CYRANI'm about to pour my third cup of wine when Saelyna holds my arm and gives me a discouraging look. I marvel at her measure of calm as Veesa and Argell pummels us with details of the rebellion that we did not know. I seriously need more of that stuff, so I bat her hand away and pour my drink. I go over the past few minutes, but none of what Veesa and Argell has said makes sense to me. Or I don't want them to make sense. 'Your father was the strongest elf I've ever known. The best of his clan. Why and how would a group of bumbling deer-genn put him down? I considered this question, just after Edward came to us with news that Xanwed himself had killed Uren, your father'. She had puffed out a thick stream of smoke then. 'We had a very elaborate plan', said Argell, 'It was supposed to bring down the king and take the kingdom from the deer folk. You know of the rexume plants, yes? Well, Uren and Daena offered to help a few of us harness the magic from them, to make our numbers stro
CAIVANI've been here for a while, I don't know how long, but time must have gone by fast. When I finally shake off the mire of an unconscious sleep, I find that I'm thirsty as hell. The horse had bolted off with my food and water, so I'm stuck here. Cases like this make me want to take off my leash and go full wolven. And as always, I rein in myself. The Wolf finally howls for me when a cart comes down rumbling down the forest road. The man riding the vehicle looks to be in his late fifties; gray-bearded, black and white hair and a few wrinkles on his face. He hums a tune to himself, but his eyes dart here and there, on the lookout for possible trouble. I consider my options. I could easily take him out, steal his cart. Or I could just ask him for a ride. The odds that he would acquiesce to my request are small, as far as I know. I settle on asking him for help, and take his cart if he doesn't yield. I step into the road, waving my arms, trying my best to look injured and helpless.
CAIVANTurns out Darwin is right. It's four crows past twilight when I spot the gates of Qarax from a distance. The city itself is a blinding maze of lights from this distance and we can both hear the hum of people within its walls. Darwin says he's off to Terhaven; according to his updated and more accurate map, the road to the town branches off here, down the slope towards a small tributary. I alight and shake his hand. 'You're a queer fellow', he says, 'But in a good way. May the luck of The Seven be with you'. 'And you, Master Darwin. Say hello to the family for me', I say, 'Oh and here's a little token of my appreciation'. Luckily, the blasted horse had not taken my pouch along. I take it out, count a couple godens and hand them to him. He declines politely, but I insist. 'At least, let one deed of good be counted to me', I say, tapping into the pious sayings of worshipers of the Seven. He agrees grudgingly then, and sets off towards Terhaven. The city is built directly in fro
CYRANThe air is thick with magic. It's everywhere, the rexume plants stretch out like some lake of vegetation as far as a hundred yards. The aquamarine leaves seem to glow with the sun, and the peas are bursting from their pods. I've seen a plantation of kingpeas; we were made to work the King's Glade, watering and harvesting them; but not this wide and unprotected. Saelyna's breath is on hold, and her skin is pale. At first, I assume she's awed by the plants as I am. But then, she turns around and throws up a stream of black sludge. Alarmed, I turn to Veesa, but she's nodding with a smile. 'She must have felt their magic', she says and Argell nods. 'What the fuck are you talking about?' I ask with consternation as I hurry to her side. 'Do something!' I call to Veesa. 'No need to be alarmed, boy. Her body is purging the last of the rexanten, reacting to the pure magic of iden', she says calmly. Saelyna touches my arm lightly. 'I'm alright', she says, 'I'm fine. It's all gone. I thi
CAIVANI'm quite confused as to why I wake up feeling homesick. Perhaps it's the dream I had, but it doesn't make sense; a replay of that night, when I attacked the mage. 'Lord', it had hissed, though I don't remember seeing this one at court to recall my title. Or any one for that matter. I hadn't wasted time wondering, or tearing him apart. The predominant part of the "dream", however, is her face. It still flashes in my mind's eye now: the long black hair tucked behind pointed ears and her lucent, green eyes. I wonder why that makes me nostalgic. I don't let anyone in, not even the servants when they come to draw my bath. I fill the tub myself, and though the hot water makes my hair stand on end, I'm grateful for it. Many would interpret my actions last night as an act of defiance or something. Especially the trouble stirrer, Edward. And I might be overstepping my boundaries, but it might well be my last night at Qarax, before I set the cogwheels of my plan into motion. That Xan
SAELYNAI've not seen her before but she grins at me, revealing large wolven fangs and I recall what Veesa said about some of them retaining their lupine features due to trauma. I wonder what happened to her. 'Uh…hello, Keilen. I'm Saelyna'. She bends her head again. 'Love your ears', she says, pointing, 'They're so…pointy'. There's a childishness to her act, but I'm not fooled. She has to be older than eighteen, give or take. 'And I like your…hair. Your eyes as well'. 'Oh'. She blinks and the red is replaced with a dark brown. 'I like keeping them on red so I can see ultra vision. It's supposed to be an ability only alphas can possess. But what do I know?' I feel my eyes widen. 'You're an alpha?' I whisper. She throws her head back and utters a soft laugh that makes me warm up to her. 'Alpha, she says. No, Saelyna, an alpha is not chosen by trivialities like eye colour. It's by achievements. Or so I hear'. Something about her tone makes me ask what she means. She leans in, like she'
RONNI probably should have locked her in a separate hut.Saelyna looks visibly shaken when I get to her. Keilen stands beside her, wringing her hands and I frown at this unlikely alignment. What the hell is she up to? 'Please tell me Gylen is being eaten in there'. They both whip around to face me, Saelyna looks particularly horrified. I like that new look, it makes her cuter. 'Not to burst your bubble, but no', Keilen says, 'I'll be back, I got work to do'. She gives Saelyna a smile and disappears around the bend of the hut.'Why would you people keep wolves in cages? What for? And who's that…the grey wolf? Why was she chained up?' My gaze flicks to her lips and back to her frantic eyes. 'Come on. You shouldn't be here', I say and grab her arm. She doesn't fight, but she pulls her arm out of my grip as she follows me.When we're short distance from the hut, I ask her what she was doing there. She balks and folds her arms over her chest. 'I'm not a kid', she says. 'No', I shake my he
CYRANI watch them splash about without interest. I never learnt to swim, and I'm definitely not learning with these wolvens. Sitting here, on the edge of this rock suddenly feels precarious, and I stand up to go when I see it.A brown wolf slinking forward quietly. I blink severally, it must be the same hallucination I had two days before. But it's real; all my senses have picked up the all too familiar traces of danger.Instinctively, I reach for my arrow. It's not at hand. I take out my hunting knife, but it takes me a while to realize it's not even looking at me. Then I remember the others.I yell for them to get out of the water, waving my arms wildly and jumping frantically. Gylen hears me but when he turns, the creature has slouched off. He swims closer. 'What did you say?' he asks. 'There was a wolf's, I say, 'Brown and..and the largest animal I've seen..' Seirmon and Edril come by as well, their eyes scou
Reflections Their progress was slow, and the constant motion did little to lessen the stress that weighed heavily on their hearts. Each minute brought them closer to the witch, closer to the woman who threatened the safety of the people of Eriu and their future. Every inch took them further away from home, further away from their families and their friends. Time was running short, and soon enough they would be forced to make a choice. Either they could save their Kingdom or die trying. They had lost track of the number of times they had narrowly escaped the clutches of the witches; yet, none of them gave up hope. A feeling of uneasiness settled inside of them, an uncertainty that they were approaching the center of the witch’s domain. Finally, the group reached an intersection, and all eyes turned in unison towards the hallway that split down the middle, one path leading to freedom and the other to destruction. The Queen raised a trembling hand towards the rightmost passage, ta
Their progress was slow, and the constant motion did little to lessen the stress that weighed heavily on their hearts. Each minute brought them closer to the witch, closer to the woman who threatened the safety of the people of Eriu and their future. Every inch took them further away from home, further away from their families and their friends. Time was running short, and soon enough they would be forced to make a choice. Either they could save their Kingdom or die trying.They had lost track of the number of times they had narrowly escaped the clutches of the witches; yet, none of them gave up hope. A feeling of uneasiness settled inside of them, an uncertainty that they were approaching the center of the witch’s domain.Finally, the group reached an intersection, and all eyes turned in unison towards the hallway that split down the middle, one path leading to freedom and the other to destruction. The Queen raised a trembling hand towards the rightmost passage, taking a deep breath,
With the amulet clutched tightly in his hand, Caivan rejoined Saelyna and Gylen, his expression determined. “I’ve found it,” he declared, his voice filled with a mix of hope and determination.As Cyran continued to engage the witch in a fierce battle, Saelyna stepped forward, her eyes meeting Caivan’s. “Give me the amulet, Caivan. It will amplify my magic and weaken her grip on the Queen.”Caivan nodded, passing the amulet to Saelyna with care. “Use it well, Saelyna. We’re counting on you.”Saelyna held the amulet close to her chest, feeling its power resonate within her. She took a deep breath, channeling her courage, her determination, and the collective strength of her friends.In that moment, time seemed to stand still. The air crackled with anticipation as Saelyna prepared to confront the witch head-on, armed with the ancient incantation and the newfound power of the amulet. The final battle was about to begin, and Saelyna was ready to seize their chance at victory.The room puls
Caught in the crossfire SAELYNAQuain let out a long sigh, he was very curious, but, seeing how I answered, he thought he didn't want to disturb my concentration. I tried to concentrate as I thought about the sentences I had read from Gylen's writing.The sound of the door opening made Quain and I turn our heads. Caivan had just come out in the clothes he had changed into."Quain," Caivan called, causing Quain to raise half an eyebrow in surprise. "Me, Saelyna, Cryan, and Gylen are leaving. I trust you to take care of the others. Stay alert and keep an eye on the surroundings. Don't trust anyone except Prince Charles. I'll be back in a little over an hour, but if we're not back in an hour, I authorize you to take the others with you. Caivan gave Quain a message, then reached for me. "Leave the stone the queen gave to Quain, so he can access it if anything happens to us."I immediately nodded in understanding, it was only fitting that Caivan became an Alpha, famous for his ruthless wa
Walking togetherCAIVANThe one I've been waiting for has finally arrived. Saelyna and Cryan came into my room."There's Gylen too," Cryan said to himself, then Gylen told him to sit by his side while Saelyna sat next to me."Why are you all here? Are you having a little meeting?" Saelyna asked with a half-raised eyebrow in surprise."No, we're just having a little discussion," I replied, standing in for Gylen.While Saelyna just nodded in understanding. "What about when you met Prince Charles? What did you talk about?" Saelyna suddenly remembered and asked me and Gylen."I'll explain it to you, but first I have to ask you," I grumbled as I looked at Saelyna from the side, then I picked up a map and some notes we had made because it would be useful for Saelyna and we didn't have to go too far in explaining it. It was all done by Gylen before the two of them came to my room."Everything is summarised here. I'll explain later. But where are you going?" I said, wondering when I saw that
An unsolved mysterySAELYNA"Are you called the Queen?"I nodded my head as Caivan asked. "I will see her now." I quickly closed the door to the room as Caivan made way for me. Maybe Cryan had told him. "When I get back, tell me what happened while you were talking to the prince."Caivan followed my footsteps towards the room where the Queen was. "Of course, you must be careful. I will be waiting for you in the room." When we reached the centre room, with the Queen's room in front of it, guarded by several soldiers, Caivan told me to leave and that he would return to his room.Feeling my heart pounding, I steadied myself before walking over. The soldiers made way for me to pass, apparently they had been informed by the Queen that I was her guest."Excuse me Queen, it's a pleasure to be here and thank you for inviting me." I bowed slightly and waved my hands in front of my stomach.The Queen, who was in her seat, smiled at me and then told me to sit down in one of the empty chairs she
An unsolved mysterySAELYNA"Are you called the Queen?"I nodded my head as Caivan asked. "I will see her now." I quickly closed the door to the room as Caivan made way for me. Maybe Cryan had told him. "When I get back, tell me what happened while you were talking to the prince."Caivan followed my footsteps towards the room where the Queen was. "Of course, you must be careful. I will be waiting for you in the room." When we reached the centre room, with the Queen's room in front of it, guarded by several soldiers, Caivan told me to leave and that he would return to his room.Feeling my heart pounding, I steadied myself before walking over. The soldiers made way for me to pass, apparently they had been informed by the Queen that I was her guest."Excuse me Queen, it's a pleasure to be here and thank you for inviting me." I bowed slightly and waved my hands in front of my stomach.The Queen, who was in her seat, smiled at me and then told me to sit down in one of the empty chairs she
First mission CAIVANI saw the Prince's legs move, he was about to turn and face us. This was the first time we had met, and I had sent the Prince a letter before we had spoken by telephone."Yes, you are my people. And we should protect you if you need our help." The Prince smiled broadly, he was quite handsome and authoritative. He shook his robes back, then walked over to me. I sat up and looked at him seriously. "Have you looked around your room?" he asked again as we faced each other."I have, Your Honour." I wasn't the only one who answered him, my friends in the back also replied."All right, just call me Charles. Are you the leader of them? Is your name Caivan? It's good to see you here, I hear you're a great fighter. If you are not tired from travelling and have more time, perhaps we can have a chat first. Or if you want to bring your deputy with you, that's fine too.I smiled broadly at that, then nodded briefly. "At your service, Your Honour." Then I turned to look at Gyle
Prince's welcome SAELYNAI don't want to, he must be very tired. And who really needs to be carried by Caivan? We decided to walk together. Five minutes was not too far and long, we could observe each other's surroundings and make small talk."Later we will come to a village where people live a simple life and we have to be friendly, don't make any noise. Be polite if you want to pass through their area, when we walk again we will meet the market before entering the city park and there we can see the huge city of Lexington. Then our goal is to find one of the kingdoms there, the kingdom of Brahzeil is the largest and has a lot of knowledge we can seek. There is a prince there who will help us, I hope you don't make a fuss. This prince is called Charles". Gylen explained to the others as Caivan's representative, while they all nodded in agreement. There are ten of us on this journey. We had a well thought out plan and had made sure that we would not betray each other.After about five