Alicia had expected the feeling to disappear by morning.
It didn't.
The previous day at the market had been perfectly ordinary, right up until that stranger brushed past her. Just a cloaked man in a crowded street. Nothing worth thinking about. Yet, the image of that sword pommel—a silver phoenix with broken wings—remained stubbornly lodged in her mind.
The emblem of the Royal Guard of Valemont.
Alicia frowned, aggressively smoothing out the bedsheets in one of the guest rooms. Why was she even thinking about it? The kingdom was ash. It had been gone for fifteen years. Even if some former royal guard had somehow survived the slaughter, what did that have to do with her?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
She had a new life now. A life that didn't involve running, hiding, or the crushing weight of a dead crown. A life she was actually starting to feel comfortable in.
Normally, physical chores helped clear her head. Today, her mind was a mess.
