Chapter 68Screams echoed all around, ricocheting off the glass walls until it seemed as if they had embedded themselves inside her head like claws and refused to let go. Lady Lucia clamped her hands over her ears to try and block out the noise but it was pointless.All around, the Mages went about their business as if nothing was happening, as if a poor girl somewhere within the castle was not being fed upon. As a matter of fact, gaiety was the order of the day as laughter rang out clearly amongst the Mages who stood in small groups, talking animatedly amongst themselves.Lady Lucia huddled in a corner at first, as if by some stroke of luck, the walls could swallow her up and she would disappear. When the screams only grew louder and it seemed the Mages would continue to turn a blind eye to them, she stood on shaky legs and walked out of the hall. On instinct, she made her way to the garden, drinking in the
Chapter 70Germaine's breath whooshed out of her as she stood staring at the mage. "Wh. . . what do you mean?"The mage shook his head and looked at her with a solemn gaze. "Magic, my lady, magic that someone has used on you. My guess is that-""I don't want guesses, mage, I want facts, I want-"The mage held up his hand in the air and she fell silent, watching in confusion as he rushed from the sitting room. It took only a few seconds, and he returned holding a particularly large colorless rune in his hand."Hold this, my lady." He said to her."But. . . why? What do you hope to achieve?"He let loose an impatient sigh. "This rune can show if you have somehow been tainted with magic that is not part of you."Germaine's brows pinched. She did not understand a word of what the mage had just said but she knew it was better she did as he said, after all, she owed the release of her magic to him. She reached out
Chapter 71Every instinct in her body told her to turn around and run, but there was a part of her, a small part that wanted her to face whatever had made that roaring noise.Eyes wide with terror, Ennie jumped up from the ground and grabbed a hold of Germaine's hand, tiredness, a thing of the past. "We have to go now, my lady, please."But Germaine knew walking away would be tantamount to cowardice, and after all, she had her powers now so she could easily use them on whatever creature was approaching. It seemed Ennie saw the look in her eyes because she shook her head back and forth frantically, her hair whipping around her face in the process."No! You can not, you just cannot fight whatever it is, please, we have to go now!"Perhaps it was the desperate tone in her words that made Germaine begin to run again. No matter how you looked at it, she was but a fledgling, after all, still trying to navigate her wa
Chapter 72Even the one meant to redeem and unify the various realms began to get tired at a point.Tiredness seeped into Germaine's body but she continued to relentlessly push herself to the limit as she ran, giving herself no time to think or ponder on anything except to get to safety.But that was the issue - where would she go to be safe?When she was thrown into the sea, the mage saved her, but now where were he and his wife?Where was she even to go from here on?The questions went around and around her head like a loop not giving her a moment's respite. Her mind drifted to her discussion with Keratin and she realized with a jolt that now more than ever, she needed to know where the forest of the goblins was.For all she knew, she had already passed it. Ennie's ragged breathing had begun to feel like a drive for her to keep moving, instead, she forced herself to slow down and wait for her to catch up wit
Chapter 73A man stumbled out through the trees, dragging with him someone else."Dilla!" Ennie shouted. Turning to Germaine, she exclaimed. "My lady, it's Dilla and Connie."Germaine's heart soared on seeing them. They were the least people she expected to break through the trees. She didn't think for one minute the danger was past them, far from it. She knew it still lurked close by."My lady, Ennie, quick, we must go across the river now for behind us lurks the vampires." The mage stumbled forward with a worried look on his face.Connie was out of breath and looked tired with leaves clinging to her clothes.Germaine sighed and shook her head. "I'm glad to see you too, mage, but I still don't know how we are going to cross this river."The mage smiled. "Come, now, my lady, use your powers, or have you forgotten about them so soon?"Germaine looked confused. "I know I can destroy things but to build a bridg
Chapter 74Germaine could not believe it. Her whole body felt alive, and that damn tightness in her chest which had refused to go when she was away from Keratin, completely eased up. Right now, it felt like her chest sang with joy, make that every part of her being. She knew without a doubt she was meant for this man holding her tightly to his chest.Her arms raised and wound around his neck as she went on tiptoes and nuzzled his neck. He smelt divine - of pine and earth and musk. She drew back and looked up at him. "And I am so happy to be in your arms once more."The blinding smile he gave her melted her heart and at the same time tightened it. Someone coughed and she moved back but Keratin shook his head and tightened his arms around her waist. "My love, I do not want to let you go, not now that I have just found you."Germaine suppressed a laugh. "Please, Ker, I have to say hello to the others. It wouldn
Chapter 75She blinked repeatedly but that did not change what she saw.It was a man, but what a man.He was the complete opposite of Keratin. Where Keratin was well-built, this man had a lean muscle mass on him. His hair was light brown and fell in waves around his face giving him an angelic look. He had on a white tunic and brown shorts. Slung across his shoulders was a long bow and arrow and in one hand he held an animal almost as large as himself, the only difference was that it was obviously dead.His face as well as the rest of his body was a dark shade of brown, but what struck Germaine most about him were his eyes. They were a striking green, the same color as the leaves that surrounded them. They were also hypnotizing to look at. She felt like she was drowning in them as she stared into their depths.She also heard, as if from far away, Keratin's voice and the tightening of his hand around her waist.
Chapter 76Germaine watched as Keratin crouched at the opening of the hole trying to see inside it. It was pitch black from where she stood, which wasn't far at all. She had always had an inordinate fear of the dark and now that she was willingly going into the abyss, so to speak, it seemed foolhardy of her.Mulling over it in her mind, she knew she had no other choice but to do so. If she backed down now, all the people who looked up to her would deem her a coward. Keratin got onto his hands and knees and stepped inside the hole although he did not go far as he waited for her to follow."Well, here goes something," Germaine murmured to herself and stepped inside after him."Be careful, my lady." The mage spoke up behind her."Try not to bump into anything while down there," Ennie said immediately after."We'll be right behind you." Amelia piped up as well with a tone of excitement in her words.Germaine hear
Chapter 108The young lady lying on the cot opened her eyes but could not understand what was happening.Who am I?Where am I?People came and peered at her from above, expecting something from her. Recognition, maybe, but she didn't know any of them. They always left with disappointed looks on their faces. Amongst them was a man who sat with her for a while. He was very handsome with bright blue hooded eyes and long straight hair. She itched to run her fingers through his hair knowing fully well it would feel like a silky curtain.He always held her hand and spoke to her but she didn't understand a word of what he said. He had a sad look on his face which she longed to wipe off but she could not because she could not move her body.She had dreams of a man with a scar on his face telling her to wake up and come back to the living because there were people who waited for her and wanted her alive. He also said
Chapter 107 Germaine ran toward the table but unfortunately, she never made it there. Just as she was a hair's breadth away from it, a hand reached out and snatched up the talisman. "This never gets old, I tell you." In front of her stood a smirking Rage. He had on a long black cloak with a hood covering his head. The concentric lines on his face glowed eerily, adding to his otherworldly look. There was a terrible fascination about him that Germaine could not place. She could not tear her eyes away from his face. She tried to move, but it seemed she was stuck to the spot. She could not even turn her head. Her eyes tracked his movement as he walked past her. "So predictable, Lucia, and so disappointing." He chuckled darkly. "You did exactly what I predicted you would." Germaine heard a whimper and realized it had come from her. "Did you think that I would leave something so precious lying around if it were not a trap?" He chuckled darkly once more. "So stupid, my child." Germaine he
Chapter 106The bubble Keratin and the others traveled in smelt of Ash and smoke. It lasted a few minutes but to him, it seemed like a lifetime. A lifetime of being away from Germaine. He had been mostly chatty, deliberately keeping his mind busy so as not to ponder on his missing mate and how they would go about rescuing her.He had brainstormed with Storm and the others and concluded. Rage had taken her, thanks to the revelations from Storm after channeling the moon goodness. They knew she was being held in Tirria.The issue they had was how to get inside the headquarters of the Magedom - the glasshouse, undetected. That was where Dilla came in. Having once worked inside the glass house as a mage, he designed a detailed map. He even knew the times the Mages had their meals and also when they would gather for training. The only issue was Rage who had taken over. He was a wild card, one they had to be wary of.
Chapter 105Not again.Germaine stared balefully at the iron cage she was trapped inside. She could not believe her shitty luck. For the second actually- the third time in her life and a short space as well, she had been kidnapped. She closed her eyes and pondered on how she got herself locked inside a rusty-looking cage.It came to her in an instant.Rage had appeared out of the blue and of course, she goaded him. He didn't like that at all. From one moment to the next, everything went dark and when she woke, she was behind bars in a rusty cage in an empty room. She cursed Rage and her rotten luck. There was no way out of this except to bargain. She knew that would catch his attention.The question though, was what would she bargain with?She sighed as she opened her eyes. A dark pair of eyes stared back at her and she let out a shrill scream. The person staring at her looked fearful as if she would be caug
Chapter 104Keratin had experienced Germaine shutting her mind to him before. It hurt him when she did it and when he could not read her thoughts. However, there was a grave difference between shutting down the mind link and not getting any reading on the person's thoughts.The latter is what he experienced.It was a blank canvas. She was there, but it was silent. He had experienced this same thing before her. The day she was thrown into the sea while on the vessel by one of Rage's men. It was a horrible feeling, one he did not want to experience again. As he lifted his sword and sliced off the neck of the last creature, he knew something had happened to her and his heart sank.He looked around, assessing the damages. Apart from one of their warriors who had been taken down, they were relatively alright. Storm was fine as well as the other warriors. He sighted Dilla and Zar taking stock of the damages. Galieel
Chapter 103 Germaine gave up after struggling endlessly to bring forth her powers. Her breaths came out in fast short bursts.Hot tears of frustration pooled in her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. She released a harsh breath when she remembered what she had read in the tome back in Dilla's house. She was referred to as a savior.She - a savior?Ha! They must have mistaken her for someone else. She couldn't even help herself out of her situation, so how was she to help any of the others? For once, Keratin was silent. Up above her, the ground trembled and rumbled. She didn't need to be told that he, as well as the others, were fighting for their lives.Fueled with a sudden fierce determination, she focused on her breathing.When cornered, do not try to use your powers because they won't work.But why?Because you would have unknowingly locked them up. Powers run with your emotions, so if you are ca
Chapter 102Germaine breathed in deeply but just before she came back to her surroundings, she perceived Keratin's thoughts once more. Each one was a precise string of logic. He would maneuver to the right and attack with his claws while he would give way for other warriors to flank him. he would remain in front, leading, always keeping her safe by blocking her from harm.Even his warriors were not spared from being shielded by him. What she found confusing was when she saw how he would change to a human and attack the creatures with his sword, cutting off their heads if they got too close or crowded around them.How possible was this? Would she still be on his back or would she fall off?A skilled werewolf can change from animal to man, and back again within the twinkling of an eye. Of course, you already know we can divide into many parts of ourselves. And, no, my love, you would not fall off when I change
Chapter 101This is really happening. Germaine said to herself.As she stood staring at the creatures still high up in the sky, she could not help but feel a thrill slither down her back. She could not for the life of her, understand the excitement she felt at that moment. Inside of her, her powers flowed to her fingertips, ready to come out at the slightest urging.She could barely focus on what Storm was saying. He was giving a speech but it made no sense to her because all her senses were on the figures fast approaching in the sky. Nevertheless, she forced herself to listen to him as he reeled out instructions. The only instruction she would follow was to maim and kill the enemy."- and so the female mates will sit on the backs of their wolves."Say what?She put her hand up. "As far as I Know, the only mated female here is Amelia."Storm's lips twitched. Whether in amusement or anger, she could not tell. Wha
Chapter 100Keratin ran as fast as his warrior-legs would carry him. His thoughts which had been scrambled, became clear and centered on just one thing alone. Germaine. The mate bond sang in his veins and the call for protection was too strong for him to ignore.He tore into the tent where the females were and zeroed in on his mate sleeping soundly. He took some seconds to admire her sleeping form before striding forward. He knew what he was about to do was wrong. He knew he should blow the whistle which would alert everyone about the impending danger, but not yet.First. . . he needed to get his mate to safety.Not wasting any more time, he placed his large palm over her mouth and her eyelids fluttered open. It was entrancing to watch her blink away the fog of sleep blanketing her eyes and the myriad of expressions that moved, lightning-fast, across her features. He understood the fear he saw but it soon gave