Lucia sat slumped against the damp stone wall of the dungeon, her hands resting limply in her lap. Her usual air of confidence was gone, replaced by weakness that even she could not deny. The magic that had once surged through her veins was now gone, stripped away, leaving only her human self—a fragile, mortal body, vulnerable and unprotected. Her dark eyes, once sharp and calculating, now burned with scorn as they fixed on Kia across the cell.

“So,” she began, her voice sharp despite ...