KFrancesca

In the lush forest kingdom of Verdanthe, magic is a crime punishable by death. Pandora, a quiet girl living on the outskirts of the kingdom, is different.

Born with a voice that could weave storms, heal wounds, and hands that could create plant life, Pandora has spent her life in silence, fearing that even a single note or flick of her wrist might expose her. Her father once told her that magic like hers can only end in fire. But when the ruthless king’s hunters arrive in her village, searching for her, she is forced to flee back to her home in the Nyxmaris sea.  

She is one of the last of her kind and the only one who can restore magic to the world. But the more Pandora uncovers about the her origins, the more she realizes that singing might not set her free—it might break the world apart.  

Torn between silence and rebellion, fear and freedom, Pandora must decide: will she keep swallowing the magic inside her, or will she let it finally be heard?  

Perfect for fans of lyrical prose, atmospheric fantasy, and heroines who wield quiet power, The Wild Song She Swallowed is a spellbinding tale of identity, music, and the price of unleashing your true self.

The Wild Song She Swallowed

The Black Tide glides over the water, the Nyxmaris Sea stretching endlessly in all directions. The stars above are sharp and bright, their reflections rippling across the waves. The wind hums through the sails, filling the silence between us.

For the first time since we fled, there is no immediate danger. No pounding footsteps behind us, no burning in my lungs from running. Just the quiet, the rocking of the ship, and the steady, unshaken presence of Avis beside me.

I exhale, leaning against the wooden railing. "So… what now?"

Avis sits on a coil of rope, sharpening one of his knives with slow, deliberate strokes. He doesn't look up. "Now we wait."

For three days, the sea has held us in its grasp, shifting between restless storms and eerie calm. The captain who finally introduced himself as Colm claims we'll reach land soon. But until then, there's nothing to do but exist.

"I don't like waiting," I mutter.

Avis smirks. "You're impatient. Not surprising."

I glare at him. "And you're impossible."

He only shrugs, returning his attention to his blade. The rhythmic scrape of metal against whetstone is oddly soothing.

I study him in the dim lantern glow. The way his shoulders remain tense, like he's never truly at rest. The way his dark auburn hair falls into his eyes, messy and windswept from the sea air.

There are so many things I don't know about him. So many questions I don't know if I should ask.

Finally, I settle on one. "How long were you working for the king?"

Avis doesn't react at first. For a moment, I think he's going to ignore me. But then he exhales, setting the knife aside.

His voice is quieter than usual.

After a beat, he leans back against the railing, tilting his head toward the sky. "I was taken in when I was ten. Trained in the palace. Groomed to be loyal." His fingers tighten slightly. "They used people like me people with magic to hunt our own. Said it was for the good of the kingdom." He scoffs, the sound bitter. "And I believed them. For a while."

A lump forms in my throat. I don't know what to say.

Avis's jaw tightens. "I realized that no matter what I did, they'd never see me as anything but a tool. A weapon. And sooner or later, I'd be discarded like one."

A cold wind sweeps over the deck. The ship rocks gently, the sea whispering against the hull.

I shift closer, resting my arms on the railing beside him. "You're not a weapon," I say, barely above a whisper. "Not to me."

For the first time, Avis really looks at me. His golden-green eyes flicker with something unreadable, something I don't think he's ready to name.

Before I can say anything else, Colm's voice rings out from the helm.

Avis and I both turn, our quiet moment vanishing with the wind.

A dark shape rises on the horizon, faint but unmistakable.

Adrift