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Chapter 21
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Flight of the cardinal Chapter 22
I was dreaming of a cardinal bird flying in the sky. Its plumage was a majestic red, and each feather gleamed in the sun. It had perched itself on top of an old tree and surveyed the forest below, almost as a protector. Lightning flashed in the atmosphere, and the old tree caught fire. The flames consumed it within seconds, burning the cardinal with it. However, the bird flapped its wings instead of falling to the ground. As the fire scorched its feathers, they grew back, more robust and brighter than before. Once the cardinal had finished its transformation, the fire disappeared almost as quickly as it started. The cardinal took to the sky, and a swarm of birds cawing and screeching blackened my vision.As I flinched in my dream, I also flinched in bed. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. I placed my hand over my chest to calm my fluttering heart. I had not been gifted with the “sight,” or at least Otis, my magic teacher, said so. The training he had made me do had been
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 23
Gideon threw himself on his knees and grabbed the front of my dress. His eyes were all misty as he looked deep within my own. “Princess Cressida!” The colour in my face drained fully. I swatted the man’s hands and tried to brush him off as I moved back. The two other men stared at him, then at me, and eventually bent one knee and bowed their heads. Xander had taken some steps back as well. I sensed through our mate bond that he was as shocked as the man kneeling in front of me. I hyperventilated, and Diana quickly grabbed my arm and dragged me back inside the house. She sat me on the loveseat of the main room and removed the layers of winter clothes I had on. She then put a kettle over the fire to boil some water. I tried to unbutton my dress, but my left hand was not complying with the action I ordered. My fingers were shaking and felt numb. “Damn hand, why can’t you just do what I want!” I half screamed at it. Tears were spilling down my face. I heard shouting. The men seemed
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 24
“I’m a magic wielder,” I said with certainty. “I’m me.” Xander scratched his head. I couldn’t be anything else. You could only be one of three things in this world: a shifter, a wielder, or a human. There wasn’t anything else. I was a wielder, plain and simple. “We’ll have to look more into this. I’ve never heard of something like this happening.” Xander returned to the bathroom to look at the bite mark once more. “Was your mother a wielder as well?” He shouted from the room. “My father didn’t have any marks on his body, meaning that she couldn’t have been a shifter, and she showed no magical abilities, so I always assumed she was human.” “Hmm. Let’s keep this to ourselves until we understand what it all means.” I smiled weakly at him. He was right to keep this between us. None of it made sense. Xander had taken out a fresh shirt and was putting it on. I had forgotten that he had to go to the salt mines for inspection. And by the pained look on his face, he didn’t want to leav
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 25
Diana sat on her stool beside me and made me repeat the movements she had instructed me to do. They were repetitive, but I could feel the difference in the days after we started exercising my hand. She helped flex my fingers when needed and massaged the scarring. She was very patient with me and encouraged me to keep bending, even though it sometimes hurt. Diana had removed the splints, but I needed to keep my three fingers bandaged for another couple of days to ensure they healed right. It had been a relief since the splints made me itch something terrible. I was lucky that Xander's healing ability helped speed up the process. The last few days had been quiet. We were alone in the house while Xander and Gideon planned our trip to Perch. One of Gideon’s men had sent word to their headquarters that we would make way for them. I had no notion if they had mentioned me. I figured the risk was too significant to write that in a letter if someone other than leaders in the rebellion inter
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 26
We had been on the road for Maple for three days when suddenly, the road was no longer practical. A big snowstorm pounded the path for nearly a day. We would need to find shelter soon or be stuck in the carriage, snowed in. “I know a place where we can go until the storm lessens. It’s a small inn, maybe a half-hour ride from here. It will suit our party, and I think we can make it!” Shouted Gideon from outside the carriage. “Are the horses too deep in snow?” Xander asked. “Not yet, but if we continue waiting for the storm to pass, they might be, and we won’t be able to get there.” Xander nodded and closed the carriage door. Leo had his arms around Diana, keeping her warm, while Xander returned to my side and pressed me further into him. It was freezing. The storm came out of nowhere and took us by surprise. Hopefully, with Gideon’s encouragement, we would reach the inn shortly. I could hear the horses snort and the carriage being jerked forward. These were difficult and dangerou
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 27
We had resumed the road two days behind schedule. The snowstorm had not let out the following morning, and I had used that time to change the colour of my hair. Gideon had done a double-take when he had seen me coming down for supper that day. I grinned and winked at him. “You said so yourself. My hair was a dead giveaway, remember? I’ve found a better way of hiding it without cutting everything off.” From recalling that event, Gideon’s face had become beet red, and Xander had looked at us questioningly. I recounted what happened, and everyone laughed at Gideon’s rash action, which ultimately saved my life. Gideon had been right, though. I would have been found within a few days, maybe a week if he hadn’t cut all my fiery red hair. The inn we had stayed in was called the “Wayward Dog.” I learned from Gideon that it was a place many shifters stopped while on the road. I also discovered that all three men were shifters, which explained why they hadn’t seemed bothered by the cold sto
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 28
The ride to the baron’s estate had been short, and they had welcomed us inside a vast manor. A footman took our coats and showed us to a lavish room where sumptuous curtains draped the tall windows surrounding us, and the sofas had gilded wooden frames that exuded wealth. I wondered if the entire house had furniture like the ones we were in the presence of. Multiple paintings were hanging in the room. Most seemed like family portraits. While we waited, I passed the time by looking at them. The biggest one was a man with dark blond hair, thinning lightly at the top. His dark honey-brown eyes were severe and made me feel like they were scolding me. I surmised that this was Baron Mallard. He didn’t look familiar, which slowed down the blood pumping through my veins. I was nervous about meeting anyone who had ties to Osprey. My past experiences had been awful. The same man was in multiple paintings, often accompanied by a small girl. She was stunning, with beautiful blond hair, pink
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 29
Xander POV I wandered through Baron Mallard’s guest house in the early hours of the morning. My feet kept bringing me back to Ida’s room. But I dared not go inside, although I terribly wanted to. I knew I had crossed the line when she slapped me in the carriage ride from the baron’s manor. I had tried to explain to Ida why it was necessary to do what I did, but I knew my actions stunned her. She had refused to look at me—to let me touch her. I wanted to howl in grief. From the moment he saw Ida, that bastard Mallard was all over her—then blatantly insulted me. He still held a grudge against my refusal of his daughter years ago. Beatrice had moved on since then and had married into a wealthy family. I thought we had been past this. How could I have explained why his daughter would never have been enough for me without mentioning I was a Lycan shifter? Beatrice was nothing compared to Ida. Nothing. I hated the persona I had created while doing my duties as heir to High Hill and it
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The whip cracked in the air. I felt the leather strings touch my lower back, and as Shrike pulled, I could feel my skin lift and tear. Once the hooks were out, I was flung back near the post. I stopped breathing and tried to control the pain. I had not expected that. “The show is for my personal amusement, as well as to install fear in your mind. Fear in the body is no fun, but fear in the mind, now that is entertaining. Regarding the reasons why I am doing this… let’s just say it’s simply to pass the time until the king arrives, and then we get down to the nitty-gritty.” I felt the leather touch the inside of my ribs. Again, the skin pulled as the hooks receded. Shrike inflicted four more hits, but those had been higher on my back, where my skin was thicker. It pained me less than the previous ones, but I still had to muffle a cry. I started sweating from the pain and noticed that my feet and knees were slipping in the small pool of blood that was accumulating under me. At this rat
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 48 - End
Xander POV When Ida and Diana left the house, I suddenly wanted to tell them not to attend the meeting. My Lycan and I had a bad feeling about all this, mainly with Ida smelling different. Diana had said she was fine, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t. Something in the past few weeks had definitely changed in her. Even Gideon had mentioned it to me. But we both were at a loss to figure out what it was. I couldn’t believe that two prime shifters couldn’t tell what was wrong with her. Leo came out of the house and looked at me, almost pleading with me to take him with us. I ruffled his hair and smiled. “Keep Nimu in the house and ensure everything is ready when we return. The horses must be fed properly if we are to leave in the morning.” Leo’s face turned bitter as he realized he would not be coming with us. He was still young, and I didn’t know what would happen on our outing. It was safer for him to stay indoors with the old wielder. He begrudgingly returned ins
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 47
I closed my eyes and searched for what could unlock the memory orb. I let my energy wander through the glass sphere, pulling some of the power from it. I slowed my breathing and listened to the vibration passing through my fingers and flowing in me. I imagined it looking like a series of small strings tied taut inside the orb—protecting its content like a package needing to be unwrapped. I didn’t quite know what to do, so I whispered an unlocking incantation and felt my magic tug at the invisible strings that resided within. It didn’t want to open. I tried a different approach; I would force the strings and break them. I gathered as much energy as I could muster. My body heated up, and the memory orb became hot as well. I needed to control my power, or it could shatter the delicate magic that created the small spherical storage. Sweat dripped from my forehead, gliding down my side temples and lining the base of my neck. I needed to create a balance between high force and a gentle
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 46
“You both could walk into a trap,” Xander repeated as I dressed in one of my fancier dresses. If I were to leave the house, I thought it best to look respectable. Diana had also dressed nicely. We had chosen these attires to fit better in the crowd. One look at us, and they wouldn’t spare a second glance since we were just another wealthy family staying in the city. My hands were on the poster from the bed, and Diana was cinching up my corset. Each time she tightened a lacing, it constricted my chest and made me take a laboured breath. Why did they have to make those things so tight? Diana pulled on another set of strings, and I almost fainted from the tightness. “Oh, might have overdone it. Sorry, Ida. Let me loosen this a bit,” Diana mumbled as she saw my face pale. Xander growled and sat on the end of the bed, forcing me to look at him. “Stop pretending you can’t hear me! You shouldn’t be going anywhere, Ida. You still smell funny,” he said exasperatingly. “Diana, have you lo
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 45
After days of not hearing anything from Denis, we assumed he had no intentions of aiding us, so we prepared to leave the city. Diana had been a mess since she found out her brother was still alive and had not answered her note. “Do you think he read the message you gave him?” Diana asked me for what seemed like the hundredth time. We had had this discussion on more than one occasion, and I answered each time in the same manner. “I don’t know. I only know Denis took it and placed it in his front pocket. Will you tell me what was on that piece of paper I gave him?” Diana bit her lip while she continued folding some of our clothes. She kept the message secret, not wanting us to know what she had written. It had caused quite a commotion with Xander, who feared that Diana would betray and sell us out to her brother. I understood his annoyance, but I also understood the secretiveness Diana was keeping. The Chickadees had knowledge that no one else possessed concerning the contents of
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 44
After Diana’s name left Denis’s lips, he rapidly collected himself and cleared his throat. “I’m so sorry. I mistook you for someone I knew long ago. Please forgive my misobservation. Allow me to help you. That was quite a tumble you almost had.” Denis gingerly got up and made his way to help Diana with the mess the fallen tray had left. “Please, let me take care of it, Sir,” I interjected, stepping before Diana. Whatever had happened, Diana still seemed a little shaken by the event. She straightened and mumbled, “It’s fine,” then gathered the broken porcelain. I didn’t think my friend almost fell; her path was clear, and Diana had an extremely sure footing from being a maid for such a long time. I thought she let the tray slip by sheer shock. If this man knew her, and she knew him, and they both acted like they didn’t know each other, I thought it best to separate them before the guards became suspicious. I glanced at Xander, who took the hint and asked the curator questions abou
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 43
No one came to get us for three days. Xander’s patience had thinned to the point where he was becoming irritable. None of us dared to leave the house except Diana, who was human. She went out for food and supplies, then returned and left again if we required something else. Gideon, Nimu, Leo, Xander, and I had preferred staying indoors, peering through the windows. We were now in the city where red was forbidden. Looking at the citizens walking past the house, I saw none with red hair. I dyed mine brown to ensure the redness wouldn’t attract unwanted questions. I thought it more prudent for when we would need to go to the Arcane Library. I wasn’t planning on wearing the enormous hat again. I thought it was over the top for the gowns I had in the small chest we had brought. We were lucky that Lady Lucia had left some of her crinolines and petticoats here from her last visit. We hadn’t had enough space to bring my own, and I wanted to dress according to being engaged to a lord. This
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 42
We had eaten early that morning and packed enough food to last the rest of our journey. Cardinal City was a little less than a day away. Once there, we would go to the Kestrel’s house they owned and used when they were summoned to court. Our horses were fresh and ready to haul us to our final destination. I dreaded our arrival at my old home. The beautiful childhood I had in Cardinal City was now tainted by the events during the uprising. Cardinal City sat atop a mountain. The steep rocky mountainsides protected it, and the only way in or out was through the thick, dark forest that lined it from the south. It reminded me of a peninsula, except air surrounded it, and the city was high above the clouds. It was technically a stronghold. The northern, eastern, and western sides had fortified and patrolled walls that blended with the jagged rocks of the mountain that descended to the ocean, while the ramparts served as the first line of protection for the castle and its inner city. The
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 41
On the morning we left Starling Castle, we met Gideon and Leo on horseback while we were half a day’s ride from Perch. Xander had been right about us meeting them on our way out. Gideon seemed anxious at seeing us this early in the morning, but when Diana and Xander explained what had happened, Gideon had also fallen into a sour mood. I was happy to see little Leo again, and he was a great distraction from the others’ brooding attitude. He sat in between Gideon’s legs, holding the horse’s mane. His eyes lit up at the sight of me, and I pressed my horse closer to Gideon’s, gesturing Leo to come and sit on my horse for a while. I didn’t know if they had used the forest path to leave the city of Maple, but I knew their horse must have been tired of holding up all that extra weight. They even brought back a tiny chest with some of my nicer clothes. I thought it was a friendly gesture on Gideon’s part, but it was pointless since riding on horseback with a gown was tough. I preferred keep
