"And where have you been?" Em asked as her sister sat in front of her with her dinner plate.

"I was meditating in the forest."

Em's eyes went wide, and she opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by her uncle.

"The child should not go alone into the forest, Olympe,” Arber barked as if Mai was not in the same room.

“I’m not a child, Uncle,” Mai hissed.

“Olympe,” Arber pressed on without looking at Mai. “We’ve gotten reports that beasts from the forest have gone missing.”

“Are you sure they aren't migrating, Arber?” Olympe asked.

“No, Olympe,” Arber continued to report. “The young have come up missing. They leave behind the older beasts. I have a terrible suspicion about this. What if the Dark Knights are coming into our forest and taking them for their blood again?”

When the Dark Knights took the blood of beasts and injected themselves with it for battle, the clans took it upon themselves to monitor the beast population.

“This is worrying,” Olympe said, putting her spoon down on the table. "Perhaps Arber is right, my dear. You shouldn’t venture into the forest until we can put these rumors to rest for good.”

“What? This is unfair! I can take care of myself!”

“Not by the looks of your weapons’ training,” Em piped up. She had been silent throughout most of the interaction. “And you’re a Jovie. Whatcha gonna do? Calm them to death?”

Speechless, Mai looked around at all the faces against her. All the faces that didn’t believe in abilities.

Mai got up from the table and ran out of the dining hall, sobbing. Her mother called her name, but she kept running until she arrived at her room.

Mai collapsed on her bed. The thought of her clan not believing in her hurt her to the core. It made her so upset that she felt her blood boiling in her veins. Now that they banned her from the forest, she had to devise a plan to access her well and rescue her father. If no one else would help her, she would need to help herself.

“Honey,” her mother appealed from the other side of the door. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mother. I wish to be alone.”

“Okay,” Olympe said from the other side of the door. "You know where to find me, if you need me.”

“Okay. Thanks,” Maiolaine said.

Once she heard that her mother had walked away from the door, Mai cried herself to sleep.