Chapter 2 Banished to the Billows

Sisily’s pov

I stood in the center of the grand drawing room, the stink of burnt hair and ash still clinging to my dress.

My father didn't even turn around when the double doors clicked shut behind me. He stood by the arched window, pouring two fingers of amber liquor into a crystal glass. Every line of his back was stiff, sharp, and cold.

"You brought shame to the Vladimir name," he said. His voice wasn't loud. "Four years of tuition. Four years of political favors to secure your placement. And you blew up the examiner’s desk like a wild feral beast."

"It was an accident," I snapped, my heart thumping against my ribs. "The magic snapped. If you actually listened to me for once, you'd know those stupid textbook formulas don't work for…"

"Silence."

The word came from the velvet armchair near the fireplace. My mother, High Lady Vespera Vladimir, didn't even look up from her embroidery. Her silver needle moved with terrifying precision.

"Your mouth is as crude as your spellwork, Sisily," she said, her voice dripping with pure disgust. "Your father and I have discussed your future. You are a defect in our bloodline. A rotten branch on an ancient tree."

I clenched my fists, my raw, cut palms stinging like hell. "A defect? I am your daughter!"

"You were an investment," Mother replied coldly, finally lifting her pale eyes to mine. "An investment that has yielded nothing but public embarrassment. We will not allow your presence in the Capital to ruin your brother's upcoming Council nomination."

Father turned around, taking a slow sip from his glass. "Your trunks are already packed. You leave for The Billows within the hour."

My blood ran cold. "The Billows? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Watch your tongue," Father warned, his eyes narrowing into two icy slits.

"The Billows is a garbage dump!" I yelled, taking a step forward. The fog down in that border district was so thick you could choke on it. It was full of thieves, illegal black-market markets, and rumors of a rogue black dragon sleeping in the crags that slaughtered anyone who wandered too far. "It's a death sentence! You're throwing me into the gutter!"

"You belong in the gutter," Mother said smoothly, running her finger over her silk thread. "Your Aunt Maeve runs a dusty little bookshop down there. You will stay with her, live quietly, and never step foot inside the Capital again."

"No," I said, my jaw tightening until it clicked. "Fuck that. Fuck this house, and fuck both of you. I'm twenty-three. I'm leaving, but I'm not going to some foggy swamp to rot. I'll take my chances in the Outer Cities."

I turned on my heel and made a run for the grand doors.

"I didn't give you permission to leave, Sisily," Father's voice echoed behind me.

Before my hand could touch the brass door handle, a sudden, blinding heat slammed into the back of my neck. I screamed as invisible iron bands wrapped around my arms, pinning them flat against my sides. The force of his magic shoved me backward, slamming me hard onto my knees in front of his polished boots.

"Let me go!" I thrashed, but his High Warlock aura pressed down on my chest like a ton of bricks, suffocating me. "Let me fucking go, you monster!"

Father didn't answer. He reached into his dark coat and pulled out a long silver rod tipped with a glowing crimson rune.

The Sigil of the Leash.

My eyes went wide with pure terror. "No... Father, please! Not that!"

"You lack discipline," he said flatly, grabbing my chin with one gloved hand and squeezing until my teeth bruised my inner lip. He forced my head back, exposing the bare skin of my throat and collarbone. "Since you refuse to obey like a daughter, you will be restrained like a dog."

"Mother! Help me!" I sobbed, struggling against the weight of his spell.

Mother didn't even pause her needlework. She just took a slow, calm breath. "Be quiet, child. You brought this upon yourself."

Father pressed the silver rod straight onto my left collarbone.

A horrific sizzle filled the air, followed by the smell of my own burning skin.

"AAAAAAAH!"

A white-hot spike of agony tore through my body. It felt like someone was pouring molten lead directly into my bone, spreading outwards through my veins like poison. My vision went completely white. I screamed until my throat tore, my legs kicking wildly against the hardwood floor.

"This sigil binds your soul to the borders of The Billows," Father said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion as he lifted the smoking iron away. "If you try to leave the district, if you step even one yard past the border lines, the spell will burn your heart from the inside out."

He released his grip on my jaw, and I collapsed onto my side, clutching my chest as violent sobs wracked my body.

The skin above my collarbone was charred, pulsing with a red mark shaped like a barbed chain. Every small movement made the burn flare with heat.

"The carriage is waiting," Father said, stepping over me as if I were a pile of dirty rags. He walked back to his desk and picked up his quill. "Get her out of my sight."

Two guards grabbed me under my arms and dragged me out of the room. My boots dragged uselessly against the marble floor, leaving faint blood streaks from my scraped palms.

They hauled me down the grand front steps and shoved me into the back of a dark, iron carriage. The wooden door slammed shut, and the brass lock clicked from the outside.

The carriage lurched forward, the wheels grinding against the cobblestones as we pulled away from the estate.

I slumped against the leather seat, panting heavily, my chest heaving as tears rolled down my face. I pulled my knees up to my chest and pressed my hand over the glowing red mark.

I looked out the small window as the grand gates of the Vladimir estate faded into the rain and darkness. My teeth ground together.

"Enjoy it while you can," I whispered into the dark, my voice raw and bleeding. "Enjoy every fucking second of it. Because I will find a way to break this spell... and I am going to burn your world to the ground."