I flashed open my eyes before the floor tilted and the tower swayed.

I grabbed the pole of the bed to prevent myself from being thrown off. I was inside a tower on the top floor, but I hadn’t an idea how I’d gotten here.

Had I always slept here?

The tower stopped shuddering, but I started shaking.

My mind was completely blank. I didn’t know my name.

I lay still for a minute, waiting for the panic to pass, waiting for my mind to register something.

Nothing.

Only my ragged breaths sounded in my ears on top of my drumming heartbeat.

I grappled with the silky sheet, my hands drenched in cold sweat. I fought to focus, trying to recall something, anything. Sharp pain stabbed my brain at the effort.

My throat was parched. 

I bolted up in bed and rushed to the window, immediately taken aback by the sight of the partial, broken terrace outside. It was as if some monster had torn off the railings and half of its construction with claws.

A half-ruined city blazing with fire and smoke sprawled beneath my feet. Who, or what, had burned the city?

Where was I?

I looked up at the dim sky.

There wasn’t a ray of sunshine. I knew what sunshine would feel like. That was a start. But that slim hope couldn’t expel the raw fear whirling around in me. 

I turned to look at the door. Was I a prisoner?

Had someone wiped away my memories and locked me on the highest floor of the tower to prevent me from escaping?

Who was I? What had I done to deserve this?

I controlled my urge to pound on the door, for fear of what I would find out, for fear of my abductor. And I feared something worse.

Calm down, I commanded myself, but panic still choked me. I suppressed the scream threatening to tear through my throat.

It wouldn’t be wise to make a sound.

I tried again to reach my memory, searching through my brain for any clue as to who and where I was, and again pain exploded in my head. I doubled over from the agony and a wave of nausea roiled up into my airway.

Breathe! Just breathe, I told myself, panting through the pain.

Help me, please!

I froze as a strange sensation pricked my arm.

At my silent plea, a faint light beamed on my left arm. With it, glyphs appeared, dancing on my skin like gentle waves. I knew how to read the magical runes and symbols. Through it, I learned basic information about myself. 

My name was Fiammetta, though it might not be my given name. I was the Wickedest Witch in the universe, and I had been living in this tower for three years.

Each morning I woke up like this, unable to remember anything from my past. Not only couldn’t I remember how I had gotten here, I couldn’t form and store any new memories either.

The glyphs were my only aide, and the space on my skin was limited, so I couldn’t make note of all events and people.

I removed my sleeping gown and examined my body for other markings. They covered more than two-thirds of my body, and I had recorded only crucial information.

I absorbed the data and waited for it to trigger my memories.

Nothing stirred in the dark recesses of my mind.

According to my markings, I needed to open the door and meet Kaara Nightshades next.

I didn’t remember her face, but I could manage her. As I’d learned from the inscriptions on my skin, everyone in the tower feared me, so no one would question me. I’d established routines and order since I’d taken over the Witch Tower.

My breath evened, and my confidence returned.

My fury burned.

I prowled through every day with a single, determined purpose—remembering who I was and getting revenge on whoever had done this to me.

As I searched desperately for more information, my gaze fixed on a drawing of a pair of black wings carrying a bridge made of fire under my name: Fiammetta. Beneath the wings was a fluctuated line: Icearth 2788h 450.7m, −88975.01° (Y-1034b).

I had no idea what that meant and how it had ended up on my arm. After I went through all of the glyphs on my body, I realized it was the only riddle I couldn’t decipher. Icearth could be a name, a place, or a code. The initial number of 2788 with an h was beyond my understanding, and the rest of the figures were also lost on me.

Somehow I knew I would only move forward when I’d deciphered that riddle.

A foreboding sense sent shivers down my spine and a ticking urgency burned in my head.

My markings warned me that this perilous alien planet could be destroyed at any time. I had to enter the jungle no one else dared to step in to find the portal I had been shoved through. I hadn’t made any progress during my years here because I couldn’t gather my memories, because I didn’t possess the proper tools and knowledge to locate the portal, and because the jungle was like a metaphysical dimension that shifted at will.

I’d added the accumulated knowledge onto my skin, but every day I had to relearn everything.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob, reminding myself that I shall fear nothing, and all shall fear me.

I was the Wickedest Witch.

As soon as I pulled open the door, I recognized my signature. I’d warded my suite.

“Kaara!” I called, my voice icy, dry, but assertive.

One male and one female of different species appeared on the stairs one floor beneath my suite. They didn’t show any panic, despite the fact that the tower had been shaking for several seconds. Which meant this wasn’t new. I would pursue the information later as to exactly what kind of planet I’d been banished to.

“Lady Fiammetta.” They bowed.

Indeed, Fiammetta was my name. Kaara had to be the woman who had yellow horns. Interesting. I didn’t feel any affection or recognition toward her. I wondered why my markings wanted me to trust her.

“Kaara?” I asked cautiously and waited for her to respond before I made the next move. 

“Kaara went to raid the ship,” the horned female said. “Otsana at your service.”

“Pattern at your service,” the half-human male said. 

I eyed the glass of water and a spare cup in Otsana’s hands. Otsana poured a small portion of the water into the spare cup and drained it, then she hurried up the stairs and handed me the glass of water.

I approved of this effective system of preventing anyone from poisoning me. Had I established it? I’d thought I was feared. But it seemed I was hated as well.

I sniffed the water as I studied the guards. They both lowered their heads and stared at the ground. I took a sip of the water and almost sighed with happiness as it soothed my throat.

I handed the empty glass to Otsana and my heartbeat resumed its normal pace. She gripped the glass, terrified of dropping it. It seemed I was a harsh mistress. I controlled my urge to touch her lovely horns and swallowed back a thank you. If they feared me so much, I needed to keep up with my reputation to stay safe.

“Dismissed,” I said as I descended the stairs. “Have Kaara report to me when she returns.”

My mind remained blank, but the sense of urgency returned.

I was running out of time.

With an icy mask in place on my face, I strode out of the tower.

Everyone stayed out of my way, including the two large wolves patrolling the perimeter with my guards. Kaara had acquired the powerful shifter alpha as her mate, so the wolves had become part of her security team.

I didn’t spare them a second look but glanced at the map on my skin and followed it toward the dark jungle.