Mircea snaps his finger, and the black witch uses her magic on me, making me feel excruciating pain. I clench my teeth and think of Red. It will be over soon. I just need to endure until Tatiana gets to me. Once I am reunited with Red, I will convince her to let me mark her. I am not sure why it is so important, but Tatiana once told me it is of utmost importance to do so. I wonder if it has something to do with my power. It mostly lay dormant. Until I met Red. I am still testing what I can do with it. For now, I learned it can take any shape I want.The pain intensifies with each passing moment. I claw the arms of the chair and bite the interior of my cheeks, the copper taste of my blood filling my mouth. Sweat runs down on either side of my face.My father puts an end to the torture. “Enough.”The witch continues her vicious attack for a few more minutes before stopping.My head falls forward, and I am catching my breath when my father asks, “Will you now do as I asked?”What the he
Bruises and dried blood cover my chest and other parts of my body. How did I get them?The woman, who is wearing a long dark robe, which reminds me of clothes worn by witches in bad movies, pulls out a vial with a strange liquid from one of her many pockets.“Here. Drink this.” She tries to give the vial to me, but there is something about her that makes me distrust her. “I am good,” I politely refuse to drink whatever she is giving me.She scoffs. “It’s a healing potion, not poison.” When I am still skeptical of her intentions, she adds, “It will accelerate your healing. And reduce your fatigue.”Well, it is a healing potion. It is supposed to do that. But how does she know that I am tired? In fact, I am so tired I feel like passing out at any moment.“Who are you?” “A witch.” I meant her name. I look at the vial in her hand. ‘Should we trust her?’ I ask my wolf.‘We should be wary. But if she is right about the potion, then we will be healed soon.’My ribs hurt like hell, and I
Tatiana, the Queen of the Druid Witches. She had been the enemy of Queen Lamia for years. My father puts his hand on top of my shoulder. He still looks angry, but his tone is calm again. “Once the Sword of Nightmares is in our hands, we can defeat Tatiana and everyone that stands in our way. So what do you say, son, will you do as I asked?”I would do anything for my father to show him how grateful I am for everything he has done for me. As for Queen Lamia—I would give my life for her. Although I don’t know why I hesitated when she asked me to pull the Sword of Nightmares from the rock. “I will.” “Good. Good.” My father sounds relieved. Did he think I would refuse?“But how will I get to the Diamond Realm?” I ask because I know that the only portal that connects the Human Realm to Avalon is in the Crescent Moon Pack, and they won’t let me use it just because I tell them I want to participate in the Games. “I will be the one to worry about that. Meanwhile, you will go to The Nether
Slowly, she rises to her feet. Noticing her clothes, or the lack of them—only a skirt of leaves around her waist, her long silver hair covering her chest—I give her some of my clothes. She accepts them. “You must be cold,” I say when she keeps staring at the sweater and pair of pants in her hands. The corners of her mouth twitch. “Since her lackeys conquered this land, you are the second kind person I’ve met.”“Who is her?” The girl looks at me, her white eyes studying me. “You already know. It will come back to you when you kiss the rain.” When I kiss the rain? She makes no sense. She puts her left hand on the tree bark. “When you see him, tell him to look behind the waterfall two nights from now.”Her body starts to blend with the tree.“What are you talking about?” “Who not what. The one that has been brought there against his will. A lie whispered in the guard’s ear made him the most hated person in the Nether Realm. You will find him in The Lastdenn.”The Lastdenn is probabl
I make a stop at the common bathroom before heading to the dining hall. The tables are almost entirely occupied by those who have been training during the day. While most of those who live in the Lastdenn are males, there are a few females as well. They sit together around two tables, eating and chatting. Between the two tables is a male on his knees, dressed in rags, his head low, his gaze fixed on the stone floor. He is so thin, I can see his bones. The ash wood collar around his neck not only tells me he is a slave but a vampire as well.I hate people who have slaves. Are there more, or is he the only one? Tomorrow, I will ask Anan about the slave.I grab my food—which looks like something one would feed the pigs—and search for an empty place to sit so I can eat. One of the males stands, and I take his place. Those around the table ask for my name and then introduce themselves. I barely register what they are saying as the females are laughing very loudly, making my head pound. Aft
“Colt, time to go hunting,” Voros wakes me before the break of dawn. The frigid air inside the house is even colder than the previous night, and the blanket Voros gave me offers minimal warmth. Spending five months in this location will undoubtedly feel like hell. Of all the places a knight can train, why did I have to be sent to this one? A lingering sense of unease settles deep inside me, making me think something is not right. That I might have done something to displease my father and Queen Lamia, but no specific incident comes to mind, no matter how deeply I contemplate it.Not wanting to make Voros wait, I kick the blanket to the side and get up. “If I had known I was being sent to Antarctica, I would have refused,” I vent my frustrations as I slip on my boots and coat.Voros casually takes a sip from his mug. His clothes match his pink hair with apparent intention. “It wasn’t always like this here.” I shoot him a puzzled look.“Don’t tell me it was worse.” Voros snickers. “A
We stop close to the kitchen. Voros scans the area around us, listening for sounds and sniffing the air. “You should not say that name here unless you want to get in trouble.”Anan told me Analise is evil, while Voros warns me not to say anything about her. Interesting. Regardless of who is right, as long as Analise doesn’t interfere with my training, I don’t have a reason to give her a second thought. “How did you meet her?” Voros wants to know. “I gave her some water yesterday, and she mentioned a person who is very hated here. Based on what you said, I think she referred to K, but she never mentioned his name.” “If Analise gave you a message for K, it is best to give it to him.” We quietly enter the kitchen. K is cleaning two big stoves, his back to us. “Need any help?” Voros asks suddenly, startling K.The vampire turns around, his gaze fixed on the floor. “I got this.”He sounds…defeated. Like the life has been sucked out of him.‘If Voros is right about K and him being her
Five months laterAfter breakfast, Anan and I step into the middle of the arena and take our fighting positions.After five months of daily training, I finally became skilled enough with a sword to think I might have a chance to defeat Anan in combat one day. It’s a great achievement, especially after spending the first two or three months covered in bruises since Anan would kick my ass every single time. That is basically our daily routine—meet on the training grounds, a few rounds of him sweeping the ground with me, making me always wonder if he is either very strong or if I lack basic training before he leaves while telling me to do better the next day.My improvement is all due to Voros, who offered to teach me the technique Anan uses. I also learned demons are stronger than werewolves, which explains why Anan can easily defeat me, making me want to prove not only to myself but to everyone else in the Lastdenn that I have what’s needed to win the Games and claim the Sword of Night