Rhobart slept peacefully beside Ayla, his left hand around her waist, his face buried in her hair, but she... she was still awake, thinking about the twins. She felt sorry for the twins, for she knew how big their desire was to find their n’alxa. And then there were Rania and Sylvar. What if Sylvar could not get past the fact that Rania had been with the twins? A pale moon rose above Nordmar. O’neltxero—The Longest Night in the Year—will be in five days during the next Full Moon. Feasts were to be held in the village and the monastery. She and Rhobart would celebrate not only the beginning of a new year but also fourteen years since they had their alxa-lotx ceremony. After the O’neltxero, Rhobart wanted to return to the Warrior Clan and finish preparations for the war. Ayla had yet to find the forgotten book or anything about Uzriel or the prophecy. Knowing what was at stake, Ayla got out of bed, dressed silently, put on a black cloak that Rhobart had purchased for her when they wer
Ayla refused to take the mug from Eude. “I can’t. I might be with child,” she let the twins know. The lack of her monthly cycle was starting to bother her. What if she truly was with child? Eude sat beside his brother and put the extra mug on one of the empty chairs. Hudde drank from his mug. “Rhobart’s seed finally took root, huh?” Eude looked at Ayla’s belly. “The bastard didn’t lose any time! Are you thinking the same thing as I, brother?” “I think I am, brother!” Hudde replied. The twins clinked the mugs and drank all the wine. “We are going to be uncles,” they said cheerfully. “We are going to teach the little prince everything we know.” Ayla never expected to see the twins so happy for a baby that wasn’t theirs. Hudde poured some more wine. “We will take the little prince hunting and fishing and show him how to use a sword and a bow. When he comes of age, we will take him to get his piercings and teach him all about women.” Eude grinned. “We will take him to women befor
“What about her?” Ayla asked. Eude pulled out an empty bottle from the sack. “Fine. One bottle for her only if she wants it.” “You are the best princess ever,” Eude praised Ayla. “And Rhobart, the best king. After all, he nursed you back to health,” Hudde said. “You mean Milton?” Ayla asked, confused. The twins seemed amused by her words. Was she wrong? But if it hadn’t been Milton who stayed by her side, then who? Could it be...? “You still think Milton was the one that wiped your forehead when your fever was too high or cleaned and changed your clothes when you would vomit because you couldn’t keep down even a spoon of soup?” Eude asked. Hudde snorted. “Do you think Rhobart would have permitted another man to hold you in his arms all night long? Or to wash your body covered in sweat?” Why hadn’t Rhobart told her the truth? ‘Thank you for being by my side while I was sick. I don’t remember anything about that time,’ she had said to Rhobart. When she had said that to Rhobar
She went over to the desk and looked at the books. Most of them were in Old Nordmarian. Among them was an old journal. Ayla picked it up and used her tunic to clean the dust from the cover before opening it. Fortunately, the journal was written in the Common Language, and it belonged to a novice that studied in the Fire Monastery sixty years ago. Day 1, year 1077 after the second War with the Orcs While hiding from the novices that love tormenting me, I found an old tunnel in the wine cellar. I don’t know who built it, but it looks very old. Tomorrow I will go back to it. Day 5, I have been exploring the tunnel for a few days and found three doors. Driven by curiosity, I opened them, wanting to know where they would lead me. Behind one of the doors, I found another tunnel that took me to a library with forbidden books about Dark Magic. Day 33, I started spending more and more time in the old library, reading books about Dark Magic. I have learned more from these books than fro
Ayla took out her dagger. The Paladins raised their swords and moved lightning fast as if they were born to fight evil. There was no fear on their faces as they attacked the undead Orc. The undead Orc lifted his big fists and aimed for Hudde. The Paladin dodged them, but the Undead Orc was faster than the skeletons, and he swung his fists once more, hitting Hudde in the ribs and sending him into the wall behind him. “Are you alright?” Eude asked as he attacked the creature from behind. “My ribs feel as if they are on fire, and I am sure at least two of them are broken, but other than that, I am great,” Hudde said sarcastically. Eude snorted. “Always the jester.” A cursed axe appeared in the undead Orc’s hand, and he aimed for Hudde’s neck. Ayla could not just let Hudde die. She threw the dagger at the undead Orc at the same time as Hudde leaped to his side. Ayla’s dagger pierced the creature’s upper arm. Eude attempted to decapitate the Undead Orc, but the creature turned around,
Where have you been?” Rhobart asked Ayla. His eyes fell on her left arm. The sleeve of her white tunic had blood on it. And dust. “You are hurt? And why are your clothes dirty?” “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to go on a walk. I must have scratched myself with something,” Ayla tried to lie. Rhobart folded his arms over his chest. “Why do I have the feeling you are not being honest?” Ayla licked her lips nervously. “Could we, perhaps, talk about this in our room?” she asked, not wanting to have an argument with Rhobart in front of Atlas and Zell. “Don’t mind us. We were on our way to see our griffins. It just happened that we stumbled upon a very frenzied Rhobart,” Atlas explained. “I was not in a frenzy,” Rhobart protested. “Maybe a bit worried for my woman, who was supposed to be sleeping next to me, but instead, went Inoss knows where.” “As I said, I was… just taking a walk,” Ayla huffed. Atlas looked over Ayla’s shoulder, squinting his eyes. “Is that the twins?” Ayla clo
“Oh, you thought I was going to let the twins off the hook when it was their responsibility, their duty, to make sure you don’t venture into some old tunnel? Did you ever stop to think that maybe traps were inside it?” Ayla bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “Of course not! What did you even expect to find there?” She shrugged. “So you went inside because of curiosity?” Rhobart’s voice was starting to get louder, catching the attention of some Fire Mages. “Rhobart,” Milton tried to intervene. “Stay out of this,” Rhobart snapped at Milton. He turned his attention back to Ayla. “You put not only yourself in danger, but Hudde and Eude as well. And not to talk about our child.” “I am not pregnant!” Ayla told him for the hundredth time. Rhobart seemed to ignore her as he kept talking. “If you are acting like this now, what will you do during the war when warriors are punished for their disobedience?” he snarled. Ayla strengthened her back. “We are not at war, and even if we we
She grabbed his face between her palms and kissed him. “I am sorry,” she said against his lips. His chest rumbled. “You have been kind to me when I haven’t. I will never doubt your character again, ever.” She kissed him again, wanting to show him how much she loved him. How much she needed him. It wasn’t just a physical need. She needed to feel his love for her. Cheeks red as tomatoes, blood roaring in her ears…. She had never taken the initiative before… She broke the kiss. “Take off your tunic,” she said hoarsely. He obeyed her. She ran her hands over his chest, over the tattooed runes on his skin—his oath to her—over his hard pectorals, then lower, over his abdomen, and lower… He sucked in a breath, and she slid down to the floor. She unfastened his trousers, her gaze on his face. His eyes were full of lust. “Whatever is to happen, whatever hardship we will face, I want you to know that I love you. That you make me so very happy. That everything I do, I do it for us. For