"Burned into thin air?" asked Athelstan, looking around.
"The grass started to grow again, but this area was completely razed to the ground, as if something very hot had rested on it," Nathan explained.
The young king had asked Athelstan to follow him to a particular place, so that Athelstan could see with his own eyes what they had found.
Athelstan mounted the saddle as the king made his way through the city. The queen had preferred to stay in the palace, saying that she had other things to take care of so Athelstan and Nathan found themselves alone, except for the company of Lord Maze and a few royal guards.
They had passed the walls and entered the woods where, in a part not far from the main wall, they had arrived in an area without trees, or rather an area where the trees had been completely disintegrated.
The huge clod was devoid of vegetation, the trees inside it completely disappeared and the grass had begun to grow minimally again, but on
Doreon The heat was almost suffocating, the sun beat down on the head and masterfully illuminated the whole small village made of wooden huts. They had just passed the wooden walls after the modest pier on which they had docked just before. The buildings were piled up one after the other, of different sizes and rudimentary, a sign of a people too concerned with surviving rather than worrying about the aesthetics of their homes. Doreon walked behind Pix and a couple of other lords, some from Devian others from Haefest. Not everyone had been allowed to get off the ships that were now moored in the open sea waiting for orders. When they arrived at the small wooden port, guards were waiting for them, as they understood, sent by the commander who, fortunately for them, was in that village. The guards who were accompanying them to the commander's hut spoke their language, with a strange accent, probably they had recently learned Mihadel's language, while among them they spoke another, ol
"Kash da isda, Lyza," the young man said before bursting into another loud laugh. The girl, Lyza, walked the hall with great strides and climbed the two steps, to approach the commander, but not before kicking the boy's arm and making him end up with his face on the ground. The boy stood up with a moan as she said "Khra sha isno" chanting the words one by one: you are an idiot. Doreon tried not to smile at the curtain that had appeared before his eyes and took a few steps, approaching the group. Behind the throne, there was a very large man, with gray hair pulled back, thick blue armor, typical of Mihdel's knights. On the breastplate the emblem of belonging had been erased with the blade, the man had not tried to hide the scratches certainly caused by a blade, rather he wore them with pride, making everyone understand that despite his origin, he had chosen another side. The knight stood with his back straight, with one hand resting on the hilt of the lined sword on his side, and t
TarynThe branches and roots moved quickly in their direction as a strong wind began to whip, lifting the leaves of the fallen trees on the ground. The eyes of the priestess returned to Elhias, as she moved her hands in the void and the nature around them came to life.Elhias had positioned himself in front of Taryn, acting as a shield between her and what was attacking them. The young king's head splashed from one side to the other, from where the wilderness was attacking them, before he raised his arms, flexing his muscles.Taryn saw the branches freeze a few steps away from them, his tips sharp like daggers, while Elhias kept his arms outstretched, his fists clenched, his muscles stiffened as if he were physically fighting against something invisible."You know me," Elhias said to the woman, "you know these tricks don't work with me."The woman shrugged. "They work to distract you."Taryn perceived
TarynTaryn heard the sound of water flowing before she could open her eyes again. Her head pulsed violently and she felt an excruciating pain coming from her right temple, she opened her eyes and, the mere movement, caused her a stabbing pang that made her escape a groan of pain. His mouth was kneaded and his tongue heavy. She tried to swallow some saliva, but her throat scraped; His whole body was slowly beginning to regain sensitivity.She felt the cold air caressing her and two strong, vigorous arms holding her. She took a deep breath and forced herself to open her eyes. Her vision was blurred and she felt pain everywhere; she blinked several times before turning her gaze to Elhias who had not noticed his awakening. She was in his arms, he was holding her tight, her head resting on the boy's chest, while he had his eyes focused on him, lost in the void.Taryn moved in his arms, feeling a stabbing pain in her temple."Taryn,"
"It's not possible," Elhias whispered, his eyes wide open.Since she knew him, Taryn had never seen Elhias so baffled and, to his surprise, very frightened. The boy was completely still, his body stiff and his hands stuck between the pebbles of the ground.Taryn turned to look at him and saw that Elhias had chills, the hair on his neck was widened and his face was completely pale and drenched in sweat, while his chest rose and fell quickly at the time of his labored breaths.She heard the men whisper and begin to run towards their horses, in terror."Dragon" could only say Taryn, unable to formulate any other meaningful sentence.Elhias' head snapped towards his men who were moving hurriedly. "No," he whispered. "No, no, no! Stop!" He tried to shout, but it was useless.The dragon veered attracted by the noise, had its wings wide open that cut through the air, coming back, its legs were now free.Taryn and Elhias petrified each other
Nathan"Are you telling me you don't know where your commander went?" repeated Sumon, almost stunned.Nathan tapped his index finger on the armrest of the chair, while the girl rested her elbows on the long wooden table in the boardroom.The young king had asked his knights to wait for him there, while he accompanied the prince of Locrand to the place that was now called the great hole in the woods.Absurd as it seemed, Athelstan had, for the time being, declared a truce between the two, letting the common sense of need take precedence over the hatred the prince felt towards her.Seeing Athelstan Neyer again had brought back all those memories kept sealed in his mind all those years, all those memories that hurt his chest. He had tried to hide it, not only from the prince, but also from the woman sitting next to him; He did not know if he had succeeded, he did not know if others could read all the emotions rejected for too long, come to the surface in an instant.He needed to be alone
"I heard you," he declared without opening his eyes, grinding his teeth. "And no, he wouldn't. We need what he knows, too many things don't add up. If indeed the story of the dark Gods is true," Nathan opened his eyes and shook his head thinking of Doreon, "it would also explain why he left without saying anything."In his heart, Nathan knew that Doreon would never betray him, not even for his beliefs, but what other explanation could he give for his disappearance?Doreon was too attached to his faith and if the other faithful were on the move, it was not to be excluded that he had approached that people. The very thought made him grind his teeth hard, he had always underestimated that part of Doreon, relying on the common sense of his friend, focusing on the rational part of him, the one that would never lead him to approach heretics."What do you mean? What does Doreon have to do with the dark Gods?" asked Sumon, confused."With all the confessions you have made, has he never reveal
Doreon The commander had escorted them to what were supposed to be their quarters. Small brick huts placed on the border of the village next to the training camps. Each of them had been assigned a single hut which was equivalent to a chamber. A small space with a bed far too big compared to what he expected. In the center of the room was a wooden table on which was placed a small tray with some ripe fruit. Although the space was tiny, Doreon did not mind, especially after spending a month in a small cabin cradled by the waves of the sea, a room that had then been stormed by the priestess and the two girls of the rite, who, alternating, had sneaked into his bed, in the middle of the night, waking him up in a languid way, with his mouth around his erection. The girls had remained pure until their first rite: in order to be accepted by the goddess Lox it was necessary not to have given their body to anyone, but after