I’d felt more comfortable stabbing myself than I did right now.

  Some part of it was where I was going. An auction- of sorts. A few noble families attended. Many rich merchants, too. They would bid on rare items, magical implements, and who knew what else.

  Some part of it was who I was going with: my Father, Damian, and Anias. Sere had been left at the manor under Lana’s care. Damian and Anias, I naturally didn’t mind. My father, however, did make me a little uncomfortable. I had been deliberate in keeping our interactions minimal. No doubt he’d noticed that. He had respected it. This was the first time we were to be together for an extended period of time.

  In other words, it was the first time there was a real chance he might find me out.

  Still, even that wasn’t the main issue. The main issue was how we were getting there. I was hundreds of feet in the sky, floating over the city itself. I was on a Sky Circle. It was a stone circle, two dozen feet across. A metal railing lined its edges, those railings being taller than me. I felt sick, even standing near the center.

  It had been just fine when we’d been on the ground. Then the thing had moved. It had wobbled as it initially lifted.

  I had no experience with motion sickness, neither in this life nor the last. It turns out, I was very vulnerable.

  Apparently, now that I was moving, my father had thought this a good way for me to interact with some of the nobility before my formal debut.

  “My Lady, everyone’s first time is a little difficult.” Anias had helpfully said.

  Damian had been less helpful. “Esra, you still get sick from these? I haven’t been sick on a Sky Circle since I learned how to walk.”

  My father had at least been concerned. “Dear, we can head back if it’s too much.” The genuine concern on his face had just made the feeling worse.

  The worst part? Since I could feel the nausea so clearly, I could feel how simple it would be to reach out with my Gift and just turn it off. All I’d have to do is

  Except everyone had seen me not able to handle this. Had seen my face pale, seen me fall down to my knees.

  What would they think if I suddenly rose, feeling remarkably better?

  It was an inconsistency, and those added up quickly. When they did, people had questions. Perhaps I could have covered it up with good acting, but I didn’t trust myself there that much.

  And so I simply had to suffer it as we rose into the sky.

  “We should be there soon,” Anias said beside me. She put a hand on my shoulder. “It does get easier over time.”

  “Does it?” I shook my head. “Hard to believe this is even real. My mind keeps telling me we should go hurtling towards the ground any second now.”

  My father let out a throaty laugh. “That would only happen if the people powering this device were to have something inconvenient happen to them while we’re up here. That is unlikely.”

  Unlikely and impossible are two different things. The queasiness settled in stronger this time. “And how many of these people are there? I don’t suppose they have an army of guards protecting them.”

  “Normally three,” Anias smirked. “All of them are powerful Gift users besides. And yes, before you ask, they are guarded.”

  The city moved below us now. The overwhelming architecture looked miniature from all the way up here. I might have been able to make out people with my Gift, but right now, they hardly even looked like ants.

  “You know, Esra, it’s bad form to vomit on a Sky Circle,” Damian said cheerfully. “The guards are very displeased.”

  I shot him a look. “And are you speaking of that from experience?”

  That got a small chuckle out of my father, a grin from Anias, and an exasperated sigh from Damian. The first reaction was the one I had been looking for.

  My father patted my shoulder. “We’re here, Esra.”

  The Sky Circle was slowly starting to descend. I took a few careful steps towards one of the edges to get a better look. My stomach predictably jumped, and I did my best to ignore it.

  The Veyne and Indri Districts had already been fairly distinct, but they had felt like they’d belonged in the same city. The Greenward District didn’t.

  The difference was most apparent in the architecture itself. Most of the buildings had square bases, rising into the air where they opened into much larger roofs. From here, I could see that all of those roofs were gardens. Many other buildings had glass roofs. We drew close, allowing me to see through them clearly. They looked like they were focusing the light inside, where yet more plants grew.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The closer we got, the more I realized that just about every building had a stepped design, with plants growing just about everywhere.

  There was a reason the Greenward District was also called the Agriculture District.

  “Aren’t there animals?”

  “They’re kept underground,” Anias informed me. “You should be thankful, My Lady. The smell is rather unpleasant.”

  My queasiness eased the closer we drew to the ground. Our Sky Circle aimed for a raised metallic platform along the ground. The platform hummed a blue glow that slowly faded as we landed. The railings sank into the stone itself, and then we could get off.

  “Phew.” I sighed deeply, jumping once just to be sure. No wobble. Thank God.

  “Come. They should be starting soon.” My father led the way down the only ramp.

  Eight men stood there, dressed in the greens of the city guard. They hastily stepped aside when they saw my father, paying no heed to the rest of us.

  Plenty of people just stared. Unlike in the Indri District, people here seemed much more inclined to gawk at us. I also noticed these people seemed rather well off, judging from their clothes. Everyone I could see was a human, save for the occasional Dwarf that was easy to make out.

  “It’s right here.” My father gestured.

  He needn’t have bothered. The giant hall in front of me stood out like a sore thumb, even here. A small line of guards stood outside its large doors, beckoning in people covered in fine dresses, jewelry, and attended by maids.

  Just about every guard I saw was one of the Karr. They towered over everyone around them and seemed to default to rather surly-looking expressions.

  My father led the way to the great hall. There was a queue of people just outside the entrance. Duke Adrian moved right past them. We followed.

  “Don’t you see how long we’ve all been waiting? Have some class.” Someone growled out. “You new blood just think you can do whatever simply because you came into a little wealth.” The words came from a short, portly-looking man near the front of the line.

  He was dressed in fine-looking wools and furs. At a glance, they looked quite a bit more expensive than the cloak my father was wearing. I was the most ‘well-dressed’ of all of us, and this man even made me feel underdressed.

  I inwardly said a silent prayer for the poor fool.

  My father turned to regard the man. He took a small step back.

  “They won’t start until we are allowed in,” Duke Adrian said smoothly. “Hence, it would be no benefit to you to make us wait. You will just end up waiting longer yourself.” He paused. “You’re not from Aelheim, are you?”

  If the overdressed man had been anyone sane, that would have been the end of it. He was not.

  “Y-you? Who the hell do you think you are?! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been standing here! Is this how they treat people in the central provinces?!” He moved forward, reaching out past the line.

  His hand stopped just a few inches shy of my Father’s coat. A purple aura surrounded him, holding his arm in place.

  “You-what- what the hell-”

  “Anias, that is quite all right.” My father sighed.

  The purple glow faded. The man stumbled forward, almost falling over.

  “You- don’t think you can just-”

  “Well, there they come,” Damian whispered into my ear.

  I saw who he meant. One of the Karr was heading right towards her. Duke Adrian was a large, imposing man. Anias was a large, imposing woman. Both of them suddenly looked very reasonably sized.

  “Happening…here?” The Karr growled. His voice was hoarse, as if he wasn’t used to speaking at all. No wonder that. The Karr talked to each other telepathically.

  “This man-” The rotund man all but spat. “Thinks he is better than us, properly working folk who follow the rules. He thinks he can just waltz right on through!”

  The Karr’s features were alien. Nothing about his face shifted. Yet, I still got the odd expression that he was annoyed. It was a slight tightening of the eyes, I think.

  He turned towards my father. “Truth. Cutting line?”

  My father held out his right hand. The Karr inspected it, stepped back, and lightly dipped his head. He had likely shown the guard his signet, his proof of who he was.

  “Please. Move.”

  Duke Adrian turned back towards the round man whose face had gone from being beet red to pale all in the manner of a few heartbeats.

  “What is your name?”

  “It’s-it’s Neaum M-My Lord I didn't-”

  “I will remember that, Neaum. A word of caution: not everyone in the Kingdom’s center feels the need to . Come, Esra.”

  Nobody bothered us after that.

  “My Lord, please do make yourself at ease.” Our attendant said. He’d found us the second we had made it inside the building. “I do hope you’ll excuse us. You didn’t let us know you were coming on this day.”

  “It’s quite all right.” My father. “It was a rather last-minute decision.”

  We were in a cordoned-off section, facing a large room practically packed with quickly filling seats. Our seats overlooked the entire room from the back. Apparently, this was special glass, one that let us see right through, while obstructing us from anyone looking in. It was, quite literally, the best seat in the house.

  There seemed to be two distinct here. Now that I had realized it, it was hard not to see. Two large cliques of people eyeing each other from opposite sides of the room, with hardly any interaction at all between them. Occasionally, a man from the left group would try to move over to the right group, only to quickly move away when he was ignored.

  Nobody from the right group ever moved towards the left.

  These were the nobles and the merchants. I suppose this auction was one of the rare places where both groups would be present at the same time.

  “How childish,” I murmured to myself.

  “Please, if you or the Lady need anything, do let me know.” The man bowed, exited through the single door.

  Then, we were alone.

  Damian stepped in next to me, looking out the glass. “It’s my first time at this kind of place too.” He murmured. “I wonder why Duke Veyne came.”

  “To help ‘reintegrate’ me into noble society,” I murmured back.

  Damian shook his head. “There are plenty of other events for that. House Veyne has been very vocal about how they don’t like this kind of affair.”

  I looked at him before looking back at the crowd. “That must mean he really wants something here then.”

  “You both should get seated.” Duke Adrian called out, already seated. “The auction should begin soon. I’m surprised it didn’t begin already.”

  Anias dutifully stood off to one side, a few feet away. The distance seemed deliberate.

  I steeled myself and then sat next to my father. Somehow, I had to strike a balance between being afraid and brave at the same time. Damian sat next to me easily. The door opened. All three of us turned our heads. These seats were supposed to be very exclusive.

  A girl stepped in. Green eyes. That was the first thing I noticed. People said my eyes were unsettling; hers were simply striking. Long, long black hair and a heart-shaped face, and wearing a flowing green dress encrusted with gems of practically every color. Even the blind could tell she was nobility.

  The girl looked at us. Turned.

  “Father! They’re just letting anyone in here now!”

  ?─??????─?

  Life isn’t some kind of grand destiny.

  It’s just a collection of decisions shaped by the moments that happen around us.

  Of Moon and Magic follows a silver-haired girl. Her mana was weak, but that never dulled her hunger for magic.

  We follow her steps. We weigh her choices. We sit with her loneliness. In a world where magic is everything, war is constant, and morality is little more than a neglected guideline.

  Will she become just another cog in the machine?

  Or will she be the one to end it all?

  Only one way to find out.

  Point of Interest:

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  ?─??????─?