The forest felt so silent Ayla could hear her heart pounding against her ribcage. Rhobart straightened himself in the saddle, his fingers brushing the pommel of his dagger. Ayla reached inside her to that strong spring of magic—her gift from her mother or father, or perhaps both.Kerra sniffed the air, her two tails whipping violently.“We mean you no harm,” Rhobart said, his voice strong. “We are just passing by!”“Where to?” the man asked from a different tree.Ayla wondered when he moved so fast. Or so silently.“Far away from Myrthana. I advise you to do the same!” Rhobart replied.“You lie! I see you wear the cloak of a hunter while the female has a black one, like those used by mercenaries. You had your chance to leave, but I am afraid your time is up,” said the man. Ayla tried to say something, but he went on, “Release the arrows!”Kerra growled and got in an attack position.A few leaves rustled, Ayla put her right hand in the air, and a magic shield appeared around Runner and
His long hair was braided, and he wore not only a cloak identical to that of Rhobart—mottled grey, green and brown but also his tunic and trousers had the same colors, making him hard to be seen in the forest.“Who are you, female?” he asked.Rhobart took out his sword and put the tip against the Elf’s neck. “Put the bow down, or else I will remove your head!” Rhobart growled.But the Elf’s eyes were still fixed on Ayla, and he did not appear to have heard Rhobart. Rhobart nicked his skin, a few drops of blood ran down his neck.“Don’t release more arrows!” the Elf yelled, lowering his bow.Two more Elves jumped from the trees—a female and a male, both blondes—landing close to Kerra before moving closer to Rhobart and Ayla. The male had a sword in his right hand, while the female had a whip on her left hip and a short sword on the right one.“She looks identical to you, Taeral,” the female said. “Except for her ears, which are human.” She sniffed the air. “But she is only part human.”
Hi everyoneThe book is not abandoned, neither is the story, but some things are happening with the story, the world.There is another story that comes before Frozen Heart - no need to read, but I am focusing to finish that one first, before I go back to Frozen Heart. Once Wolf Heart is done, I will finish this story as well.I just ask all of you to be a bit patient until I finish what I have planned.I also want to wish everyone a happy new year.you can find me on FB as well - Amy T Stories is my group and I will post news there pretty soon
Snow was falling from grey clouds as a small carriage advanced slowly on the lonely road. The carriage was surrounded by war horses—their riders looking battle worn and tired. The warrior in front, who seemed to be their leader, kept looking at the sky from time to time with a frown. Then he would look at the carriage as if he could see the young woman inside of it. Ice wolves howled in the forest, and the young woman shivered because of the cold. Or perhaps she was afraid of the wild beasts. When the howling stopped, she looked out the window while she pulled her cloak tight around her. In the distance, the tall peaks of the mountains were hiding between the dark clouds. The woman opened the window, stuck a gloved hand out, caught a snowflake in her hand, and studied it until it melted. ‘The snowflakes are quite pretty,’ she thought, ‘but I wish I could see something else.’ After almost three weeks of seeing snow all the time, she had grown tired of it. She sighed as she clo
When the King didn’t close the carriage’s door, Ayla knew she was meant to follow him. She looked outside. It had stopped snowing, but the day appeared to be as grumpy as King Rhobart. She wrapped the cloak tighter around her and wondered if she could keep it once she was in the Royal Palace. Ayla still could not believe Galian had given her away as if she was worth nothing. In a blink of an eye, she went from being a princess to being a slave. She didn’t exactly have a rosy life in Myrthana, but while she was still a ‘princess’ and kept in her golden cage, there was no King of Nordmar with onyx eyes full of hatred to order her around. Not that she blamed King Rhobart. After all, it had been her father who started the war by attacking and destroying a clan from Nordmar. All the villagers were killed that day. The clan had been closer to the border with Myrthana. Since then, thirteen years have passed—thirteen years of war, pain, and death. King Rhobart lost all his family mem
After many attempts and failures, with the help of Milton, Ayla got on the horse. Her dress was not suitable for horse riding, and she had to ride sidesaddle. As Milton got on top of the other horse, Ayla gripped the saddle as hard as she could. In the forest, an ice wolf howled, and Ayla was sure her horse would start running and throw her off his back. When the horse didn’t move, Ayla prayed to Addanos, asking him to let her arrive at the Royal Castle in one piece. She tried to grip the reins, but her fingers were numb with cold. The journey and the cold had worn Ayla out. Despite the warm cloak covering her, she felt as though the endless cold had made its home in her bones. She doubted she would ever feel warm again. She shivered so badly that her entire body started hurting. “Grab the rein!” Milton instructed her. Ayla tried to do as Milton asked, but her hands wouldn’t listen to her. “I can’t grab it. My fingers are numb with cold,” Ayla said as another ice wolf ho
Somewhere between life and death, then and now, here and there, delirium and reality, nightmare and dream, whispers and more promises than Ayla could remember, phantom touches, calloused fingers, and strong hands on her skin, she slowly started feeling better. It was during the day when Ayla opened her eyes and felt like she was alive and not trapped somewhere between worlds. She was lying in a bed in a room she didn’t recognize. A fire was burning in the fireplace, and soft animal furs covered her. Ayla frowned, wondering why she was in a guest room. Slaves usually slept in the kitchen or the hallways. While she had never been good at mathematics, she thought about how much she would have to work to pay for the room. During the time she had been sick, she forgot about the war and King Rhobart, but once she opened her eyes, she remembered everything—her father trying to conquer Nordmar, her brother, but mostly she remembered King Rhobart and his black eyes full of hatred. Ayl
Ayla knew she shouldn’t waste the gift she received. If she didn’t eat the broth, it would probably be thrown away, and it would be such a waste. Besides, she was sure King Rhobart would make her pay for the dragon-root even if she didn’t eat the broth. ‘I hope the King chokes on his food and dies!’ Ayla thought. Left with no choice, Ayla ate while she told Milton about her books and her small garden. She told him how her mother and grandmother started teaching her about plants and herbs. Ayla’s mother, Queen Lavia, died when Ayla was nine years old, a month after the war began, while her grandmother died the following year, leaving her alone with her father and brother. When Ayla finished eating, she felt stronger. She wiggled her fingers, and joy filled her heart when she saw that the trembling had stopped. With each passing minute, Ayla felt better. Milton handed her a cup of tea. “Now drink this. It will help heal your body faster.” Ayla took the cup, smelled th