My parents were coming here. To the Capital.
That is the real catastrophe.
You see, there were many dangerous things in this world.
The Lorillis Desert, with its sandstorms capable of scraping flesh from bone and its aura beasts that considered armored caravans a crunchy pastime.
Jinns, whose sense of consent apparently got dissolved when they decided to acquire unwilling siblings.
The imperial palace, with its polished halls, smiling vipers, hidden vaults, suspicious relics, and a Crown Prince who somehow became more interesting after I failed to poison him.
Charitable institutions with holier-than-thou names and locked basements.
Then there were temples smelling of expensive incense and concealed doors.
And then there was my mother, who was a whole category of danger all on her own.
"Your face has the look of someone who has been sentenced to marriage," Abi said, still laughing.
I slowly folded the letters. Very slowly.
