FIA
The dungeons had taken something from me. Not just energy. Something deeper. Something I did not know how to name.
We climbed the stairs in silence. Each step felt heavy. My legs dragged. My arms still throbbed from holding bowls and wringing cloths. The smell of wolfsbane clung to my skin. Sharp and bitter. It made my nose itch and my eyes sting a little.
Bo walked behind me with soft footsteps. Careful. Gentle. Like she did not want to disturb whatever was left of my thoughts.
When we reached my quarters I pushed open the door and went straight to the bed. I did not bother to pretend I had grace. I just fell onto the mattress and let it swallow my weight.
The ceiling stared back at me. Plain stone. Cold. Steady. It felt familiar in a strange way. Like the only thing today that had not shifted.
"That was fulfilling," I said. My voice sounded thin to my own ears.
"Right?" Bo answered. Her tone was light, almost cheerful, like she was trying to guide me back toward something softer.
I turned my head. She stood near the door with her hands clasped in front of her. Calm. Patient. Watching me in that quiet way she always did.
"At least I can sleep easy knowing everyone will be fine," I said. I let my eyes slide shut for a moment. Let the weight of the day settle over me. "I still do not understand why anyone would poison the Grand Luna. She is kind. She treats people well."
Bo did not respond immediately. The pause felt long. Then she said, "Sometimes people are just chosen to be sacrifice."
The words hit something inside me. They dropped into my chest and sank there. Heavy.
"You are right," I said softly. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling again. "It reminds me of myself. My sister sacrificed me for her own plans and I survived it."
Bo shifted her weight. The floor creaked. The sound was small, almost shy.
"It is cruel," I whispered. "To know you can give good and mean well and still never get the same back. But I guess the universe has a way of settling things. Maybe that is pride speaking, but maybe I do belong here. Maybe fate tries to make sense in its own way."
My eyes drifted across the room. They landed on the table. On the dish sitting there, untouched.
"Oh. The food you brought earlier," I said. "I forgot it was there."
I pushed myself up from the bed. My body protested at once. My muscles burned. Every movement felt like a fresh complaint. But hunger pushed through it. I had not eaten since morning and my stomach twisted hard enough to hurt.
I moved toward the table.
Bo moved faster. She crossed the room with quick steps and snatched the plate before I could reach it.
"I will warm it for you in the small kitchen area," she said.
I blinked and watched her fingers curl around the plate.
That was when I saw it.
Her fingertips were blue. Not her whole hand, only the first two joints. A deep shade that looked close to purple under the dim light.
I reached out and caught her hand.
"What is up with your hand?" I asked.
She pulled away at once. The movement was sharp and too sudden to be casual.
"Do not dirty your hands, Luna Fia," she said. Her voice sounded steady on the surface, but something underneath it felt tight. "It is only residue from the medicine we handled in the dungeons."
I nodded slowly. "Right."
She turned and walked toward the small kitchen area.
I watched her back as she moved. Each step careful. Too controlled.
My hand lifted to my nose without thought.
The scent hit me hard. Sharp and earthy. Nightshade. That bitter green smell I had learned to fear. I knew it from healer lessons, from warnings, from every caution I had ever studied.
But there was something sweet mixed in. Almost floral. It smelt like a perfume sitting over poison.
My heart stopped.
We had not touched Nightshade in the dungeons. Not once. None of the treatments used it. Nothing we handled could have stained her fingers blue. Nothing could have carried that scent.
My eyes widened.
"Goddess," I breathed.
Bo froze halfway to the kitchen. Her back stayed turned. Then she turned around slowly. Her face calm. Curious. Like she was observing a mild change in the weather.
"What is wrong, Luna Fia?" she asked.
"No no no," I said. The words tumbled out, thin and shaking. My hands trembled. My whole body trembled. I could not stop it.
I stared at her. At her smooth expression. At her blue fingers. At the plate she was still holding.
"Bo," I said. "What did you do?"
She tilted her head a little. A small smile touched her lips.
"I am lost," she said.
"You must think me a fool," I said. My voice came out harder now, sharp enough to cut the air. I stepped toward her, even though my legs felt like they were sinking into water. "It is you. You are the traitor, are you not?"
The smile spread across her face. Slow. Deliberate. It was like watching a mask fall away.
She set the plate down on the small table beside her. The movement was gentle. Almost delicate.
"Wow. He was right about you. You are smarter than even I gave you credit for," she said.
My blood ran cold.
"Answer me," I said.
Bo laughed. It was a soft sound. Musical. The kind of laugh you would hear at a party. At a celebration. Not here. Not now.
"You want an answer?" she said. "Fine. Yes. It is me. Are you happy now?"
I felt the ground tilt beneath my feet. The room spun. I grabbed the edge of the bed to steady myself.
"Why?" I asked. The word came out broken. "Why would you do this?"
Bo shrugged. The gesture was casual. Like we were talking about the weather. Like we were discussing what to have for dinner.
"Why does anyone do anything, Omega?" she said. "Power. Safety. Survival. Pick one."
"You poisoned the Grand Luna for...power..." I said. "She trusted you. She trusted all of you."
"She was in the way," Bo said. Her voice was flat now. Just as it was empty. "People who stand in the way get moved. That is just how things work. It is the way of the world."
I felt something hot rise in my chest. Anger. Fear. Betrayal. They all swirled together until I could not tell them apart.
"So the help you rendered at the dungeon then was to cover your tracks. Wasn’t it? It was to kill your companion to save yourself."
"What the fuck do you think you know?!"