Chapter 154: [154] The Flame That Blinds
Naomi Phillips stared at the ornate ceiling of her quarters and wondered how a cage could be so beautifully decorated.
The room was luxurious by any reasonable standard. Silk hangings in warm amber and gold covered walls of polished volcanic stone. A writing desk of dark wood held crystal inkwells and fine parchment. The bed was large enough for three people, covered in furs that probably cost more than most people earned in a year.
It was also a prison.
"For your own safety," the temple guards had said when they’d escorted her here after Ashley’s treatment. "The city can be dangerous for strangers, especially those traveling with the famous Thornslayer."
The door was unlocked, technically. But when Naomi had tried to leave earlier, she’d found two guards stationed in the hallway, their polite smiles as immovable as their crystal-tipped spears.
She rolled off the bed and moved to the window, pressing her palms against the warm glass. The view overlooked an internal courtyard where robed figures moved between buildings like ants following invisible trails. The Eternal Flame rose in the distance, a pillar of golden fire that never dimmed, never wavered.
And never stopped interfering with her abilities.
Naomi closed her eyes and reached for her Shadow Vault, the familiar darkness that had been her tool and weapon since awakening her powers. Instead of the cool embrace of shadows, she felt... nothing. The radiant energy from the Eternal Flame pressed against her consciousness like sunlight against closed eyelids, washing out every trace of darkness she tried to grasp.
In their world, Naomi’s abilities were what kept her relevant, what made her valuable. Shadow Vault gave her access to information, resources, escape routes. Without it, she was just another pretty face with a sharp tongue and flexible morals.
But Naomi had been more than her powers long before she’d awakened them.
She’d been Nessa, too.
Working the crowds at the Golden Fox, reading the subtle tells that revealed a customer’s wealth and desperation, knowing exactly which smile would earn the biggest tips and which words would extract the most information. Nessa had survived in Vykengard through wit and observation, not supernatural abilities.