once existed inside the folded piece of parchment.

Nobody except her.

Despite how she tried to push them out of her mind, they stayed there, stuck permanently behind her eyes.

'My lovely Keliyah,

It was selfish of me to never give you a chance to decide your own destiny.

In pursuit of my own goals, I've hidden many things from you about yourself, your powers and, most importantly, your family.

As I've grown older, I've come to realize that my choices may have been too rash.

Seek me out on the winter solstice if you want to find your answers.