Zora had hid herself behind the elegant and large velvet curtain at the end of the room. This spot was both not too close, but not too far either. A perfect range for her to stay both hidden and to complete her task. Her heart was racing with many emotions– fear, hope, anxiety, and something else she couldn’t quite decipher. She was pulled out of her thoughts as soon as she heard the footsteps approaching closer and closer. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down and prepared for the task at hand. She would wait until the Umbral princes and king had settled down and started indulging in food and conversation.

  Zora heard her father’s voice boom across the room. "Welcome, king and princes of Umbral," her father said. His voice had a quiver of something– was it fear? Zora gulped, wondering how someone as powerful and ruthless as her father could fear another kingdom. Even amidst Velar’s decline, he always maintained his air of authority and power. She heard another voice cut in to answer her father– "The honor is ours, King of Velar." The very sentence sent chills down her spine. This voice, whomever it belonged to, was cold and authoritative.

  After a short period of formalities and greetings, the royalty of Umbral and Zora’s own family were making small talk and indulging in food. She decided to make her move. Zora reached out her mind, drowning out the multitude of voices and trying to pinpoint her focus on just one. She thought about the prince with the alluding grey eyes, and had a burning curiosity to scavenge his mind first. Cole. So he was the prince she caught a glimpse of earlier today. The second she got a hold on his mind, Zora barely heard a single thought before she was shut out. Her eyes widened in shock. Did she lose focus? She tried again, but entering his mind was like trying to break a barrier of steel. Fear invaded her thoughts as she realized that he sensed her. He sensed someone pondering in his head and shut them out. Shut her out. Zora panicked as she wondered what she would do now.

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  Surely, the kingdom of Umbral would show no mercy. She waited for Cole to speak, but he was deathly silent. Shoot. Perhaps he was getting ready to confront her father– and punish Velar for messing with him. But to her surprise, he jumped back into his previous conversation, as if nothing happened. A flood of relief washed through Zora. Maybe he didn’t notice her. Maybe her powers were just weak in comparison to his, which is why she couldn’t break through. Thoughts raced through her mind as she sighed and sat staring at the curtain, trying to push the image of those perfectly grey eyes out of her mind. She instead shifted her focus away from Cole, toward the quieter prince beside him. Kael. Instantly, she regretted it. His mind wasn’t a mind at all—it was a void. Cold, endless, consuming. Her thoughts didn’t echo there. They vanished.

  Zora yanked herself back with a silent gasp, sweat forming on her skin.

  What were these brothers?